There are many businesses in the economy who, essentially, earn money from introducing sellers to buyers and then take a share of the money that the seller earns as a result. Typical examples include estate agents, insurance brokers and financial advisers.
Along the way these professionals may actually contribute to winning the sale but, essentially, they are earning the bulk of their money as commission for making the initial introduction. With the advent of the internet, with its power to introduce far more informed people, far more easily, to huge numbers of businesses, this has seen the inexorable rise of so-called affiliate marketing. It has also seen it being adopted by far more sectors than ever before.
The worlds of fashion, finance, travel, homewares and even pet care are all active users of affiliate marketing in different ways. The way it works can differ slightly from one sector another but, at its heart, it’s essentially all the same. An affiliate marketer will set up a website that lists a number of different providers in the same sector. This makes it easy for the would-be buyer to see what’s available, whether they’re looking for home insurance or a holiday, a new sofa or a business suit.
If they then go on to click through and make a purchase then the affiliate marketer gets paid. This can either take the form of a fixed fee or a commission payment that’s worked out according to the amount of money the client makes from the customer. One sector that has wholeheartedly embraced affiliate marketing is iGaming and now relies heavily on it to recruit new players.
The casino connection
There are a number of reasons why affiliate marketing and online casinos go together so very well and the first of these is the highly competitive nature of the sector.
In the US alone there are hundreds of different operators all vying for a finite number of players. This makes choosing which casino to play at very difficult indeed for people – so they look to affiliate sites for guidance.
By checking out reputable affiliate sites like Casino.us they can be sure that they’ll be able to find the most reliable information on real money casinos, and learn which operators offer the widest range of good quality games, are 100% trustworthy and which also offer the best welcome bonuses.
The affiliate sites do more than just list the different online operators. Most also offer comprehensive reviews of them. These take every aspect of the online casino into account including small but important considerations like how good the customer service is and the many different ways that players can pay in their stake money and withdraw any winnings they may make. For casinos it makes perfect sense to appear on as many affiliate sites as they possibly can in order to spread their nets wide. And, because they only pay for the introductions that lead to new business for themselves, it’s a far more efficient method of recruitment than other forms of marketing like advertising and sponsorship.
With these, a considerable investment is needed and there is no 100% accurate way of quantifying how many new players join as a result of seeing a TV ad or being exposed to a team or TV show sponsored by an online casino.
A growing field
While online casinos in the U.S. are notoriously secretive about exactly how much they spend on affiliate marketing, recent estimates suggest that around $2.5 billion a year is invested in all forms of gambling advertising. A significant portion of this contributes to the total of roughly $2 billion spent on affiliate marketing in the U.S. annually, a figure that continues to grow year after year.
Moreover, as the traditional media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented and offline channels are gradually abandoned in favor of their online counterparts, it’s likely that even more online casinos will focus their efforts on appearing on affiliate sites.
Legal, honest and true
It’s a little-known fact that it’s not just online casinos that are closely monitored in the U.S., affiliate sites are regulated as well, particularly in states where online gambling is legal. These affiliates have a responsibility to ensure that only players aged 21 or over, and located in states where online casinos are permitted, can access their services. Failure to comply with these rules can result in penalties similar to those faced by licensed online casino operators. This provides reassurance to players and means they can place their trust in affiliate sites and the information they provide about individual casinos. Anyone looking for a new online casino to play at in the U.S. can therefore rely on trusted affiliate sites to help them find the right option safely and legally.
