The Best Casino Affiliate Programs for April 2024

Looking for how to get started with the best online casino affiliate programs? Read this overview for an an expert rating of the top programs, explanations of the various payment options, how to get exclusive deals and which ones to avoid.

On this page, you can see all of the top programs, as well as learn about how we rate different options. We’ll also give you a rundown of all of the things you need to know about being an affiliate, as well as answer some frequently asked questions.

Online Casino Affiliate Programs: The Overview

Here you can see the top casino affiliate programs available right now. You can use the buttons at the top of the table to filter the results so that you can pick the right option for you. You’ll also see our rating, which we have given after testing the program fully – doing all the necessary research for you.

Whether you are looking for a multi-brand affiliate program, or just want to make sure that you can get paid via PayPal like on the top PayPal casinos, you’ll see above that there are lots of options. In this competitive market, you really don’t need to settle for a mediocre option.

The Characteristics of Good Affiliate Programs

Of course, seeing a rating out of five doesn’t really mean a lot by itself. You need to know how we came to these judgements. We have looked into all of the details that are listed in the table above for each of the best casino affiliate programs, as well as considering some other factors. The most important aspects of any program are:

As we mentioned above, the UK market is chock-full of popular online casinos, with just about as many affiliate programs working hard to gain the attention of potential partners. This means that, if you spend a little time having a look at the options, you’re bound to find one that is suitable for you. And if you’re outside of the UK? The same applies – at least if you’re in a legal market.

Whether it is a favorable revenue share percentage, the offer of lifelong rev share on each player, or simply having no negative carryover, each aspect can make a huge difference to the income of an affiliate.

Exclusive Deals Offered

Exclusive deals are one of the ways that affiliates can help to bring in players to a brand. With the many casino bonuses on offer, it can help to stand out from the crowd.

Especially with known and proven affiliates, programs will sometimes offer exclusive welcome bonuses. These can set the affiliate’s offering apart from competitors, allowing player and affiliate to benefit. While not all of the best casino affiliate programs in our top list automatically offer exclusive deals, most are open to them with established partners. After a short while, you should be able to negotiate favorable conditions on a variety of exclusive offers.

Top New Affiliate Programs

Just as with new casino sites, there are numerous reasons why you might want to choose a new affiliate program instead of a more established name. Perhaps the most common reason is that they have to work harder to bring people on board.

As they are not the first names that spring to mind, any company running a new and less well-known brand has to use all of their creativity to encourage affiliates to come on board. This may result in higher revshare offers or more exclusive deals.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that it is not worthwhile considering working with a company just because it has been around the block a few times. Some of our top recommended programs have been in operation for many years and deserve the reputation that they have built.

Inactive Affiliate Programs

There’s nothing more frustrating than reading about a program and getting excited about it, only to find out that it is no longer in operation. That’s why we’ve created this list of the most well-known casino affiliate programs that are now inactive.

Of course, this list is far from exhaustive. We have focused on those online casino affiliate programs that our readers are most likely to come across and wish to join. We will add to this list over time, as any other important names in the industry close their doors.

Blacklisted Affiliate Programs

Nobody likes to read about horror stories in the gambling industry, but they do unfortunately happen. That’s why many countries have strict regulation. And it’s why we have a zero-tolerance approach to unprofessional and underhanded practices. When we come across an online affiliate program that can’t be trusted, we include it in our blacklist.

Speaking from experience, we can tell you that it really is not worth getting involved with a company that has a reputation for treating affiliates badly, or that has broken gaming laws. Even if they have great offerings on paper, this doesn’t help you, when they end up scamming you at the time of pay-out.

Companies can end up on this list for numerous reasons, ranging from the illegal operation of a gambling site to unacceptable communication or failure to pay affiliates.

Guide for Everyone New to Being an Affiliate

So far, all of the above has been more geared towards those of you, who already know what you’re doing, when it comes to being an affiliate. However, what if this is all new territory for you? If you are not quite sure about a few of the technicalities here, then don’t worry. We have put together this simple guide so that you can learn about how the best casino affiliate programs work, how to get started, and what you can expect as an affiliate.

What an Online Casino Affiliate Program is

Affiliate programs are a type of marketing used in the gambling industry. They are used by casinos and bookmakers in order to spread the word about their brand and to recruit more players. This can done through various methods, such as providing links to a casino on a blog or social media profile that a reader can click on.

The basic setup is that the casino rewards an affiliate partner for each player that they bring to the casino or rewards them based on the money that they spend at the site. The specific setup varies between each program, but that’s the general idea.

Affiliate programs are essentially a way for customers to find new products to purchase, helped with the concept of social proof as a marketing tool. If a website you trust recommends you a new product, you know the suggestion is going to be a good one.

How to Become an Affiliate

Becoming an affiliate is pretty easy. Most of the programs are set up to make the registration and verification process as streamlined as possible. If you like the sound of one of our recommended affiliate programs, then click on the button next to it, which will take you to the sign-up form at the site.

How the Payment Models Work

Not all programs pay their affiliates in the same manner. Sure, all affiliates are paid for referring players to a casino, but there are three main models that could be implemented, which are cost per acquisition (CPA), revenue share and hybrid models.

If an affiliate is paid for each player that they recruit to the casino, this is is an example of a CPA model. The affiliate gets a set amount per recruitment to create an account and fulfil other requirements like a minimum deposit made.

The upside of a CPA model is that it offers a steady flow of cash. While it may seem like the obvious model, it is actually not the most common setup, and it is not as profitable as a revenue share in the long run.

Most casino affiliate programs use a revenue share commission structure. In this, the affiliate is paid a certain share of the net profits that the site takes in from the players that were recruited to the site by the affiliate.

The revenue share, or ‘rev share’ system is riskier than the CPA model as it is dependent on how much money your recruited players win or lose over the month.

There are also programs that allow for a mixture of the two to be implemented. These are known as hybrid programs. Hybrid programs are more profitable than a normal CPA model, however in the long run they are still not as profitable as a rev share.

Hybrid programs are more secure than rev shares, as they model after the CPA steady cash flow system. While you may come across a few that offer these to all potential affiliates, CPAs and hybrids are usually reserved for experienced and proven affiliates.

Various Payment Method Options

Depending on each company’s process, you can receive the money you have earned through the affiliate program through a number of different payment methods. Payments through eWallets are common, with Neteller and PayPal among the trusted financial services used.

It’s always worthwhile to investigate the options that you select, as there could be fees associated with some cashout methods. If you can avoid fees by selecting a different option – or avoiding a currency exchange, all the better.

Negative Carryovers

Negative carryovers are a big factor in our rating process. If a player that you signed up to a brand has a large win, say on a jackpot, then this will take your account into negative balance with the brand.

In many affiliate programs, this negative balance will carry over from one month to the next, meaning that you will need that player to even out the wins with losses before you can make any money.

Therefore, programs with no negative carryovers are potentially more attractive in this way, as the balance is cancelled out each month, allowing you to benefit from profits without suffering from losses.

Sub-Affiliates

Affiliates can earn commission in two ways from programs. Firstly, as discussed on this page, by referring players to a brand. However, in many organizations, affiliates may also be rewarded for recruiting other affiliates. These become sub-affiliates.

Recruiting sub-affiliates adds another level of revenue to an affiliate’s share, however they are not the major money maker. However, they can add a boost if you can recruit a network of successful sub-affiliates.

The systems work in much the same way as the affiliate programs, except instead of referring a customer to a casino, you’re referring a recruiter to become an affiliate on their own.

One thing to be aware of when recruiting sub-affiliates is that you will have little control over their actions. If your sub-affiliate recruits players to a casino using illegal means, the casino could cancel your main partnership.

However, recruiting sub-affiliates allows you to spread your network further without having to create additional relationships with online blogs or marketers.

FAQ

We hope that you find the perfect brand for you here, but we know that sometimes there are some questions that haven’t been answered. To that end, we’ve collected some here and given our responses. As always, you can also get in touch with our team at contact@online-casinos.com.

What kind of exclusive deals are there?

Each program operates differently, meaning that there are lots of different deals around. In general, brands can offer favorable welcome bonuses for players who are recruited by affiliates. Find out more here.

What is the best affiliate program?

Picking the best affiliate program is almost impossible. While it might seem like choosing the one with the highest revenue share percentage would always be the best, it is more complicated. As you can see in our list of the best programs, there are lots of factors that make up and affect each.

Are there lots of new affiliate programs?

Yes, just as there are lots of new casinos appearing on the market every year, there are lots of brand-new affiliate programs. This means that there's loads of choice if you want to look for fresh options.

What are casino affiliates?

Casino affiliates are marketers who refer players to a particular casino brand, with which they have an agreement. In return, they either receive a share of the net profits made by the casino from those players, or a set fee for each referral. Find out more in our quick guide for affiliates.