Casino affiliate programs are probably one of the most lucrative income opportunities available on the internet. However, very few people know about the concept of casino affiliate programs – nor do they have any clue on how to get started. This article will hopefully shed some light on the issue and perhaps even motivate you to take a deeper dive into this huge money pie.
Casino affiliate programs are basically the same in structure and form as other affiliate programs in general. The term “affiliate” simply refers to a person or a company that sells or promotes products or services on behalf of another company. Commissions and bonuses are paid out on sales being made by the affiliate – but it is the company that supplies the goods or services who will carry out any orders and deal with the customers directly. The true benefit of being an affiliate is that it is not required to actually have a product of your own – yet the affiliate can earn a substantial income by promoting the products and services of others. The world of internet has really opened up the opportunity for private individuals to make a lot of money this way – by promoting leading brands and companies – from the comfort of their own home.
As you would expect, the online gambling industry is a very lucrative one yielding over $30 billion USD every year. Online gambling is certainly an area where affiliate programs play a huge role, not only because of the huge profits that can be made by the affiliates, but also due to the fact that starting an actual online casino involve serious legal matters, gambling licenses and immense start-up costs. This is something that the affiliate never will have to worry about. The primary goal for any casino affiliate is to constantly recruit new players to the casino in question – and build ongoing commissions.
So, how do casino affiliate programs usually work and how can you get started? Well, first of all it is a good idea to perform a little research on Google to find trusted online casinos that are decently popular and also has an affiliate program that is attractive enough. If you were to find an online casino where nobody actually plays at, well, then chances are that you will find a hard time in recruiting new players to that particular casino anyway. A good tip when first starting out is therefore to always go with the big brands. When you gain more experience in affiliate marketing, you can opt in for smaller or more niche casinos.
The next thing to do is to analyze the casino affiliate program itself. A very common mistake is to assume that the program will be able to pay you (as an affiliate) in any payment method as you please. While most casino affiliate programs do host a vast range of payment options like bank wire, Neteller, Moneybookers etc, it does happen that even some of the best ones can pay you by check only for instance. Also, which should be noted, very few casino affiliate programs will pay you by PayPal, a payment processor that is widely used as a payment option in more mainstream affiliate programs.
When you are satisfied with the fact that the casino is quite popular, and that the program actually can pay you, it is time for a crucial decision and that is what revenue model you should choose. Many casino affiliate programs will require you to decide on how your commissions will be calculated, and there can be many variants on this. In general though, the casino will let you choose from earning commissions by revenue share (%) or on a cost-per-action (CPA) basis.
When choosing the revenue share model, the affiliate will typically receive a percentage share (%) of the overall revenue that the recruited players generate – usually around 25%-50% for as long as the player stays active with the casino and plays there. The CPA-model is a one time bounty which will be paid out only once and that is when the player plays at the casino, with real money, for the very first time.
Whatever model you choose is really a matter of taste and preference. A CPA-deal can generate some great cash very quickly, however, if you�re looking to build a casino affiliate business for the long-term, a revenue share model may be preferred. A typical CPA-bounty is usually around $100-$200 USD per player recruited, however, the average casino player yields about $50-$70 USD in revenue per month. Also, if you are lucky enough, you may recruit a high-roller to the casino which can generate large profits for months or even years. Again though, it is all down to your very own preferences.