What You Need to Start a Casino Affiliate Website

casino affiliate website

Affiliate marketing, especially for the online casino industry, has proven to be a very effective way to advertise and promote a business. It is unmatched when it comes to return on investment, and so there are always opportunities for new casino affiliates. The casino industry has also proven to be robust and resilient through times of economic volatility, making it a sound prospect to work with.

If you are curious about how it all works, we have put together this handy guide to casino affiliates. On this page we cover how it works, the benefits for the casino and the affiliates, and what you need to know if you want to start your own casino affiliate website.

How do casino affiliates work?

A casino affiliate works by connecting casinos with their potential customers, directing people to specific casino websites that match up with their needs. The affiliate site receives a commission for every click-through, and a larger one when a new player creates an account and makes their first deposit. Affiliates work with a number of casinos at any one time, for example a website like Casino Pilot has around 70 active operators.

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Why is affiliate marketing so effective?

For the casino operators, the benefits of using affiliates are undeniable. For a start, commission is paid out based on actual results rather than on projections. This makes it one of the most cost-effective promotional tools available to them. The casinos are easily able to track and analyze how their various affiliates are performing, making accurate evaluations of click-through rates and cost vs returns.

For the affiliates themselves, the prospects for making money are good. Even so, many new affiliates give up within a short time because they have not seen any profits. However, for those who have the dedication and perseverance to stick with it, the rewards can be substantial. What’s more, you really need very little in the way of resources to get started.

Related: How To Make Money With An Online Casino Site?

What you need to start as a casino affiliate

Absolutely anyone with a passing knowledge of how to use a computer can get into casino affiliate marketing. Before you dive in, always check the laws in your jurisdiction regarding casino advertising. For example, some countries or regions require affiliates to obtain an operating license. In a country like Canada, the rules on this can be different in each province. Once you are clear on the legal requirements, then you can dive right in. Let’s take a look at the practical essentials for a new affiliates venture, starting with the website.

Creating a professional website

These days, making a website requires very little technical knowledge. If you happen to know something about web design then naturally you can use those skills to your advantage. For the rest of us, there are plenty of off-the-shelf website management solutions where even a layperson can create a professional looking site.

For a relatively small investment, typically less than a hundred bucks, many services offer casino affiliate website templates and plugins. These have taken care of all the functionality and layout, and you can find ones that are specific to sports betting sites, poker, or simply for online casinos in general. These packages can then be personalized to fit your affiliate brand.

One thing that is absolutely vital is to make sure that your chosen template is mobile compatible, since this is where a majority of web traffic comes from these days.

Choosing your affiliate program

There are some great affiliate programs out there, and the best ones provide a lot of resources for their partners. The biggest ones have a ton of content – advertising banners and graphics, news, promotions schedules and more – as well as the tools to utilize the content effectively. Casino sites want their affiliates to succeed, so they do their best to facilitate operations. You also want to choose a program that pays reasonably, so read up on which ones have a decent revenue share for affiliates.

Using affiliate marketing materials

If you have chosen your affiliate program wisely, you should receive a good amount of marketing material to work with. Banner ads can often be modified to fit with the theme of your site, making them look less like ads and more like part of the site. It is via click-throughs from these ads that revenue starts to be generated.

Creating affiliate content

The core of any affiliate marketing website is the content. This is what brings the reader to the site, and hopefully encourages them to sign up and play at the casino sites. You can either create content yourself or pay someone else to do it for you. Typical content includes the following:

  • Casino reviews: If your affiliate site contains just one type of content, make sure it is reviews of your affiliate casinos. Never copy and paste existing online reviews, as plagiarism is a big no-no. Make the reviews informative and focus on what the casinos has to offer.
  • Informational pages: These are more generic but will also discuss specific casinos. For example, a page about how to play a certain type of game will include recommendations about casino sites where that game is available. These informational pages can include every single aspect of a casino, from how it works to the types of bonuses given out.
  • Blogs and news: Take your content to the next level by including casino-related news and blog posts. This is much more labour-intensive but brings in significantly more traffic.

One last recommendation is to make your reviews authentic. Readers can detect insincerity and are less likely to click through. Successful affiliate marketers know that they must have some patience in the early days, and it may be some time before they turn a profit. Make use of the analytics tools available to see how effective the various strategies are, and hopefully you will be making money before too long.