The iGaming market looks very different from what it did just a few years ago. New brands launch regularly, licensing has become more accessible, and operators are competing...
In its latest interview, AffPapa had the opportunity to speak with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Gentoo Media, Milorad Matejic, who shared his perspective on what makes an affiliate partnership work in today’s iGaming market. From the qualities operators should have before launching an affiliate program to the factors that can make affiliates reject an otherwise attractive deal, Matejic notes the importance of trust, transparency, product quality, and long-term cooperation.
Yeva: Let’s look at a successful partnership from the affiliate’s perspective. What’s the biggest mistake operators make before launching an affiliate program?
The biggest mistake is thinking that the affiliate program can compensate for weaknesses in the underlying product. Affiliates can deliver highly relevant traffic, but they can’t fix an uncompetitive offer, a complicated registration journey, or low player retention.
Before launching or scaling an affiliate program, operators need to ensure that the fundamentals are in place: a strong product, clear market positioning, strong conversion rates, reliable tracking, and a sustainable retention model. If those elements are missing, increasing affiliate activity usually just exposes the problems more quickly, especially on websites that have user-generated content where players give honest reviews about casinos and bookmakers.
Yeva: What’s the first thing your team evaluates before agreeing to promote a new brand?
We begin by reviewing the product. That means evaluating the user experience, licence, payment methods, bonuses, withdrawal process, and the operator’s overall reputation.
We then look at the commercial opportunity: expected conversion, player value, retention, tracking reliability, and how well the brand fits our audiences and markets. If we are optimistic about a brand, we will test it out to see how it performs.
An attractive commission is important, but it means very little if the product can’t convert and retain the users we send.
Yeva: Is there anything that can make you reject a potential partnership, even if the commission looks attractive?
Absolutely. Regulatory or compliance concerns, unclear ownership, unreliable payments, questionable treatment of players, or a history of changing commercial terms retrospectively would all be serious warning signs.
We also need confidence that tracking and reporting are accurate and transparent. Trust is fundamental because we are investing our brands, content resources, and user trust in the partnership. A high commission can’t compensate for reputational risk or for doubts about whether the operator will honour the agreement.
Yeva: From your perspective, how significant is the role of an affiliate manager, and to what extent can strong relationship management influence the outcome of an otherwise standard commercial deal?
A strong affiliate manager can make an enormous difference, often determining how effectively the partnership works in practice.
The best managers understand both their own business and ours. They communicate openly, resolve problems quickly, share useful information, and help us identify opportunities on our websites and in our marketing channels.
Working together to find the best conversion elements, landing pages, and offers is crucial, as is being proactive about improving the product as a result of player feedback and complaints.
Good relationship management can turn a standard deal into a long-term strategic partnership. And conversely, poor communication and a lack of transparency can undermine even very attractive commercial terms.
Yeva: What is one of the most common misconceptions you believe operators have about affiliates?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that affiliates can simply redirect their traffic to whichever operator offers the highest commission.
Building sustainable organic visibility requires significant and continuous investment in content, technology, product development, data, compliance, and brand authority.
The strongest affiliates are not merely traffic suppliers, but publishers that help users navigate a complicated and crowded market and make better-informed decisions.
Their contribution does not necessarily end with acquisition either. Through player reviews, complaints, and behavioural data, affiliates can help operators identify weaknesses in their products, improve the player experience, and strengthen long-term retention.
Yeva: Would you say affiliate expectations have changed over the past few years? If so, what do affiliates value more today compared with earlier in your career?
Affiliates now place much greater value on predictability, transparency, and long-term collaboration than was the case several years ago. At the same time, partner diversification has become essential to long-term resilience.
The complexity of acquiring traffic has increased significantly, as regulation has become stricter and organic search more volatile. As a result, affiliates need partners who provide transparency about fees, reliable data, stable agreements, competitive products, and a willingness to work together to improve conversion rates and player values.
Yeva: Fixed-fee arrangements have become increasingly common in iGaming partnerships. Do you see them becoming a necessary part, or is the performance-based compensation still the foundation of successful collaboration?
Performance-based compensation remains the foundation of affiliate marketing because it unites both sides around results, where both parties share not just the rewards, but also the risks.
However, affiliates also make substantial upfront investments without any guarantee of a return. A fixed-fee component can help support premium placements, dedicated campaigns, new market launches, and the resources required to build high-quality content and products.
In many cases, the most effective structure is therefore a hybrid model: a fixed element that recognises the affiliate’s investment and opportunity cost, combined with a performance component that secures long-term collaboration. The right model ultimately depends on the market, the channel and the nature of the exposure.
Yeva: If you could give operators one piece of advice before they start scaling, what would it be?
Once the fundamentals are strong, involve important affiliates early in the scaling process. Experienced affiliates can provide valuable information about player demand, product positioning, and market-specific factors.
The most successful operators treat affiliates as strategic partners, rather than as a channel to activate after all the important decisions have already been made.
Operators should dedicate internal resources to engaging with players on platforms such as AskGamblers and Casinomeister. As genuine player experiences become increasingly important to brand trust, visible and constructive engagement demonstrates that an operator is listening and genuinely committed to improving player satisfaction.
