In this interview with AffPapa, casinor.com's senior content editor, Marcus Eriksson, shares his perspective on what makes casino reviews genuinely trustworthy, how player...
Interview with Giannina Castillo – General Editor at Casinos-Online.es
In this interview with AffPapa, Giannina Mundaca Castillo, the General Editor of Casinos-Online.es, shared her perspective on the iGaming markets of Spain and LatAm, discussed the importance and role of AI in affiliate content, and revealed where the sector will continue to grow.
Yeva: From your perspective covering Spain and Latin America, how would you characterise the current state of the iGaming affiliate ecosystem in these markets?
In my opinion, we are looking at two ecosystems moving at very different speeds. Spain is a mature, saturated market: a single national regulator, dozens of licensed operators fighting over the same player, and an advertising framework that leaves very little room to manoeuvre. There, affiliation is no longer won on volume, but on who earns the player’s trust. Latin America is the opposite picture: a region in full expansion, with a player base that keeps growing and the 2026 World Cup acting as a huge catalyst.
But for me, the most important thing is understanding what an affiliate actually is today. We have stopped being a simple traffic provider and have become a partner that understands the audience and follows how it evolves over time. We actively track what players are searching for, and we offer that bridge between the operator and the user so the two can communicate. The operator no longer just wants volume; it wants someone who brings qualified players and genuinely understands what those players need. That shift, from volume to value, is the real story on both sides of the Atlantic right now.
Yeva: Can you think of any structural and regulatory differences between Spain and Latin America that influence how affiliate publishers operate today?
The most important difference is structural. Spain has a single regulator, the DGOJ, and a clear, demanding advertising law that limits how we can talk about bonuses, when operators can advertise, and who can endorse them. As an affiliate, you know exactly what the rules are, and you optimise within a narrow lane. Latin America, by contrast, is fragmented country by country: Brazil has just built a strict federal regime around the SPA, Colombia was a regional pioneer with Coljuegos, Peru regulated recently, Mexico still runs on an old and ambiguous framework, and Chile is in legal limbo with blocking on the table. On top of that, payments are intensely local: Pix, Nequi, SPEI, Yape. In Spain, you refine a single playbook; in Latin America, you cannot copy and paste anything, you adapt market by market, and a good part of the ground is still grey.
But there is another difference that, to me, is key, and it goes beyond regulation: those of us who speak Spanish understand the nuances of the language, and not only between Spain and Latin America, but between every country that makes up the region. Affiliates understand those differences better than anyone, and many times we have been the ones who opened the door for operators in this respect. The behaviour of a user in Spain has
nothing to do with that of a user in Argentina, and those market-specific nuances are not always something the operator grasps. That is where we add a value that no data point, on its own, can provide.
Yeva: With your background in editorial strategy and SEO-led content teams, what would you say makes affiliate content high-quality in regulated markets like Spain?
Quality starts with having actually done the work. Testing the platform before recommending it, reading the regulation critically, and being transparent about the affiliate relationship, which includes being honest when an operator is no longer a partner. In a regulated market like Spain, accuracy is not negotiable: licensing details, legal status, and payment methods have to be correct and up to date, because the reader is making a decision that affects their own money. From there, high-quality content is content that answers real questions instead of stuffing keywords and bonuses onto empty pages. It matches the specific search intent of each market, it builds responsible gambling in rather than hiding it, and it keeps its editorial independence. Content that is genuinely useful to the reader will always outperform content written only to rank or to convert.
Yeva: How big of a role are new technologies and AI automation tools playing in affiliate content production? How exactly do they change the way content is produced and managed within editorial teams?
This is a structural change, not a passing trend. In our own newsroom, the last few months have been intense precisely because of it. AI lets us process more data, monitor more markets, and update reviews at a speed that would have been impossible a year ago. That part of the work, the scale and the monitoring, is where automation earns its place.
But there is one thing we will never compromise on, and I am very clear about it: as affiliates, we test the product ourselves. Our team plays and bets just like the people we are talking to, and we give our opinion based on that real experience. That judgement, the kind that comes from having been on the user’s side, is something AI still does not have. We are people, and we write for people. That is why analysing a regulatory shift, critically assessing a new operator, genuinely testing a platform, or covering an emerging market like Peru or Chile remains human work. AI helps us go further, but the editorial decision, what we cover, how we cover it, and who we prioritise, stays with us. That is our red line.
Yeva: Do you think AI tools improve the relevance and usefulness of affiliate content for users, or do they simply increase risks around low-value pages?
For me, the key is not to forget that AI is a tool, and like any tool, it depends on the hands using it. In the hands of experts who pour their knowledge into it, you can do a great deal, and do it well. Used properly, it improves relevance without question, because it helps us understand the audience and answer what people are actually asking. And that Spanish- speaking audience is not homogeneous: a Chilean player does not look for the same thing as a Mexican one, and a Spanish user does not raise the same questions as an Argentine; AI
helps us read those differences and produce content that is genuinely useful in each market. Used badly, on the other hand, to mass-produce pages, it simply floods the web with low- value content that search engines penalise, and that erodes the reader’s trust. So the technology does not decide the outcome on its own: the expert behind it does, and that is exactly why human oversight is not optional.
Yeva: Player trust is always a priority in iGaming. What are 3 main factors that make it or break it in affiliate content across Spanish-speaking markets?
The first is honesty and transparency. Disclosing the affiliate relationship, not overselling, and telling the reader when an operator is no longer one we work with, offering them alternatives. The moment the reader feels they are being sold to rather than informed, the trust is gone. The second is accuracy and currency. Legal status, licensing, and payment methods change fast and vary from country to country, and a single outdated detail can break your credibility in a sector where people are handling their money. The third is visible responsible gambling. Protecting the most vulnerable players cannot be a notice hidden at the bottom of the page; it has to be part of how we inform. All three are the foundation anywhere, but they carry even more weight across Spanish-speaking markets, because the regulatory reality changes so much from one country to the next.
Yeva: What’s been the biggest challenge for you in finding balance between performance-based priorities (SEO and conversions) and editorial responsibility, especially while having to maintain responsible gaming standards?
The hardest moment is always the one where the best-paying operator is not the best option for the reader. That is where performance and editorial responsibility genuinely pull in opposite directions, and my position is clear: we have an intrinsic responsibility to the reader, because it is precisely in their long-term trust that our success rests. That is worth far more than any one-off conversion.
That is why, at Casinos-Online.es, we only work with operators licensed by the DGOJ, and that is non-negotiable. If protecting the user means advising against something, flagging a risk, or giving responsible gambling more space than a marketing team would like, we do it. Responsible gambling is not a compliance checkbox; it is part of the product. The commercial pressure is real, but the editorial decision stays independent. The day an affiliate lets conversions dictate what it tells its audience, it stops being a trustworthy source, and in this industry, trust is the only asset that compounds over time.
Yeva: What’s your take on how regulation, technology, and audience expectations will change affiliate publishing in Spain and Latin America over the next few years?
I think the three move together. Regulation will keep advancing in Latin America, with Brazil’s model setting a reference that others will follow, which will push affiliates to operate to higher standards in every market. Technology, and AI in particular, will stop being a differentiator and become the starting point: everyone will have it, so the edge moves back to editorial judgement and specialisation.
And audiences will be more demanding and more segmented; generalist content simply will not be enough, because each Spanish-speaking market asks different questions. The model itself is shifting toward value, with revenue share and data partnerships gaining ground over pure traffic deals. My read is straightforward: the affiliates who truly know their audience and protect it will win, and thin, mass-produced content is going to disappear.
Yeva: Finally, which market do you think will outperform in iGaming affiliation: Spain or Latin America?
Over the next few years, Latin America will grow. The upside is simply bigger: an expanding player base, new regulations bringing operators into the open, and the 2026 World Cup pulling a wave of new users into the region’s main markets. Spain is more valuable per player and far more stable, and it will remain a strong, high-quality market, but it is mature, so the room to grow is limited. The honest caveat is that Latin America’s upside comes with volatility: Chile is a clear reminder that a market can swing toward blocking overnight. So, if you ask me where the growth is, it is Latin America; if you ask me where the certainty is, it is Spain.
But beyond performance, what I really hope is that Latin American governments come to see how important it is to protect the user in gambling. I hope regulated markets become the trend across the region and that we reach a level of maturity like the one Spain already has. That would be the real win: for players first, and for us as an industry second.
Company: Casinos-Online.es
Interviewee: Giannina Mundaca Castillo
Date: 30.06.2026
AffPapa is excited to welcome WPN Affiliates, the official affiliate program of the Winning Poker Network, to its iGaming directory.Operating since 2001, WPN Affiliates...
