“Swedish regulations put any kind of retention marketing to an end — no cashback, no bonuses, no free bets, nothing. The maximum bonus you can offer is a welcome bonus of €100–€150, and that’s it. As a result, one of the most popular search queries in Sweden right now is ‘casinos without a Swedish license’.
“Grey-hat brands seem more attractive because of fewer and softer restrictions. To the point where licensed products are forming coalitions to fight against the grey market. We’re seeing this happen in Brazil, Romania, and Ukraine. And that’s a clear sign that regulators aren’t meeting their responsibilities”.
“You need gamification for short-term engagement, to squeeze a few extra minutes (or spins) out of your player while they are logged in. Meanwhile, loyalty is all about branding and injecting value into what you offer. And spoiler alert: that’s way harder to automate. It’s one of those things that usually needs a human touch.
“Five years ago, affiliates would ask, ‘How much money did I make?’ — and that was it. Now they’re saying, ‘Okay, I made 10k, but where is that coming from? How do I optimize it?’ As the space gets more competitive, affiliates are clearly looking for any edge they can get. And networks, too — they’re starting to give more data to their sub-affiliates. I think this will continue to grow, not just in 2025, but in the future as well”.
Alfaleads Network brought together industry experts to discuss search traffic in iGaming, hot GEOs, and why classic casino reviews don't work like they used to.There is a...
Top 3 iGaming Challenges in 2025: What the Experts Say
Regulators keep tightening the rules, competition for traffic is heating up, and players have never been more demanding about content quality. Guided by industry experts, the Alfaleads Network team explores ways to stay visible and competitive in this fast-changing landscape.
Excessive market regulation
In recent years, more countries have been rolling out regulations that force operators to completely rethink how they run business.
Lithuania, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Brazil, and many other GEOs, are looking to bring more transparency to the gambling industry. But since lawmakers often don’t fully grasp how the sector works, their initiatives lead to headaches not only for players, but for operators and affiliates too.
Catie Di Stefano, Marketing Director at Vegas Kings, says the Swedish market was massive when she first started working with it back in 2011. Everything changed once the 2019 regulations came into play:
“Swedish regulations put any kind of retention marketing to an end — no cashback, no bonuses, no free bets, nothing. The maximum bonus you can offer is a welcome bonus of €100–€150, and that’s it. As a result, one of the most popular search queries in Sweden right now is ‘casinos without a Swedish license’.
Another example is Germany or the Netherlands. Both were very popular markets 10 years ago, but now with all the regulations, things have changed. In some games, for example, a spin has to take at least 3–5 seconds, so you don’t spin too quickly or spend too much. All these restrictions are just slowing down the market”.
Since many users consciously turn to grey-market products, licensed companies face a critical crossroads today: lose the audience or find new ways to compete. Operators from across the globe are pushed to migrate into the grey sector with looser restrictions.
As pointed out by Ksenia Gaikova, Business Development Manager at Alfaleads Network, recent surveys show that 7 out of 10 players prefer products not complying with local regulations.
The toughest battle for traffic unfolds between grey-market products in Tier-1 countries — the tighter the regulations, the fiercer the competition. These markets host the most lucrative players, who are fed up with restrictions and often turn to the forbidden fruit of offshore casinos. Ksenia adds:
“To stay afloat, many companies are doing this: they stick to the markets that perform well and launch new products every month or two. Each time, they only change the name and give it a slight design refresh, while the core remains the same — platform, slot providers, bonuses. This way, they scale horizontally: instead of entering new GEOs, they attract players to a fresh, yet proven brand with a clean slate in the same market”.
Despite the growing restrictions across countries, the global iGaming market is set to grow steadily in 2025. Data source: H2 Gambling Capital report.
Player retention and trust
One-time bonuses no longer win players over. It’s consistency and genuine care that do. This is especially true for mature markets, where players can easily tell the difference between flashy marketing and real product value.
Shahar Attias, iGaming CRM & Gamification Expert, believes operators need to focus on gamification and smartly designed loyalty programs to keep players engaged:
Customer Retention Marketing is where the value of your traffic lies. With so many options out there, players return only where they feel appreciated. So without CRM, operators will have to rely on first deposit and that’s it”.
Player retention can get a serious boost from affiliate programs. According to Ksenia Gaikova, Alfaleads Network managers never leave all the reactivation and engagement efforts to the product’s team — instead they seek to drive player return through promo codes and targeted email campaigns. She explains:
Reputation management is just as crucial — these days, it’s not a nice-to-have but a must-have. Players in mature markets like Northern Europe, the US, Germany, and the UK aren’t ready to trust newcomers without a proven track record. And they have their reasons.
Scam sites have swarmed the market, replicating trusted brands to grab deposits and vanishing into thin air when payouts are due. Now players are looking closely at both the brand’s launch date and its licensing jurisdiction.
Advanced data skills
Affiliates are diving into data analytics deeper than ever before. Where once the monthly revenue figure was enough, they now want to know exactly who’s driving the profits — and how to scale it. Deep analysis has become another must-have in today’s overheated market. Michael Filletti, Co-Founder of Routy, puts it this way:
Michael also highlights the power of click-level reports — a tool affiliates still rarely put to full use. He sees their strength in the sharp, granular view of the data they deliver.
“Dynamic variable reports allow you to clearly see who is actually driving your revenue. For example, if you’re making $10k in revshare, some people will just say, “Okay, I made 10k,” and that’s it. But now, you can know whether it came from one player or maybe from someone who signed up one or two years ago. You can optimize your business based on this level of data. For me, this is probably the most valuable thing”.
A smarter approach to statistics can be built with the help of an affiliate network, explains Ksenia Gaikova:
Together with advertisers, we also break down traffic streams to see exactly where it’s coming from and how it’s performing. It’s crucial for scaling: we see which stream brings in high-quality traffic, and which isn’t. If we only looked at the averages, we might end up switching off an affiliate entirely — and losing strong volumes along the way.”
This is what the stats dashboard looks like in an Alfaleads Network partner account
Wrapping up
In 2025, it’s not enough to bring users in. You have to keep them hooked, earn their trust — and dig into data like never before. In mature markets, players expect transparency, a clear brand story, and genuine care, while empty promos don’t cut it anymore. More than ever, the strength of your retention marketing (CRM), gamification, and analytics can make or break your business.
In a climate where licensed operators have to join forces against grey-market competition, the edge belongs to those who can adapt fast — through testing, scaling, nurturing trust and staying focused on the metrics that truly drive revenue.
Alfaleads Network is the only affiliate network in iGaming where experienced managers combine affiliate insight with real SEO expertise — proven over 9 years of scaling success.
Alfaleads Network works with all traffic types, but SEO is their strongest domain — and their team here to help you grow yours.
Ready to earn more? Contact Alfaleads’ Customer Care Team and grab the highest-converting offers.
Alfaleads Network becomes Standard Sponsor for AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025, a highly anticipated event celebrating the best affiliates, operators, and B2B providers.
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