Casino Affiliate Programs

An ever-growing universe of entertainment, the online casino industry is one of those sectors in which separating the wheat from the chaff can be particularly tricky. With so many new brands opening their doors on a daily basis, deciding on where to deposit and play has become quite challenging. Luckily, casino affiliates and marketing specialists are out there, helping players gather as much useful info as they can.
But, how to tell whether a casino affiliate has fair and transparent Terms itself? How to be sure that the deal a casino affiliate group is offering is beneficial for all participants? That’s where Affiliate Guard Dog (AGD for short) steps in, making sure marketing affiliates are informed and protected.

How Casino Affiliate Programs Work? 

Casino affiliates closely cooperate with selected online operators and advertise them. An online casino affiliate program represents a business model in which a company or an individual earns a commission based on each player’s activity and the number of referrals made via a specific tracking link. Every time a player clicks on the link, registers an account and completes a transaction, an affiliate receives a commission.

It’s important to note that a casino affiliate program is not the same as casino affiliate marketing. Take LCB.org as a good example. Our platform is specialized in marketing related to online casinos, in forms or reviews, exclusive promotions, bonuses and news, but it doesn’t run a casino itself. It just provides as much helpful info as possible, so that players can evaluate which online casino fits their individual demands.

About Affiliate Guard Dog

Added to LCB.org’s rapidly-growing network in 2017, Affiliate Guard Dog (AGD) is a trusted affiliate portal and forum dedicated to protecting the interests of affiliates. It’s a unique platform that represents a gathering place for affiliates, casino representatives, and account managers, allowing them to exchange their experiences and work on improving the quality of services.
One of AGD’s vital projects is true revenue share audits, an investigation process which aims to reveal one group’s admin fees and costs incurred on its affiliates. AGD also evaluates each programs business practices and policies. Other than this, the platform encompasses an active forum where members exchange info on terms, payment issues and delays, affiliate marketing strategies, iGaming affiliate resources, customers’ feedback, new casinos, and much more.

Our directory has a list of AGD-certified casinos, so players interested in exploring which brands own the seal can take a look. The suggestions are displayed based on the consumer’s country of residence.

AGD's Real Revenue Share Audits

As mentioned earlier, AGD is best known for its comprehensive revenue share audits. By making a small deposit into a casino tracked to its affiliate account, the team tries to evaluate the earnings, fees, and subtractions. Such an approach brings genuine and first-hand info which can be of great help to affiliates when making up their mind whether to enter a partnership with a certain group or not.

Why Did AGD Start Doing Audits?

In an ideal case scenario, each affiliate should present Terms and fees in as transparent a way as possible, but that’s not always the case. Some of them are reluctant to provide precise info, making it impossible for associates to keep track of their earnings. That’s precisely what inspired AGD to establish these audits.

Speaking of transparency, the real revenue share calculator is one excellent tool our team came up with. Here’s a 3-step instruction on how to use it:

1.    Select an affiliate program you work with
2.    Enter your revenue deal
3.    Click calculate

The presented figure is the true revenue share figure an affiliate is actually earning.

Understanding The Terminologies

To be able to evaluate the quality of services a casino affiliate offers, and all the advantages and disadvantages that come along, one must have a good understanding of the specific terminology. Let’s take a look at basic expressions and terms:

• Real Revenue Share

Revenue sharing represents a profit-sharing system through which all participating parties are compensated for their contribution to the business. Each of the involved sides shares both profits and losses. Worth noting is that this model doesn’t guarantee steady income, so it cannot be implemented in every business. REAL revenue share is the final figure presented after AGD has completed the audit. This is the true percentage figure with all the hidden costs accounted for. Use the calculator located in the left hand menu to calculate your real rev share per program.

• Negative Carryover

A condition in which an investment brings more losses than profits is called the negative carryover of for short NCO. To put it this way, when a player wins more than they lose, the affiliate’s balance becomes negative. This means that the new accounting period begins with a negative balance.

As this system leaves affiliates uncertain about how much money they will earn on a monthly basis, they are advised to avoid deals that include NCO. On the brighter side, the vast majority of affiliate program are eliminating this from their Terms, offering affiliates a business model with no negative carryover policy. This means the if the month ends in negative net revenge they do not carry it over, you start fresh the new month fresh at zero.

• Certified

Online casinos which fulfill the highest standards determined by the AGD team are classified as “certified”. Quick and smooth payments, fair and insightful terms and conditions, transparent services, and helpful customer support are some of the qualities which are appreciated the most.

• Predatory

When a company’s Terms and Conditions are full of unfair, deceptive, and abusive rules, they are referred to as predatory terms. Activity and FTD quota clauses, retroactively changed Terms, ambiguous and and unfair termination clauses, are just some of the many examples of predatory practices.

• Rogue

Reputation is extremely important in every business, and the online casino industry is no exception. When an affiliate group becomes recognized for poor and unhelpful and rude customer support, unfair termination, constant complaints of non-payment of affiliate commissions and/or delayed payments, and unethical business practices, there’s no other choice but to attach a “rogue” label  to it.

• Not Yet Evaluated

If a scheme is classified as “Not Yet Evaluated”, it means that the affiliate program's Terms and Conditions have not been read or examined by the AGD certification team. In such cases, affiliates are advised to read the T&Cs carefully themselves and proceed with caution.

• Affiliate Casinos

This list encompasses all casino brands represented by a certain affiliate program. Don’t forget that new casinos join the stage on a daily basis, so the network grows continuously.

• Rating

This is the total average sum of the casino sites that the program represents. Keep in mind that it’s susceptible to change, meaning the figure can go up or down, depending on how partners are satisfied with the program and the entire cooperation.

With all these insights and parameters to follow, affiliates will be able to make quick but informed decisions. Only when all the pluses and minuses are taken into account, one can assess whether a deal they inked is a good one, or whether they should look for affiliate programs with fairer and more transparent terms.