What is an Affiliate Program?

An Affiliate Program is a performance-based marketing relationship between a Gaming Operator (the Casino) and a Webmaster (the Affiliate): the Merchant pays the Affiliate a referral fee or commission after a Player, referred by the Affiliate, registers with the Casino and loses money. Affiliate Programs are a Win/Win situation for both the Merchant and the Affiliate. The Merchant doesn't pay for advertising until the Player loses money, and the Affiliate is rewarded an ongoing referral fee or commission.

Why should I become an Affiliate?

Your Website is getting traffic anyway, right? And, most of that traffic doesn't necessarily convert into revenue. An Affiliate Program simply provides you with an opportunity to harness your Website inventory, and convert your traffic into additional, residual income. According to Forrester Research, Affiliate Marketing is now driving $14 billion in annual online sales. Futhermore, Affiliate Program conversion rates rose 120% between Q4 2001 and Q4 2002, according to AffTrack, a company that tracks Affiliate Marketing results for its clients.

What is a 2-Tier Affiliate Program?

A 2-Tier Affiliate Program allows Affiliates to recruit other Affiliates and be compensated for their efforts. In addition to referring Customers, Affiliates would have an incentive, in the form of a referral commission, to recruit other Affiliates into the Program. Most 2-Tier Programs pay Affiliates a percentage of the Affiliates' commission that they referred into the Program. 2-Tier Affiliate Programs are NOT a form of Multi-Level Marketing, nor are they governed by the laws that preside over the MLM industry. Affiliate Marketing is a legitimate form of advertising, governed by ethics and industry standards.

Why join a Gambling Affiliate Program?

A Gambling Affiliate Program gives you an opportunity to capitalize on the explosive growth of Affiliate Marketing by allowing you to market and promote a fully-licensed Gaming operation. Some market analysts, such as the Financial Times, indicate that the Internet Gambling industry will grow to $15 billion annually by the end of 2005. If Forrester Research is correct by saying that Affiliate Programs will account for over 20% of that, then you have the opportunity to tap into a $3 billion industry. Consequently, Gambling Affiliate Programs will account for the single largest Affiliate Marketing niche. The best part is...you don't actually operate the Operation, accept the wagers, or handle the payouts.

How does an Affiliate Program work?

1. An Affiliate signs-up to the terms and conditions of the Merchant's Affiliate Agreement, and receives a URL encoded with their unique Affiliate ID that they will use to advertise the Merchant's products or services.

2. When a Website visitor clicks on the Affiliate's link, two things occur: (i) the visitor is redirected to the Merchant's Website and (ii) a small piece of information called a 'cookie' is written to the visitor's browser. The cookie stores the referring Affiliate's ID and remains in the visitor's browser if they leave the Merchant's Website, turns off their computer, or if they return to the Merchant's Website a month later.

3. If the Website visitor returns to the Merchant's Website and a deposit is made, the Affiliate software will be triggered by a piece of HTML code on the Merchant's 'thank-you' page that opens after a deposit is made. The Affiliate Program will look for the cookie on the visitor's browser, and if present, will reward the Affiliate with the deposit. Typically, the code on the 'thank-you' page will include the final depositing amount to be used to calculate the Affiliate's commissions.

What is Net Gaming Revenue?

Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) can be defined in many ways. In most cases, Net Gaming Revenue is defined as Gross Deposits, less Payment Processing Costs, less Cash-outs, less Charge-backs. Don't forget to ask your Affiliate Manager "How is Net Gaming Revenue Calculated" just to be on the safe-side.

How do I get paid?

Operators pay their Affiliates using a variety of payment options:

Via Check - Checks are an inexpensive form of receiving payment since it usually costs you nothing, but there is typically a 2-6 week waiting period before your check arrives and gets cleared by the bank.

Via Wire Transfer - Wire Transfers are the most expensive form of receiving payment since most transfers carry a $25-$50 transfer fee, but the benefit is that you will receive your money within 1-3 business days.

Via Online Payment - Online Payment Services, such as PayPal, NetTeller, or PrePaid ATM are the most efficient means of receiving payment since most transfers cost nothing and can be made almost instantaneously.

How do I track my earnings?

Using comprehensive report generation software, you will be able to view daily payout statistics 24 hours a day. Statistics show your number of visitors, number of members that Play-For-Free, number of members that Play-For-Real, deposits, withdrawals, amounts wagered, amounts paid out, total house profits, and your percentage of profits.

How Much Money Can I Make?

The amount of money you can make as a Gambling Affiliate is based almost entirely upon how much traffic you can drive to the Operator and how many Play-For-Real members that you have. Your payout percentage is scaled to go up as business increases; sometimes as high as 50%. The Operator usually mails a check to you once a month for the prior month's gambling activity.

Am I responsible if a Player Wins?

No. Affiliates will never, under any circumstances, be responsible for paying the Operator for any Player winnings. Technically, there is a small chance that a Player will win money, which will result in a negative account balance for the Affiliate. Some Operators will carry-over the negative balance into following months until it becomes positive, while others will erase any negative balances, and start from scratch.