How to get approved by operators faster

Operators approve fastest when an application answers their questions before they ask them. Those questions are not arbitrary. In Great Britain and most regulated markets, the operator is responsible for what its affiliates publish, so it has to know who you are, what you own, where your traffic comes from and what your content says. Send that once, in a pack you can reuse, and most of the waiting disappears.

This guide explains what operators check and why, how to build the pack, what slows applications down, and how to handle follow-up requests.

What operators check, and why

In Great Britain, LCCP Social Responsibility code 1.1.2 makes licensees "responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract". Their contracts must require you to act as if bound by the same licence conditions and codes, oblige you to supply information they need for reporting to the Gambling Commission, and let them terminate promptly, including where an affiliate has breached an advertising code. The Commission says failure to oversee third parties can lead to suspension or loss of the operating licence.

The ASA holds both the brand and the affiliate responsible for affiliate marketing. So an operator reading your site is reading something it may have to defend.

Other markets

• Ontario (Canada). Standard 1.21 requires operators to ensure no affiliate they pay also promotes sites taking Ontario players without AGCO registration. Expect to be asked which brands you promote there. Affiliates generally do not need to register with the AGCO as gaming-related suppliers, though the AGCO decides case by case.
• Netherlands. The KSA has said an affiliate promoting an unlicensed operator is itself in breach and can face enforcement.
• United States. In Pennsylvania, an affiliate paid on player activity must apply for certification, and a flat-fee affiliate for registration (58 Pa. Code §807a.1). In New Jersey, law-firm guidance and DGE lists indicate that revenue-share affiliates are licensed as ancillary casino service industry enterprises and fixed-fee affiliates file vendor registration; we could not confirm this from the statute itself.

For the regulator's own explanation in Great Britain, read the Gambling Commission's page on licensees' responsibilities for third parties and the ASA's affiliate marketing advice. This guide is not legal advice.

Build a reusable application pack

Keep one folder, updated quarterly, that answers every question above. Send it whole.

Company documents

• Legal name, registration number and registered address
• Directors and beneficial owners
• Bank details in the company's own name
• VAT status, if registered
• A named contact for compliance questions

This is the KYB part. A bank account in a different name from the contracting entity is one of the easiest ways to stall an application.

Properties

List every property that will carry the operator's brands, with its URL or handle, what it covers, when you launched it and how you will prove control. Have proof ready: the ability to add a verification code to a site, or to share analytics on a call. Include social accounts and email lists, not only websites.

Traffic evidence

• Traffic by source (organic search, social, email, paid, streams) with a recent analytics export
• Audience by country, from the same export
• For paid traffic: the platforms you use, sample keyword lists and your negative keyword list
• For creators: audience age data from every major platform you use

Your compliance approach

One page, in plain words, that covers:

• How you label commercial content. The ASA recommends "Ad" or "#ad" at the start; "affiliate" alone, or a footer disclaimer, is likely to be insufficient.
• How you keep offers current, including how you removed GB offers above 10 times wagering, or mixing product types, after 19 January 2026.
• Which markets you target, and how you keep content for one market away from another.
• Every brand you promote, by market. Ontario and Dutch rules make this a fair question.
• How you handle under-18 risk: content themes, targeting settings, age data.
• Who signs off content, and how fast you can take something down.

Registrations

If you work in US states, include any certification or registration you hold, with numbers.

Affiliate view

The one-page compliance note does more than any other document. It shows you have thought about the operator's licence, which is what most follow-up questions are really about. Write it once and update it when the rules change.

What slows applications down

These are the points where the operator's obligations and your evidence often fail to meet. Most are fixable before you apply.

You cannot show you control a property

Claims of ownership without proof send the application back. Have the verification route ready.

Your traffic mix includes something the terms ban

All eight programmes whose terms we read in October 2026 ban brand bidding on their brand terms. Entain (5.15(a)) and FDJ United (3.9(1)) ban incentivised traffic, Super Partners does not pay for it "in any form", and 888 counts unauthorised incentives, including rakeback, as fraud (5.20). Rank is the exception: it allows cash-back schemes "organised, managed and funded by the Affiliate" (clause 8.1). If you run cash-back, say so upfront and apply where it is allowed.

You promote brands that lack a licence in a market you reach

In Ontario this can make you a partner the operator is not allowed to pay. In Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Germany, promoting unlicensed gambling is a breach in its own right. Vetting operators covers the checks.

Your content is out of date or unlabelled

Old offer pages, missing significant terms, or labels such as "affiliate" in the footer will all be raised.

Your audience skews young

For creators, CAP's rule of thumb is that 100,000 or more follower accounts registered to under-18s, across platforms, indicates strong appeal. CAP looks at the absolute number, not just the share, and expects data from every major platform.

Your audience is where they are not licensed

If most of your traffic comes from a market the operator does not serve, expect a polite no. Apply to programmes licensed where your audience is.

Promo codes without permission

Codes are often a permissioned channel. 888 lets affiliates publish bonus codes only with prior written consent (clause 3.6). Ask before you list a promo code in your application.

Answering information requests

Follow-up questions are normal. How you answer decides how long they take.

1. Answer everything in one reply. Partial answers restart the queue.
2. Send evidence, not assurance. A screenshot or export beats "we don't do that".
3. Ask what the question is for if it is unclear. Knowing the rule behind it helps you answer the real point.
4. If you cannot share something, say why and offer another route, such as a screen share instead of account access.
5. Keep a log of what each programme asked. The same questions return, and the answers go into your pack.
6. Ask for a timeline, and follow up once when it passes.

Operator view

When we come back with a question, it usually means one answer did not match another: the GEO list says one thing and the analytics another, or the property list is missing a site we found. A short, specific reply with evidence lets us close it the same day.

After approval

Approval is the start. Several programmes require ongoing activity in their published terms:

• bet365 requires 15 Active Customers within three months of joining and in any rolling three months.
• Entain treats an affiliate as inactive if fewer than 10 new depositing customers are sent in three consecutive months.
• FDJ United may cut commission if fewer than six new depositing customers arrive in three months; William Hill if fewer than four arrive in three months.
• LeoVegas treats the first 50 referred players under a CPA deal as a test phase, after which it may change pricing or volumes (clause 5.3.2).

Plan your launch so the first months meet these thresholds. Before you sign, read the terms that decide what you earn; the deal terms checklist covers them.

Checklist

• Company documents, owners and bank details in one folder
• Every property listed, with a way to prove control
• Recent analytics export by source and by country
• Keyword lists, or creator age data, where relevant
• One-page compliance note, dated
• List of brands you promote, by market
• US registrations, where relevant
• Traffic mix checked against the programme's banned sources
• Offer pages updated for GB rules from 19 January 2026
• Minimum activity thresholds checked against your launch plan