A guide for affiliate site owners and publishers

If you run an SEO or content site, operators want three things from you: players who qualify and stay, content they can defend to a regulator, and no surprises. Get those right and the commercial side follows. This guide covers what that means in practice, how to keep content compliant and current, how to choose programmes and deals, and how tracking and payment work.

Programme terms quoted here were read in October 2026. Clauses change, so check the current version before you rely on one.

What operators look for in a content site

Players who qualify

A click is worth nothing until the player meets the programme's definition. bet365 pays CPA per "Active Customer", one who places stakes or plays with deposited funds. Entain requires a new customer to be age-verified and to stake at least £10/€10/$10 of deposited money. 888 requires a CPA player to be promptly verified and to meet further criteria that vary by territory. Content that sends people ready to play converts into qualifying players; content that attracts bonus hunters does not.

Content they can defend

The operator is responsible for what you publish about it. In Great Britain, LCCP SR code 1.1.2 makes licensees answer for third parties, and the ASA holds both brand and affiliate responsible for affiliate content. An operator reading your property is reading something it may have to defend.

No surprises

Stable traffic sources, clear labelling, offers that match what is live, and no brands in your line-up that are unlicensed in the markets you reach.

Compliance for content

Label it as advertising

The ASA treats content with an affiliate link or code as advertising, which must be obviously identifiable upfront (CAP rule 2.1). It recommends "Ad" or "#ad" at the start. "Affiliate", "aff", "sp" or a disclaimer at the bottom of the page are likely to be insufficient. A site where every offer earns commission must not imply independence.

Germany goes further: GlüStV 2021 §5(2) does not permit advertising that gives the impression of being editorial content. The KSA expects affiliate advertising in the Netherlands to be recognisable as advertising and to make clear which operator it is for.

Show significant terms

SR code 5.1.9 requires all significant conditions of a marketing incentive to be shown transparently and prominently, on any advert for it. Where space makes that impossible, the ad must say significant conditions apply, and online the full conditions must be no more than one click away. The T&Cs must stay available for the full promotion.

The 2026 GB bonus rules

From 19 January 2026, amended SR code 5.1.1:

• bars wagering requirements of more than 10 times on bonus funds
• bars incentives that combine more than one product type (betting, casino, bingo, lottery), such as a sportsbook offer with free spins attached

A GB page still describing a 35x offer, or a bet-and-spins bundle, now describes an offer that cannot lawfully run.

Other markets' offer rules

• Ontario. Standard 2.05 bans public advertising of bonuses and inducements, including targeted and algorithm-based ads, except on the operator's own site and in consented direct marketing. Bonus pages aimed at Ontario are out.
• Sweden. Licensees may give a bonus only the first time a player plays (Spellag chapter 14 §9). Do not promote reload or VIP bonuses for Swedish-licensed brands.
• Spain. Promotional communications must state minimum deposit, wagering requirement and release deadline (RD 958/2020 art. 13(4)).

Appeal to under-18s

CAP rule 16.3.12 bars gambling marketing likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s, especially through youth culture. Check your imagery, references and tone, not only your audience data.

Only licensed brands

In Great Britain, s.330 of the Gambling Act 2005 makes it an offence to advertise unlawful gambling, and s.333 reaches GB-facing pages promoting offshore sites without a GB licence. The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Sweden have equivalent rules. Vetting operators covers the licence checks.

Promo codes

Some programmes control codes. 888 lets affiliates publish bonus codes only with prior written consent (clause 3.6). Ask before you publish a promo code.

For the regulator's own guidance, read the ASA's affiliate marketing advice and the Gambling Commission's promotions update. This guide is not legal advice.

Keeping offer content current

An old page is the easiest way to fall foul of the offer rules without meaning to. A simple routine prevents it:

1. Keep an offer register. Every page that mentions an offer, the brand, the market and the date last checked.
2. Check against the live offer on a schedule, and whenever the operator tells you something changed.
3. Remove or rewrite expired offers the day they end, rather than leaving the old terms up.
4. Check terms links. The T&Cs must stay available for the full promotion, so a dead link is a problem.
5. Date your pages so readers and operators can see when they were checked.

Operator view

When we find a stale offer on an affiliate site, it is our licence on the page. An affiliate who can show us an offer register, with dates, is one we approve faster and chase less.

Choosing programmes and deal types

Read past the headline rate

Five programmes publish a default or headline revenue share. LeoVegas publishes a tiered revenue share from 25% to 40% by monthly net revenue, with new affiliates starting at 25%. Rank publishes 25% to 35%. William Hill's default is 30% for sports and casino products and 15% for bingo and poker.

Then read the clauses that reduce it:

• Volume floors. Super Partners reduces its 25% to 20%, 10%, 5% and then 0% if fewer than 30, 60, 90 or 120 new active customers arrive over 6, 12, 18 or 24 months. LeoVegas drops to 20% below 30 FTDs in six months and 10% below 60 in 12. For a small site, these matter more than the top tier.
• Lifetime. Entain reduces revenue share on the third anniversary of a customer's registration. Rank pays until the fifth anniversary. 888 caps poker at 24 months.
• Deductions and carryover. See NGR explained and negative carryover.

CPA or revenue share

Revenue share suits content sites whose players stay and play for years, because the income builds as the player base grows. CPA pays once per qualifying player, which helps cash flow but ends there. Hybrids mix the two. CPA vs revenue share compares them, and the deal calculator lets you test your own numbers.

Tracking

Your link is how the operator knows the player is yours. Know the rules:

• Cookie windows. bet365 cookies visitors for 30 days. FDJ United runs a 45-day last-click cookie. LeoVegas requires registration within 30 days of the click and a first deposit within 60 days of registering.
• Browser limits. Safari caps cookies set by scripts to seven days (WebKit, ITP 2.1). Ask whether the programme tracks server-side.
• Your links, your responsibility. 888 makes the affiliate responsible for correctly formatted links (clause 4.7). Super Partners will not credit customers who are not properly tagged. Test every link after a site update.

Getting paid

Watch the rules on idle balances: bet365 may reduce balances over £200 left for three months by 2% a month, and LeoVegas writes off unclaimed amounts after 24 months.

On VAT, programmes differ. 888 and Rank treat payments as inclusive of any VAT; LeoVegas says fees exclude taxes. HMRC's general rule for business-to-business services is that the supply is made where the customer belongs (VAT Notice 741A), so the contracting entity matters. Take advice from your own tax adviser.

Affiliate view

Payment minimums and forfeiture rules hit small sites hardest. If you are building up, choose programmes whose thresholds you will reach, and withdraw when you can.

Checklist

• Every page with an affiliate link labelled "Ad" or "#ad" upfront
• No claim of independence where every listing earns commission
• Significant terms shown, full terms one click away
• GB offers checked for 10x wagering and single product type
• Market-specific bonus rules applied (Ontario, Sweden, Spain)
• Every promoted brand licensed in every market you reach
• Offer register in place, with review dates
• Volume floors and revenue share lifetime read for each programme
• Links tested after every site change
• Payment thresholds and forfeiture rules noted