Affiliate deal terms checklist: what a clear deal includes

A clear affiliate deal answers ten questions in writing: which model and rate, what makes a customer count, how net revenue is calculated, what happens to negative months, when and how payment is made, how customers are tracked, what traffic is banned, what activity is required, how terms can change, and how the deal ends. If any of those answers lives only in an email thread or a phone call, the deal is not finished.

The checklist at the end works for both sides. The sections before it explain why each item matters, with examples from programmes' published terms read in October 2026. Those terms change, so always check the current version.

Start with where the deal actually lives

An affiliate deal is usually two documents: the programme's general terms, which everyone accepts, and a separate record of the commercial terms for you. bet365 confirms the type and rate of commission in writing through the account manager. Entain uses an insertion order (IO). 888 makes the commission scheme available in the affiliate account. LeoVegas points to its affiliate platform.

So the first item on any checklist is simple: know which document holds your rate, and keep a dated copy of it alongside the version of the general terms you accepted.

1. Model and rate

State the model (CPA, revenue share or hybrid), the rate, the brands and products it covers, and the markets. Note that some programmes allow one model per account (LeoVegas clause 5.1.1) or one type of commission per customer at a time (bet365). If the rate is tiered or decays over time, the tiers and the decay belong in writing too. For how the models compare, see CPA vs revenue share.

2. Qualification

For CPA, write down exactly what a customer must do: the deposit window, the minimum deposit, any wagering or activity baseline, and any verification step. Published conditions vary. bet365 allows six months from registration to deposit, 888 allows 90 days, and LeoVegas allows 60. Super Partners adds a minimum wagering requirement agreed with the affiliate manager. Entain adds any criteria in the IO.

Also write down when a qualifying customer can be disqualified. FDJ United (clause 6.7) and LeoVegas (clause 5.3.3) can withhold CPA for bonus abuse, fraud, self-exclusion and other reasonable reasons.

3. The NGR definition

For revenue share, the definition of net revenue decides what the percentage is worth. Every programme reviewed deducts customer winnings, bonuses or promotions, and gaming taxes or duties. Beyond that the lists differ: payment fees, chargebacks, platform and game-content fees, fraud, bad debts and admin fees all appear in some definitions and not others. Only FDJ United publishes an admin fee percentage (35%). Read the clause line by line. See NGR explained.

4. Negative carryover

Ask what happens when referred customers win more than they lose in a month. Of eight programmes reviewed, five carry negative balances forward by default (bet365, Entain at its discretion, 888, FDJ United and William Hill) and three reset to zero each month with exceptions for fraud or chargebacks (LeoVegas, Rank and Super Partners). See Negative carryover explained.

5. Payment: timing, threshold, method, currency, tax

Each of these is a separate line, and each varies:

• Timing. From the 10th working day after month end (Super Partners) to up to 60 days after month end (Entain). bet365 pays valid undisputed invoices within 30 days of receipt.
• Threshold. Published payment thresholds run from US$5 (William Hill e-wallets) to €700 (Super Partners bank wire). Know whether amounts below the threshold roll forward and whether they can expire. Entain can void a balance that has not reached £100 in 12 months.
• Method and currency. bet365 pays by bank wire only. LeoVegas pays by Skrill, Neteller or a bank wire that can receive euros. William Hill pays in GBP, USD or EUR.
• Invoicing and VAT. Some programmes generate the invoice for you, some expect your invoice. 888 and Rank treat amounts as inclusive of VAT; LeoVegas says fees are exclusive of taxes. Which company you contract with affects VAT, so take advice from your own tax adviser.
• Dormant balances. bet365 may apply a 2% monthly balance reduction to withdrawable balances over £200 left for three months, and forfeits balances not withdrawn within 12 months. William Hill can reduce balances on accounts inactive for six months by 50% after notice.

More detail is in Affiliate payments.

6. Tracking and attribution

Write down the cookie window, the attribution rule, and which tracking methods count. bet365 cookies visitors for 30 days. FDJ United runs a last-click cookie valid for 45 days. LeoVegas sets its window in its terms: register within 30 days of the click, deposit within 60 days of registering.

Ask about codes too. 888 allows affiliates to publish bonus codes only with prior written consent (clause 3.6). Super Partners will not credit customers who are not properly tagged, and 888 makes the affiliate responsible for correctly formatted links. If you rely on postbacks, agree which events are sent.

Worth knowing

Advertised cookie windows describe the programme's rule, not what every browser keeps. Since 2019, Safari's tracking prevention (WebKit) caps cookies set by page scripts to seven days, or one day when the visitor arrives from a classified cross-site tracker with a query string or fragment in the URL. Cookies set by the server are not covered by that cap. Ask how the programme's tracking is set up.

7. Prohibited traffic and promotion

Every programme reviewed bans brand bidding in paid search. Six of the eight ban self-referral in their published terms. Entain, FDJ United, Super Partners and 888 ban incentivised traffic. Entain, FDJ United and bet365 ban spam, and bet365 and Entain ban lookalike domains. Rank is an exception on incentives: it allows cash-back schemes organised, managed and funded by the affiliate (clause 8.1). 888 and William Hill also ban keywords on an industry negative keyword list they treat as confidential, so ask for it. The list of banned methods should be specific enough that both sides would agree whether a given campaign breaks it.

8. Minimum activity

Several programmes require ongoing referrals. bet365 asks for 15 Active Customers within three months of joining and in any rolling three months. Entain treats an affiliate as inactive below 10 new depositing customers in three consecutive months. FDJ United may cut commission below six in three months, and William Hill below four in three months. If your traffic is seasonal, raise this before you sign.

9. Reports, disputes and changes to terms

Operators' records usually decide. Entain's calculations are "final and binding" (clause 9.10). 888's are not open to review or appeal (clause 4.6). bet365's database prevails over its reports. LeoVegas allows disputes within 90 days of month end (clause 5.4.9). FDJ United allows three months and refuses disputes older than six months (clause 6.5).

On changes: Entain gives at least 15 days' written notice and applies rate changes only to customers referred afterwards (clause 9.9). FDJ United applies changes to new customers only unless agreed otherwise (clause 6.17). LeoVegas may change rates at any time without prior notice (clause 5.1.2). Know which kind of programme you are in.

10. Termination

Ask how either side can end the deal, how much notice is needed, what happens to commission already earned, and whether revenue share on customers you have already referred continues after the deal ends. Get the answers from the current terms or in writing, because the answer decides whether years of referrals keep paying.

Operator view

A clear deal protects you as much as the affiliate. In Great Britain, Gambling Commission licence condition 1.1.2 makes licensees responsible for the third parties they contract with, and requires contracts that bind those parties to the same conditions and allow prompt termination. Specific prohibited-traffic clauses, clear qualification rules and a documented dispute route make enforcement quicker and fairer.

Affiliate view

Treat the published terms as the starting point, not the final word. The rate, the qualification baseline, the carryover rule and the activity minimum are often agreed individually. If something matters to your business, ask for it before your first campaign, and keep the written answer.

This guide is not legal advice. For the operator's duties in Great Britain, read the Gambling Commission's own guidance on affiliates and third parties.

Checklist

Use this before signing, and again whenever the terms change.

Model and rate

• Model, rate, brands, products and markets in writing
• Where the rate is recorded (IO, platform, account manager confirmation), with a dated copy
• Tiers, volume reductions and any time limit per customer

Qualification (CPA and hybrid)

• Deposit window and minimum deposit
• Wagering or activity baseline, and verification steps
• Grounds for withholding or reversing a CPA
• Whether negative revenue share is netted against CPA

Revenue

• Full NGR definition, line by line
• Admin fee: percentage and what it is applied to
• Negative carryover: carried, reset, or exceptions

Payment

• Payment date, threshold, method, currency
• Invoice or self-billing, VAT treatment, contracting entity
• Rules for dormant or below-threshold balances

Tracking

• Cookie window, attribution rule, deposit window
• Promo codes allowed, and on what conditions
• Postback events, if used

Conduct

• Banned traffic sources and methods, including the negative keyword list
• Minimum activity requirements

Governance

• Dispute window and whose figures are final
• Notice for changes, and whether they apply to existing customers
• Termination notice, and what happens to earned and future commission