Structuring affiliate deals: CPA, revenue share and hybrid

Pick the model that fits how each affiliate's traffic behaves and how much risk each side can carry, then write the details down before the first player arrives: what counts as a qualifying player, how NGR is calculated, what happens to negative months, and how you will change terms later. Most affiliate disputes start in one of those four gaps, not in the headline rate.

This guide draws on the published terms of eight large programmes (bet365, Entain, 888, FDJ United, LeoVegas, William Hill, Rank and Super Partners), read in October 2026. Clauses change often, so treat the clause numbers as a snapshot.

The three models, and what published terms say

Published terms describe the same three building blocks. bet365's terms are a clean example: commission is either a revenue share, a CPA paid "as a one-time payment for each new Active Customer", or a combination of the two.

Two structural points are worth copying. LeoVegas says an affiliate is subject to only one payment model per affiliate account (clause 5.1.1), and bet365 pays only one type of commission per customer at a time. That stops a player being paid for twice.

Most programmes also keep the rate out of the public terms. bet365 confirms the type and rate in writing through the account manager, Entain uses an insertion order, 888 shows the commission scheme inside the affiliate account and LeoVegas points to its platform. That is a sensible pattern: public terms hold the rules, and a short written deal record holds the numbers.

Choosing a model per affiliate type

There is no model that suits every partner. Ask what the affiliate spends, when, and how long their audience stays with them.

• Media buyers pay for traffic before you pay them. A media buyer running paid campaigns needs cash flow, so CPA or a CPA-led hybrid usually suits them, and you need tight qualification to protect yourself.
• Content site owners with search traffic and a returning audience can wait for revenue to build. Revenue share rewards them for sending players who stay.
• Streamers and creators often refer through promo codes and live moments, so tracking and audience checks matter as much as the model. See Working with gambling streamers.
• New partners with no history are where a test period helps. 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).

Affiliate view

From our side, the model matters less than whether we can predict what we'll be paid. A modest CPA with clear qualification beats a generous one that gets withheld for reasons we only learn afterwards.

Choosing a model per GEO

Set deals per GEO, because the same percentage is worth different amounts in different markets. All eight NGR definitions we read deduct gaming taxes or duties, so a market with heavier duties leaves less NGR to share.

Published terms already reflect this:

• 888's CPA criteria "differ by territory and site", based on minimum deposit, points and number of bets (clause 4.3).
• LeoVegas says its administration fee "may vary by Market and by Product vertical".
• Entain's Greek appendix writes off negative balances instead of carrying them forward.

If your terms differ by market, say so in the deal record for each GEO rather than leaving affiliates to discover it on their first statement.

Designing qualification

Qualification is where a CPA deal is won or lost. The programmes we read define it in very different ways.

Whatever you choose, define each of these in writing:

1. The event. Deposit, stake, wagering amount or a points threshold. The baseline should be a number, not "activity".
2. The windows. How long after the click a player can register, and how long after registering they can qualify.
3. Verification. Whether the player must pass age and identity checks first.
4. Exclusions. Existing or returning customers, the affiliate's own accounts, and accounts in other group brands.
5. Withholding. FDJ United (clause 6.7) and LeoVegas (clause 5.3.3) reserve the right to withhold CPA for accounts identified as bonus abuse, suspended, closed for fraud or self-excluded. Super Partners deducts an earlier CPA if the customer charges back. If you withhold for those reasons, list them.

Tiers, volume conditions and decay

Tiers reward growth. 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%. Entain's main plan sets the percentage by the number of monthly first-time depositors per brand category.

Some programmes also step rates down. Super Partners' Casino and Sport deal starts at 25% and falls to 20%, 10%, 5% and 0% if fewer than 30, 60, 90 or 120 new active customers arrive over 6, 12, 18 or 24 months. Others require a minimum flow of new players: bet365 asks for 15 Active Customers in any rolling three months.

Revenue share does not always last for the life of the player either. Entain drops the rate on the third anniversary of a customer's registration (clause 9.5), Rank pays until the fifth anniversary unless agreed otherwise (clause 7.1), and 888 caps poker revenue share at 24 months (clause 5.8).

If you use tiers or decay, publish:

• the metric (NGR or new depositors) and the period it is measured over;
• whether a higher tier applies to all revenue in the period or only to revenue above the threshold;
• when a step-down or decay date applies, and whether you will warn the affiliate first.

Carryover policy

When referred players win more than they lose, NGR goes negative. Your negative carryover policy decides who absorbs that month.

Of the eight programmes read, five carry negatives forward by default (bet365, Entain, 888, FDJ United and William Hill), though Entain's is discretionary and 888 generally does not apply it to 888Sport. Three reset to zero each month but carry specific negatives: LeoVegas for fraud or where agreed, Rank for chargebacks, Super Partners for fraud. LeoVegas and Super Partners also ring-fence very large single-player losses against that player's own future revenue instead of the whole account.

Settle these questions in the terms:

• Do negatives carry forward, reset, or reset with named exceptions?
• Are they netted per brand or across the account? bet365 deducts negative balances in any vertical from available commission; LeoVegas ring-fences net revenue per brand (clause 5.2.2).
• In a hybrid, can negative revenue share reduce CPA? William Hill's terms say it does (clause 8.4).
• Is there a high-roller rule, and what is the threshold?

Affiliate view

Carryover across verticals is the clause we check first. One big sports winner can wipe out months of casino commission, and that is a risk we can only price if it is written down.

Changing terms without breaking trust

Programmes reserve the right to change rates, but on very different terms. Entain gives at least 15 days' written notice and applies changes only to customers referred afterwards (clause 9.9). FDJ United applies changes only to new customers unless its Head of Affiliates agrees otherwise (clause 6.17). LeoVegas can change rates "at any time and without prior notice" (clause 5.1.2).

Notice periods and new-customers-only changes cost you little and remove one of the most common reasons affiliates leave a programme.

Why clear terms reduce disputes and attract better affiliates

Operators usually make their own records final. Entain's calculations are "final and binding" (clause 9.10), 888's are "not open to review or appeal" (clause 4.6) and bet365's database prevails over its reports. Others give a window: LeoVegas allows disputes within 90 days of month end (clause 5.4.9), FDJ United within three months and none older than six (clause 6.5).

If your numbers are final, the definitions behind them carry all the weight. Affiliates with a choice of programmes read terms before they read rates, and the partners worth having are the ones who read most carefully.

Operator view

Precision protects us too. A written baseline, withholding list and carryover rule gives the affiliate manager something to point to, instead of arguing case by case.

Checklist

• One model per affiliate account, with the rate confirmed in writing
• Model chosen per affiliate type and per GEO, not by habit
• Qualification: event, baseline, windows, verification and exclusions defined
• Withholding reasons listed, including chargebacks
• Tier metric, period and step-down rules published
• Revenue share duration or decay stated
• Carryover: forward or reset, per brand or account, hybrid netting, high-roller rule
• Notice period for changes, applied to new customers only
• A dispute window stated, alongside the NGR definition

For the affiliate's side of the same table, see Negotiating affiliate deals.