On Day 2 of SiGMA Europe – Mediterranean Summit, a panel session on the SiGMA Stage tackled a pressing question in the industry:
On Day 2 of SiGMA Europe – Mediterranean Summit, a panel session on the SiGMA Stage tackled a pressing question in the industry:
Has affiliate marketing in iGaming reached its peak, or is growth simply evolving?
Moderated by Maria Sayapina, Casino Director at Game Lounge, the panel featured key insights from:
- Svitlana Rossi, CEO & Founder, Conversion Club
- Alessandro Gherardi, Co-founder & Director, Fomento Agency
- Catarina Pereira, Senior Client Manager, Gambling.com Group
The conversation centered on whether affiliate programs remain engines of growth, or if operators should now prioritize new acquisition models.
Affiliate Marketing: Still Relevant, but Evolving
The panelists unanimously agreed: consumer behavior is shifting—toward mobile, short-form video, and diversified user journeys. Operators are adapting, blending traditional affiliate models with influencer marketing, media buying, and localized SEO.
“Affiliates will never die—they’ll just evolve,” one panelist noted. But success now demands sharper strategies, tighter fraud control, and more refined partner selection.
Quality Over Quantity
A recurring theme: not all traffic is created equal.
Panelists stressed the shift from chasing volume to pursuing measurable quality. A modern acquisition strategy must be multi-channel, combining:
- Search marketing
- Social media
- Influencer partnerships
- Programmatic and direct media buying
Local user behavior must drive testing and strategy—not a one-size-fits-all approach. One speaker summed it up:
“Build a balanced mix. Then scale what actually converts.”
Strategic Approaches from the Field
Maria Sayapina emphasized a performance- and SEO-driven approach, focused on data, channel-specific ROI, and ongoing testing.
From the agency side, Alessandro Gherardi highlighted that budget scaling should be grounded in market-specific retention and conversion data, not assumptions.
Catarina Pereira, drawing from experience in Brazil, underlined the importance of trusted creators and channel diversity to mitigate short-term volatility and safeguard long-term value.
📸 Panelists (L-R): Svitlana Rossi, Alessandro Gherardi, Catarina Pereira, Maria Sayapina.
Spotlight on LATAM: Scale vs. Substance
Latin America—and Brazil in particular—was a key talking point. While the region’s scale is appealing, panelists warned that simply copy-pasting European strategies won’t work. Success requires:
- Localized creative and offers
- Fraud prevention and compliance infrastructure
- Influencer partnerships rooted in cultural relevance
“Without balance across channels and partners, you may be scaling—but not with quality,” said one speaker.
From Grey to Grown-Up: The New SEO and Social Approach
The group also addressed SEO and social acquisition. While “grey-area” tactics still exist, the trend is shifting toward first-party data, transparent tracking, and sustainable collaboration.
AI is playing a growing role in campaign optimization and creative iteration, but panelists agreed:
AI is a tool—not a substitute for strategy or relationships.
Key Takeaways
- Treat affiliates as strategic partners, with shared KPIs and active quality control
- Build acquisition stacks that reflect local user behavior and payment habits
- Don’t scale budgets before locking down fraud protection and accurate tracking
- Use AI to enhance insights and efficiency, but maintain human oversight on compliance and planning
