Sebastian Jarosch has a unique view on the job of the casino affiliate market. He believes that affiliate sites should focus less on SEO and more on maximizing user experience. As the founder of Mithrillium Media Ltd., he has dedicated much of his career to putting his philosophy into practice. For his achievements he has been rewarded on several occasions. Throughout his career, Mr. Jarosch has won the following awards:

• Casinomeister 2020 Awards Best Casino Group
• Askgamblers Awards Best Partner 2021
• EGR Nordics Awards for Best Affiliate Programme 2022

Due to his unique view on the iGaming industry, we believe he is one of the best people to ask about the capability of the affiliate websites as market movers. So, without further ado, let us get to our questions and answers.

How much influence do affiliates really have on an operator’s brand visibility and user acquisition today?

There are huge search volumes on Google and other search engines for gambling-related terms. A well-positioned affiliate can dramatically shape perception and drive awareness. Affiliate marketing is still regarded as one of the biggest acquisition channels for iGaming operators, meaning affiliates don’t just influence visibility, they also deliver traffic and conversions.

Can a high ranking or favorable review on a well-established affiliate site significantly shift market share? Have you seen this happen?

Being listed on affiliate sites with top placements is a great way to acquire market share, especially as part of a 360-degree marketing strategy. A high-quality review combined with prominent visibility often results in a noticeable uptick in sign-ups, deposits, and even brand search volume.

What specific content elements (beyond just the headline or rating) most impact player decisions and operator performance?

Players are looking for casinos that are reliable, convenient and offer real value. Review sites like Casino-Groups get the best engagement with transparent and clearly presented information about bonuses, payment methods, payout speeds, and licensing. Screenshots, insider tips, casino comparisons and pros/cons lists help players make informed decisions. 

How do affiliate platforms balance editorial objectivity with commercial partnerships when it comes to rankings and exposure?

You want to deliver results for your partners, but ultimately, your priority has to be keeping your visitors happy with honest, valuable reviews. The top-performing affiliates today have built strong brands around a reputation for being player-centric. While commercial arrangements may influence visibility, reviews must always remain factually accurate and unbiased to earn and maintain player trust.

Do you see affiliate performance metrics becoming more important in operator boardroom discussions and marketing strategy?

Affiliate performance is continuously monitored by analytics teams and marketing departments for both profitability and quality. It’s not only about delivering volumes, but also on bringing in high-quality traffic. Affiliates can influence the traffic quality by targeting the right keywords while operators have the responsibility to retain the players with effective CRM strategies.

In your experience, what separates affiliates who move markets from those who simply deliver traffic?

The affiliates that move markets are brand builders. They understand their audience, invest in content, tech, and UX, and put the player experience first. They’re also selective about partnerships and maintain editorial integrity. Meanwhile, traffic-chasing affiliates often rely on short-term SEO wins and have little brand loyalty.

How can operators better collaborate with affiliates to align messaging, compliance, and player experience?

Transparent communication is essential for strong collaboration between marketing teams and affiliates. Operators need to provide modern reporting tools, up-to-date brand materials, and clear terms and conditions to help affiliates create accurate and compelling reviews. Regular performance reviews, content feedback, and access to updated creative assets help ensure all teams are alignment. The best collaborations happen when operators treat affiliates as strategic partners.

What are the risks of poorly optimized or biased affiliate content for both players and operators?

Inaccurate or overly promotional content misleads players and damages trust. Players who feel deceived don’t return and may even post negative reviews or complaints on Trustpilot or iGaming forums. For operators, this hurts long-term acquisition efficiency and can even damage the brand. Affiliates will lose clicks which results in lower rankings in search engines and ultimately fewer conversions.

How do you measure the long-term impact of your rankings on an operator’s retention, reputation, or overall market position?

We track not just first deposits, but player retention, and player feedback. If a brand stays at the top of our rankings over time, it’s because players are returning and reporting positive experiences. We also monitor clicks and conversions following placement shifts.

Looking ahead, do you expect affiliates to play an even bigger role in brand-building and market movement, and if so, how?

Yes, especially as markets mature and players become more informed. Affiliates that build trust with audiences and operate with integrity will be seen as key brand ambassadors. Expect more affiliates to invest in original content, brand building, community features, and player education. Their influence won’t just be at the top of the funnel, it’ll extend through the entire player journey.

New online casino affiliate combines the successes of MTV, Top Gear and Late-Night Talk Shows with casino games entertainment

 Online casino fans now have the perfect platform for their interests in slot machines, blackjack, baccarat and roulette. Casino Hacks.comis launching the world’s first TV show for online casino players.

Targeting millions of online casino fans worldwide, and having already partnered with some of the major online casino operators and casino games suppliers, Swedish-owned Casino Hacks has been created by a tight team of former gaming operators, producers, marketing & SEO experts, including former executives at MTV, Mr Green, Bethard, Raketech, Pokerstars and Metal Casino who are also passionate online casino lovers.

Casino Hacks Founder Clas Dahlén was named ‘Sweden’s Best Marketer’ in 2014 when heading up Mr Green in Sweden, and is also the former Founder and Brand Strategist behind Metal Casino. The host of the show, Jonas Lutteman, who worked in the editing rooms of MTV in London will lead the entertainment and competitions in the CASINO HACKS show as well as manage Casino Hacks’ Twitch Program.

Even before the launch, Casino Hacks has already contracted major online casino operators and casino games suppliers to partner up on the affiliate platform and sponsor the TV show. It is a perfect platform to reach casino players and high rollers in a confined online casino games channel. Only a selection of online casinos will be partnered initially, as Casino Hacks only will work with the best online casinos offering the best casino bonuses as a trade off to a new, more beneficial, business model for the partnered online casino.

Clas Dahlén, the CEO, or ‘The Sales Guy’, as he would rather be referred to, says:

“Casino Hacks is here because we believe that online casino players, across the world deserve a higher standard of live entertainment. Looking for tips, hacks and great casinos and the best bonuses should not be like going through the Yellow Pages! We believe this part of the casino experience should reflect all the fun and action one can expect from an online casino today.

 “It’s now my mission to market and sell this amazing website. I’ll be a sales-focused CEO who will introduce our outstanding service to casino players and make sure the content is entertaining. That is my full-time job for now!

 “Coming from the operator side we felt it was time to do something new in the affiliate sector, creating new energy and with great design, broadcasting and all the fun entertainment that the online casino experience truly is about.

“The Show will reveal the latest online casino news, broadcasting casino reviews, new slots and interviews with interesting industry people such as the best Twitchers. The daily show will naturally run fun and rewarding competitions continuously.”

Casino Hacks is set for an international launch this week in Canada and New Zealand, followed by Australia, Iceland and six other territories in 2020.

Clas Dahlén describes their pioneering approach:

“Casino Hacks speaks out loud. We are the new kid on the block, and we don’t give a damn about our competitors’ conventional marketing or offers. Keeping our language real, trustworthy and staying true to our beliefs is something most people strive for. Few live up to it. Our members can count on us. As our brand platform describes, we are creative, honest and passionate in our communication with our members.

“We are Casino Hacks and we deliver winning Entertainment!”

James Ashton from Find My UK Casino says that affiliates and operators must be responsible in their approach to engaging players over the coming months

As an online casino affiliate that prioritises responsibility and compliance above all else, I was saddened to receive emails from several of our operator partners regarding a small number of publishers that have looked to leverage the on-going global crisis to their advantage.

These emails are reminding affiliates of the terms and conditions which they agreed to when partnering with the operator, most notably that all marketing activity undertaken must be responsible and compliant at all times.

For those that are not, they risk having their accounts terminated with immediate effect. And rightly so. Professional online casino affiliates do not need to rely on a global crisis to drive traffic to their sites – if anything, they should be taking additional steps to protect their players.

Since the UK lockdown came into force last week, we have seen traffic numbers increase. This, of course, is to be expected as more people are now working from home or not working but being required to stay at home.

This is good for us and other affiliates, and equally positive for our operator partners. But we all have to take a responsible approach and ensure that we go above and beyond to provide players with the information they need to make an informed decision about if and where to play.

This includes ensuring bonus terms and conditions – significant and full – are correctly displayed while also creating explainers about wagering requirements, the tools available to help keep in control of their play and how to ensure they play at licensed and reputable brands.

We are prioritising pages such as these over high-volume ranking pages that are proven to drive players from the SERPs to our pages and ultimately to the online casino brands we recommended. As a result, we have seen retuning site visitors increase over the past two weeks.

One of the most effective ways online casino affiliates can protect players at a time when site traffic and demand is likely to increase – at least over the coming weeks and months – is to only work with the best online casino brands out there.

These are not necessarily the most established brands or those that hold multiple licences, but those that go the extra mile to educate players about responsible gambling and provide them with additional features to manage their play.

As an affiliate focussed on the UK market, we only work with those that hold a UK Gambling Commission licence. Others don’t do this and some even actively promote brands that are not UK licensed to UK players on pages about Online Casinos Not On GamStop.

This is irresponsible on many levels, but amid the current climate is putting the most vulnerable at greater risk than ever before.

We also work very closely with our operator partners to ensure that all the content we create around their brand(s) is 100% compliant, and also seek feedback on other aspects of our site to ensure we are doing everything we can to meet the highest possible standards.

This is always important but particularly right now as people find themselves with more time on their hands but perhaps with less disposable income to spend. That’s not to say they shouldn’t play online casino, but affiliates and operators must do all they can to ensure they play responsibly.

There is clearly an opportunity to target the growing number of people being confined to their homes, but affiliates and operators must do the right thing and ensure they do not take advantage of the situation and use is to their advantage.

Affiliates and operators should be investing time and resources into helping players enjoy online casino play if that is how they want to spend their time and money, but in a way that is healthy and within their means both personally and financially.

So although I was sadden to receive emails from operators stating that affiliates should not be leveraging the current global crisis and using it to their advantage, I was encourage to see that they had taken serious steps to identify, prevent and punish those that are.

That being said, it is really down to affiliates to do the right thing in the first place and it seems that despite the tremendous efforts being made by regulators, watchdogs, operators and publishers, a small minority continue to act irresponsibly, doing untold damage to the rest of the sector.