Affiliate Succes
Affiliate Success, interview with Andrew Batty of MrGamerz
There are so many online gambling affiliate stories out there, and we want to hear them all. He is an interview with Andrew Batty, founder of MrGamez.com, a website which focuses directly on slots games.
- Name: Andrew Batty
- Age: 31
- Hometown: Dubin, Ireland
- Living in: Donegal, Ireland
- Favorite Food: Gabagool
- Must Read Book: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
EEG: Tell us a bit about yourself, we want to know who Andrew really is, the main person behind MrGamez.com. Where were you born? What was the key idea of developing this great review website for top online casino games and reviews?
Andrew: I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. Went to school and university. I have an IT background and worked for a logistics company for 4 years before moving into affiliating.
I was always interested in gambling and first started out betting on football and horses in my local Paddy Power shop. At best I was (and still am) a neutral EV sports bettor, but still enjoy the action. I watch pretty much every sport there is from darts to football to athletics. I like to bet on most of them too, just to have an interest. Small stakes though, I rarely bet more than €20 on anything.
From sports, I moved on to poker in my late teens. My Dad is an avid card player and he thought me to play 5 card draw, 25s, gin rummy and a number of other card games when I was a kid. Back then we used to play for matchsticks, but it was still competitive and neither of us liked to lose.
Taking up Texas Holdem was a natural progression and I still play quite regularly today, though not nearly as much as I used to. I’m mostly an MTT player, but dabble a little bit with cash games too. I’ve played several EPT and WPT events, though I’m still waiting to hit a big score 🙂
I was never big into casino games. Being a gambler, I know the odds are stacked against you in most cases, though savvy poker players and sports bettors can always have an edge. The same cannot be said of someone who plays slots or roulette.
I first started in affiliating through a staking site which I owned a piece in. We were staking horses to play online. They kept some % of their profits if they made any. However, the real deal sweetener was the rakeback. With horses on a 60% rakeback deal, we easily covered their losses and then some. Of course, not all players lost, so those cases were win-win situations.
I sold my stake in the site a year or so later for a nice return and decided to focus on something else. I was always intrigued by slots. I liked video poker machines when I was a kid, and even ridiculous games like the 6 horse race simulators that you would find in arcades and fairgrounds. However, I couldn’t understand the attraction of slot games. In fact, I still don’t. I’ve played thousands at this point yet there are few if any I’d ever play again.
EEG: Since there are thousands of casino game review websites out there, where do you think MrGamez.com stands now?
Andrew: When I started researching the niche, I found few if any great sites out there. The content was thin and spammy. Also, every site was just a clone of the next with the same old tired slot reviews and the exact same style of site. With MrGamez.com I wanted to try something new. To make a site that looked more like that of an operator, but that gave users the opportunity to play all their favourite games for free, without signing up, without giving an email address and without any commitment to playing for real money. Of course, the monetization is there too, but with MrGamez, it’s far less in your face than the 99% of other sites out there.
As well as this, I’ve invested a lot more in content than most other sites in the niche. If you read the content on the majority of casino game websites it is boiler plate and to be honest, it’s quite tiresome to read. I can name the really great content driven sites on one hand. I’ve searched for and personally trained journalists to write gaming content with a unique style, to separate Mrgamez.com from the crowd and to inject a bit more personality into an area that is crying out for it.
EEG: What are the strong points of MrGamez.com and what makes it stand out from the niche websites?
Andrew: There are a few things. Firstly, is the content as per the above. Secondly, is the homepage navigation. I’ve watched tens of hours of clicktale videos of users on the site, as well as running live user tests and surveys to get feedback on ways to improve the site.  By building the site more like that of an operator, it adds an extra degree of trust and stickiness that is perhaps not found on other affiliate sites.
Finally is the filter systems in place. There is a new version of this I plan to release soon, but the current system seems to work well. Adding the ability to sort games based on a number of metrics is something that is often overlooked by affiliates, when in fact, it’s an essential ingredient for any successful games site, especially when the portfolio of games you offer is a large one.
EEG: What were the bumps on your road when you got started and how did you overcome them?
Andrew: The biggest bump was being hit by an early Penguin algorithm This caused a 90% drop in traffic and income. Luckily I only go for rev share, so I was able to survive on residual income from affiliate accounts while I spent weeks and months cleaning up bad links that had been auto-generated to the site. I managed to make a full recovery by doing a manual removal along with a disavow file. Since then the site has gone from strength to strength with traffic increasing every quarter since.
EEG: You have an interesting Ipad and Android slots landing page and a very informative page for Learning. How does your extreme focus on knowledge sharing on casino come about? Was it something on your mind when you started or was it something you acquired on the go?
Andrew: If you visit any casino affiliate site, most have built a core hub of converting pages with no purpose. These are full of cookie-cutter content that exists with the sole purpose of ranking for keywords. I’ve taken a more long-term approach by putting the users first and conversions second. This was part of my original plan and still remains the driving force behind every site I build.
EEG: We have browsed your website and found some high quality content. Are you writing it by yourself or you have a team of people writing the reviews? How many reviews are there on your website?
Andrew: When I first started, I wrote 100% of the content, but as the business has grown, so has my need to outsource. I now write about 5% of the content and that is mostly editing copy so that it answers questions that users might have. I work with a team of content writers and MrGamez strives to publish 3 new pieces per day.
EEG: How do you keep the content fresh and devoid of clutter when a lot of fluff and nonsense appear on the Internet on a daily basis?
Andrew: I actually have a different hiring approach to most affiliates. I search for journalists and journalism students or graduates to write content. Most freelancers you can find on Elance or similar sites are not qualified writers. Sure you can find some diamonds in the rough, but for the most part these guys are producing junk content. As soon as someone tells me they can write great “seo optimized content” I immediately scratch them off my list of leads.
A person who comes from a writing background can adapt their style to write content for any niche. There may be an initial learning curve, but it’ worth it. Journalism is a tough field to make it in, so there are plenty of young, hungry people crying out for a job. Writing about slot machines may not be their dream job, but it puts food on the table.
EEG: We are sure that your receive daily messages from Affiliate Managers showcasing their products. You of course select them by the brands they work with; but what are your thoughts on how Affiliate Manager-Affiliate relationships should be built?
Andrew: I’m actually shocked at how poorly some affiliate managers do their jobs. I understand they have targets to reach and KPIs based on how many players or affiliates they bring in. But most of them come in with the wrong attitude. Firing off stock emails to hundreds of people on a daily basis is not the way to attract new business, certainly not the kind they are looking for.
Managers should learn more about a person’s site or sites and make a personalized approach based on that. Tell them what they like, what they dislike and how things can be improved upon. Noone likes being coldcalled, so try to make things a bit more personal.
EEG: How do you see the future of the gaming industry? For instance, will it become a truly global phenomenon in the near future?
Andrew: I think there is a very bright future ahead. Regulation is taking place in more and more countries as governments are realizing they need to take a piece of the pie. This can only be a good thing as it will regulate the industry and ensure all facets of the business are held to the highest standards.
The US is still the Mecca of the online gambling world and has the biggest active player base. More and more states are likely to follow in the footsteps of New Jersey though this will be a slow process.
EEG: Can you name one change that you want to see in the casino affiliate ecosystem?
Andrew: I would like to see larger affiliates be a bit more ethical with their business practices. When the recent Affactive/Revenue Jet debacle took place I was not hit at all. Why? Because I never promoted them in the first place. It saddened me to see some of the biggest affiiates in the world promote those sites as the best online casinos. They did this in full knowledge that if the players won they would not be paid.
The sole reason for this is greed. Sure we all want to be successful and grow our business as much as possible. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Promoting sham operators is not the way to do it. It creates a bad rep for the industry as whole. Likewise, it may turn players off online gambling altogether if they think that operators are only out to screw them. The players should ALWAYS come first. If it wasn’t for them, we’d all still be grinding away in some monotonous job. That’s something that many people in the industry seem to forget.
EEG: What advise you would like to offer to the new affiliates who are looking to venture into this great industry?
Andrew: Be prepared for the long haul. There are few if any shortcuts you can take to get to the top. It’s taken me 4 years to build a stable income with which I can comfortably support my wife and kids. People always harp on about how gambling is the toughest affiliate niche. I’ve worked in many others, and honestly, gambling is one of the easiest.
EEG: Now, who is your favourite celebrity?
Andrew: I don’t really have a favourite person. I thought mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement was a nice gesture, so for today it’s him.
EEG: If you would just open your Youtube search bar, what would you search for?
Andrew: For something funny, I quite enjoy the odd fail compilation.
EEG: Back to work. Do you attend any igaming conferences? If so, which one is your favourite and what is your most fun experience?
Andrew: I have never actually been to one. I plan to go to LAC(London Affiliate Conference) next year as it’s quite close to home. I’m normally a very private person and don’t even speak to other affiliates. I don’t use social media myself and don’t even use Skype. However, a few managers have been trying to tempt to come over for a while now and it looks like I’ll finally cave in 2016.
EEG: How do you rate the chances of Eastern Europe becoming potential gaming hotpot of the future? Where do you think the region must improve upon?
Andrew: I think in the medium to long term there is potential but for now the opportunities are more limited. However, countries such as Serbia, Hungary and the Ukraine all have huge affiliate companies based there. Some of the best developers and designers come from Eastern Europe and there is massive scope for both igaming affiliates and operators to expand their operations there.
EEG: Alright, here comes the fun part….favourite food, where would you like to travel in Eastern Europe, some part of the region maybe that you haven’t visited yet and favourite destination around the world.
Andrew: I visited Serbia last year and thought it was fantastic. I’d never even heard of Serbian wine before then. Croatia is next on my hit list. Friends of mine have been going to boat parties during the summer months there for several years now and everyone I’ve spoken to has highly recommended it.
EEG: Where you wouldn’t want to travel in Eastern Europe?
Andrew: I’ve heard Moldova is quite a dodgy place. I’d probably like to go though as long as I had my own security detail.
EEG: What is your opinion about EEG (Eastern European Gaming – eegaming.org)?
Andrew: I think it’s a great concept and a great site. Most sites are built without any goals or target market in mind. EEGaming is focused strongly on the Eastern European market and has created a presence in the space as the go to resource for all the latest happenings in the region.
EEG: Thank you for this opportunity and have a great one!
Andrew: Thanks to eegaming.org for the opportunity. It’s great to see a site with clear goals, that is going the extra mile to give people an insight into the industry we work in. Apologies if this got a bit wordy, now I know why my wife tells me to shut up all the time.
Cheers
Andrew

Affiliate Succes
Affiliates as Market Movers: How Content and Rankings Influence Operator Success
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.Â
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.
Affiliate Succes
Casino Hacks– the world’s first Casino Bonus & News TV!
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 DahlĂ©n 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 DahlĂ©n, 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!”
Affiliate Succes
Do the right thing
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.
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