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How to choose a partner network for a casino
An affiliate network (affiliate/CPA network) is a bridge between the casino operator and traffic sources (arbitration teams, webmasters, media). Margin, procurement stability, access to exclusive offers and legal security depend on the right choice. Below is a structured technique to evaluate networks systemically, and not "by sensation."
1) Basic selection criteria: what to check first
1. Legality and reputation
The presence of a legal entity, public details, contracts, tax residence.
Portfolio of operators with valid licenses and in "white" geo.
Reviews/cases, duration of work, public persons/manager accounts.
2. Offer matrix
Verticals: Casino/Sports/Live/Betgames.
Geo: availability of priority countries, localizations, local payments.
Payment models: CPL/CPA/Hybrid/RevShare/CPA + RS/dynamics in quality.
3. Financial terms
Growth rates and steps at volume/quality.
Hold periods, minimum wage, payment methods, schedule, commissions.
Clear rules for rejecting leads/departments and the appeal procedure.
4. Tracking and Reporting
Postbacks (s2s), server-side events, UTM structure.
Access to raw logs/sections: registration → KYC → FTD → retention.
API/CSV export, stability of dashboards, SLA by uptime.
5. Compliance and Brand Safety
Clear creative guidelines (age, responsible play, prohibitions).
Pre-moderation of lands and creatives, "vampire "/false promises - banned.
Processes for responding to complaints and site violations.
6. Antifraud and quality
Methods: device/IP patterns, behavioral anomalies, chargeback contour.
Public quality metrics and thresholds (e.g. CR reg→FTD, D7 Retention).
Joint retro quality sessions and payout adjustments.
2) Payment models: how to choose so as not to burn margins
CPL (registration payment/CCL): fast cache flow, high risk of "garbage" leads. Use with hard anti-fraud filters and source restrictions.
CPA (per FTD/deposit): risk/reward balance. The key is clear rules for offsetting FTD (valid deposit, minimum threshold, not bonus money).
Hybrid (part of CPA + RevShare share): reduces the risks of the parties, motivates for quality.
RevShare: long LTV bet; need trust tracking and transparency hold.
Dynamic CPA/RS: auto-index rates when quality KPIs are achieved.
What to demand in the contract:- Formal definitions of "valid FTD," "fraud," "incent," "brand bidding."
- Right to review rates when meeting target CR/retention/ARPPU.
- Deviation threshold and application review time (e.g. 5 working days).
3) Geo and localization: where networks are really strong
Payment coverage: local methods (for example, e-wallets, vouchers, crypto) and the speed of payments to players.
Localization of products: language, currency, local promotions, support 24/7.
Advertising rules by country: what can/cannot be in creations, design of disclaimers, age restrictions.
Seasonality: major sports events, holidays, tax periods (affect CR and ARPU).
Question to the network manager: Which three geo give the best payback in the last 90 days and why? What is the typical combination of sources and format of creatives?
4) Tracking, attribution and data: there will be no scaling without it
Technical integrations: s2s-postbacks (install/reg/KYC/FTD/2nd dep), server-side.
Reporting sections: source/creative/geo/land/time/device/OS/channel.
Data hygiene: unique clickid, deduplication, time zones, currencies.
Privacy: compliance with GDPR/local rules, data storage and encryption.
Diagnostics of dumps: monitoring of postback delays, alerts by uptime.
Mini check: is there an API export, is there auto-retry postbacks, is there a sandbox?
5) Anti-fraud and traffic quality: what exactly to watch
Source rules: prohibition of incident/bots/invisible redirects, blacklists.
Anomaly control: CTR "to the ceiling," CR reg→FTD too low/high, non-standard IP clusters, bursts of night registrations.
Returns and write-offs: how chargeback is considered, return of bonus FTDs, deadlines and documents.
Cohort analysis: D1/D7/D30 retention, 2nd-deposit rate, ARPPU, NGR/GR.
Joint retro: weekly analysis, revision of creative angles, lands, pre-localization.
6) Money and payments: where most often "hurts"
Schedule: weekly/fortnightly/monthly payments, accelerations per fee.
Hold: understandable term and terms of early redemption.
Methods: wire, crypt, e-wallets; fees and conversion rate.
Audit of payments: reconciliation act, uploads by leads, statuses, deviations.
Cash gap risks: operator pool (diversification), reserve fund.
Red flags: foggy holds, "transfer to the next month for no reason," inconsistencies in volumes and money, lack of documents for reconciliation.
7) Compliance and brand safety
Creative guide: prohibition of false promises of "easy money," correct marking of 18 +, mention of a responsible game.
Pre-launch moderation: white-sheet wording and visual.
Site claims: a standardized procedure for removing/refilling creatives, keeping a log of incidents.
Legal blocks: applicable law, arbitration of disputes, confidentiality, liability of the parties.
8) Service and processes: how to understand that the network is mature
Account management: SLA response time (for example, ≤4 working hours), dedicated chat.
Onboarding: checklists, FAQs, creative library, examples of successful bundles.
R&D support: test budgets, joint hypotheses, access to beta offers.
Escalation: an understandable "ladder" in case of conflicts and delays.
9) Negotiation checklists and due diligence
9. 1. Quick check (15 items)
- Legal entity and details verified
- List of operators with licenses
- Written creative guidelines
- Payout Models and FTD Offset Formulas
- Transparent hold and payment schedule
- API and s2s postbacks, server-side
- Source/Creative/Land Sections
- Anti-fraud and controversial lead politics
- Returns Reporting/chargeback
- Case log
- Contacts of responsible persons, SLA by responses
- Geo pool with local payments
- Dashboards and alerts for data delays
- Privacy documents (GDPR, etc.)
- Retrospective Procedures and Improvement Plan
9. 2. Questions to the Network Manager (RFP template)
1. What quality KPIs do you use to auto-change payout?
2. What do you think is valid FTD? What are the exceptions?
3. How quickly do you process deviations?
4. What top 3 sources/formats work in my target geo and why?
5. What is your average hold on casino offers? Are there "manual" extensions?
6. What are your antifraud cases over the past 6 months and how did they end?
7. Is there access to raw events (event-level) and in what format?
8. How is the change of rates with an increase in volume/quality (braces)?
9. Is there a pre-moderation of creatives and how long does it take?
10. What happens when postbacks fail? Is there an auto-retry and backup channel?
10) KPIs and formulas: what to monitor weekly
CR (click→reg), CR (reg→KYC), CR (reg→FTD)- CPO/CPA, eCPC/eCPM, ARPU/ARPPU, NGR/GR, Payback
- D1/D7/D30 Retention, 2nd deposit rate, Chargeback rate
- Share of rejected leads and network response time for disputed cases
- Data validity: percentage of events with empty clickid/time zone discrepancies
11) Pilot: 30-60-90 plan
0-30 days: Onboarding, s2s integration, 2-3 geo test × 2 payout models, 10-15 creative angles, strict limits.
31-60 days: Scale of "warm" bundles, revision of rates, implementation of auto-rules for disconnection, retro in quality.
61-90 days: We download new sources, agree on braces for rates, fix SLA, sign additional agreements.
12) Red flags (better to leave right away)
Blurred definitions of FTD/lead validity, "we'll see at the end of the month."- No postbacks/server-side, only "screen from the office."
Constant transfers of payments, "freezing" without documents.
Lack of creative guides and ignoring site rules.
Aggressive "buns" for volume, but zero transparency in quality.
Pressure on incent/gray sources, buying brands at the request of the operator.
13) Legal nuances and SLAs
In the contract, write:- Terms (valid lead/FTD, fraud, incent, brand-bidding, multi-account).
- Quality metrics and the right to review rates/suspend traffic.
- Payment terms, hold, fees, currency, exchange rate.
- Terms of consideration of controversial leads and provision of logs.
- Compliance responsibilities, liability for violations and fines.
- SLA by uptime tracking (for example, ≥99. 5%) and reaction time (≤24 h incident).
- "Party B provides delivery of reg/KYC/FTD events through s2s-postback with service availability of at least 99.5% during the billing period. If more than 30 minutes fail, the backup queue is activated and a notification is sent. Data discrepancy above 3% is subject to reconciliation on raw logs within 5 working days"
14) Grid rating matrix (scoring card)
Score on a scale of 1-5 and sum:- Legal transparency
- Quality of offers and geo-coverage
- Flexibility of payment models
- Tracking/data (API, s2s, sections)
- Antifraud and compliance
- Financial discipline (payments/hold)
- Service and reaction speed
- Case and Case Stage History
15) Conclusion
The right partner network is not a "high bid on a banner," but a predictable growth machine: licensed offers, pure geo, transparent data, adequate hold and a partner approach to quality. Check the legal part, tracking, financial discipline and compliance - and launch the pilot according to 30-60-90 plan. With this technique, you minimize risk, speed up payback, and build a scalable performance system.