Affiliate marketers continue to play a vital role in the growth of the online gaming industry and their importance has been magnified with the social distancing restrictions of 2020. Rightlander founder Ian Simms sat down with our own Becky Liggero Fontana to give some insight on how new regulations are influencing the role of affiliates in online gaming.
Simms was quick to point out that certain territories in Europe have differing views on the role of bonuses and the restrictions surrounding them. “Certain jurisdictions like the U.K. and Sweden have been very quick to say how they think things should be,” he said. “We have had places like Spain and Italy have pre-empted that a long time ago with bonus restrictions in Sweden as well obviously with only one bonus.”
The Rightlander founder has never been a fan of bonuses, “I’ve always thought that they were a bit of an Achilles heel for the industry.” But he pointed out no one within the industry has produced a viable alternative because of the worry over the competition:
“Part of the reason for that is that they are worried other operators will take advantage of that and we still have kind of the same problem because if you start banning bonuses and VIP incentives, which they’re trying to do in many jurisdictions at the moment, it leaves the door open for unlicensed operators. All that taken into account has a big impact on where affiliates might go.”
The move towards heavier regulation could potentially push many affiliates into grey markets, but Simms believes the effect will be temporary. “I think grey markets will eventually become regulated markets,” he said. “My firm belief with regulation is if you can concentrate on it, get it right and come out the other end, you are going to have a lot less competition. You may have fewer players, but I believe that they’ll be a better quality of player and you’ll have less competition to fight for against those players.”
In the full interview, Simms gives advice on how smaller affiliates can develop their partnerships with some of the larger operators. Be sure to subscribe to CalvinAyre.com YouTube channel to see every interview we make as it goes up.
