Whether you're just starting out or already knee-deep in campaign optimization, knowing the language is essential, especially in iGaming.
In this industry, traffic arbitrage means buying users from one source (like Google Ads, Facebook, or push networks) and directing them to gambling or betting offers, aiming for a profit when those users convert. Sounds simple? In practice, it's a game of precision, testing, and knowing the rules — both platform and industry lingo.
The affiliate marketing glossary is made for those who drive traffic to online casinos, sportsbooks, and other iGaming verticals. Whether you're a solo media buyer, part of a performance agency, or an affiliate manager building your first campaign, these 25 terms will help you navigate offers, networks, and compliance confidently.
Affiliate marketing
A performance-based marketing model where affiliates (also called partners or publishers) promote products or services, in this affiliate marketing glossary, gambling and betting offers, and earn a commission for each user who converts. In iGaming, it is one of the main user acquisition channels, with thousands of affiliates driving traffic to operators through paid ads, SEO, social media, and other methods.
Affiliate (media buyer, webmaster)
An affiliate is the person or team responsible for generating traffic and conversions. Depending on the setup, they might be media buyers running paid ads (PPC), webmasters monetizing SEO traffic, or content creators using social platforms. In short, the affiliate is the one spending their budget (or someone else’s) to acquire users and profit from the results.
Campaign
A campaign is a structured effort to promote an offer, typically with defined GEOs, traffic sources, creatives, budgets, and goals. It could be as simple as running push ads to a betting landing page in Brazil, or as complex as a multi-source, multi-language casino campaign across several GEOs with layered tracking.
Driving/pushing traffic
"Driving" or "pushing" traffic means sending users from one point (an ad, a blog, a landing page) to another, usually the advertiser’s offer or pre-lander. In iGaming, affiliates drive traffic via Facebook, Google Ads, native platforms, push networks, and more, constantly optimizing to get better ROI.
Vertical
A vertical is the specific niche or type of product being promoted. In the affiliate marketing glossary, common verticals include online casinos, sportsbooks, esports betting, fantasy sports, crash games, and lotteries. Each vertical has its own traffic trends, seasonality, and compliance rules.
Offer
An offer is what the affiliate promotes. It includes the product (e.g., online casino), the payout model (CPA, RevShare), the landing page, and specific terms like GEOs, allowed traffic sources, and conversion rules. Offers come from affiliate programs or networks and are the core of any campaign.
Target audience (TA)
Your TA is the group of users you’re trying to reach, usually defined by interests, behavior, age, location, and intent. In iGaming, a good understanding of your TA can mean the difference between burning budget and launching a profitable campaign.
GEO
GEO stands for geographic location — the country or region where you’re targeting users. Every GEO has its own regulations, conversion rates, ad platform policies, and user behavior. Affiliates often specialize in specific GEOs like Brazil, Canada, or Germany, depending on offer availability and payout levels.
Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3
These are unofficial categories that group GEOs by purchasing power, payout levels, and competition.
Tier 1 (US, UK, Germany) = high payouts, strict compliance, and tough competition
Tier 2 (Brazil, Mexico, Eastern Europe) = mid-level payouts, growing markets
Tier 3 (India, Vietnam, some African countries) = low payouts, low CPMs, but massive volume potential
CPA (Cost Per Action)
CPA is one of the most common payout models in the affiliate marketing glossary. You get paid a fixed amount for each user who completes a specific action, usually a first deposit (FTD). For example, an affiliate might earn $100 per FTD in Canada. The upside? You know your earnings upfront. The challenge? You carry all the risk of traffic costs — if users don’t convert, you don’t get paid.
RevShare (Revenue Share)
RevShare means you earn a percentage of the player’s net losses over time. If a user you brought deposits $500 and loses $300, and your RevShare deal is 30%, you get $90. The upside is long-term income from loyal players. The downside? Income is unpredictable, and it can take time to break even on ad spend, especially in volatile verticals like the casino.
Hybrid
The hybrid model combines CPA and RevShare, offering a mix of upfront payment and long-term revenue. For example, you might get $50 per FTD + 20% RevShare. This model balances risk and reward — you get quick cash flow from CPA and potential lifetime value from RevShare. Many experienced affiliates prefer hybrid deals when working with reliable operators and traffic sources.
Traffic
Traffic means users — people clicking on your ad, landing on your prelander, or reaching the offer page. But not all traffic is equal. Quality traffic converts. Low-quality traffic burns your budget. In iGaming, affiliates constantly test and filter traffic to find what brings real players who deposit and stick around.
Lead
A lead is a potential user who has taken a first step, usually registering for the offer or submitting their contact details. In some verticals, a lead might trigger a payout. The affiliate glossary pays your attention that, in iGaming, leads are often just the start. The real goal is turning that lead into a first-time depositor (FTD), and ideally, a long-term player.
Traffic source (SEO, push, Facebook, email, PPC, etc.)
A traffic source is the platform or method you use to reach users. Common ones in the affiliate glossary include:
SEO: organic traffic from search engines
Push: browser notifications with direct call-to-actions
Facebook: paid or cloaked ads on Meta platforms
Email: blasts to gambling-focused lists
PPC: pay-per-click ads on Google, Bing, etc.
Each source has its pros, cons, and compliance risks. Smart affiliates pick sources that fit the vertical and GEO.
Creative
A creative is what the user sees — the banner, image, video, or ad copy that grabs attention and drives clicks. In iGaming, effective creatives often include urgency ("Bet now!"), bonuses, or localized references (e.g., football for LatAm, slots for Nordics). However, ad platforms have strict rules, so balancing the click-through rate with compliance is part of the job.
Affiliate network
An affiliate network acts as a middleman between affiliates and advertisers. It aggregates offers from multiple operators (casinos, sportsbooks, etc.) and provides a single dashboard for tracking, payouts, and support. Networks often handle payouts and help with disputes, but they also take a cut, and quality varies. In iGaming, choosing a reliable network can make or break your campaign.
Affiliate program
An affiliate program is a direct partnership with a specific brand or operator, like a casino or sportsbook. You get access to their offers, tracking links, and often a dedicated manager. Programs usually offer better terms than networks (higher CPA or RevShare), but require more involvement and compliance. Many top affiliates eventually move from networks to direct programs for higher profit margins.
Approval (Approve Rate)
Approval rate shows how many of your conversions are accepted and paid. If you send 100 leads and only 30 are approved, your approval rate is 30%. Low approval rates hurt profitability, especially on CPA. Rejections happen due to low-quality traffic, duplicate users, fraud, or users who don’t meet offer conditions (e.g., fake deposits). Tracking the approval rate is key for campaign optimization.
Cap
A cap is the maximum number of conversions (or payout amount) allowed for an offer over a set time, usually daily, weekly, or monthly. For example, an offer might have a cap of 20 FTDs per day. Once you hit it, your traffic is paused or redirected. Caps help advertisers manage budgets, but can also limit your scaling, especially when a campaign is performing well.
Retention
Retention refers to how long users stay active after converting. In RevShare or hybrid models, high retention means more long-term revenue. Operators track retention to measure traffic quality — do your players deposit again? Gamble regularly? Or churn after claiming a bonus? Good retention builds trust with advertisers and increases your bargaining power.
Fraud
Fraud in affiliate marketing includes fake leads, bot traffic, multi-accounting, bonus abuse, and more. It ruins trust and kills offers. iGaming is a high-risk vertical, so fraud checks are strict — advertisers analyze behavior, IPs, conversions, and payment patterns. Even if you're clean, poor traffic sources or shady subs can cause issues. Always monitor your traffic and use clean setups.
KPI (Key Performance Indicators)
KPIs are the key metrics that define success for your campaign. In the affiliate glossary, common KPIs include FTDs, approval rate, ROI, retention, and conversion rate. Advertisers and affiliate managers track these numbers to evaluate traffic quality. For affiliates, hitting KPIs means more trust, better deals, and higher payouts.
FTD (First Time Deposit)
First Time Deposit means that a user registers and deposits money for the first time. In most CPA and hybrid deals, FTD is the main conversion event that triggers your payout. Advertisers value FTDs because they signal real, committed players. Many offer terms and KPIs are built around FTD volumes and quality.
Baseline
A baseline is the minimum performance requirement you need to meet, usually in CPA or hybrid deals. For example, an offer might have a baseline of 20 FTDs per month. If you don’t hit it, your payout could be reduced or revoked. Baselines help advertisers filter out low-volume or low-quality affiliates, so always read the fine print before scaling.
CR (Conversion Rate)
The conversion rate measures how many users took the desired action out of the total number of users who clicked. For example, if 1,000 users click your ad and 50 deposit, your CR is 5%. The affiliate glossary states that CR is a key indicator of how well your funnel, from creative to landing page to offer, is working in iGaming. A high CR usually means you’ve nailed targeting and flow.
ROI (Return on Investment)
ROI tells you whether your campaign is making money. It’s calculated by comparing your profit to how much you spent. For example, if you spend $1,000 and mTake $1,500, your ROI is 50%. In affiliate marketing, positive ROI is the goal, but it often takes testing, optimizing, and scaling to get there consistently.
Mastering affiliate marketing in iGaming starts with speaking the same language. These 25 terms are your toolkit for building profitable campaigns, choosing the right offers, avoiding common traps, and earning trust.
Whether you're optimizing Facebook funnels or scaling SEO traffic, understanding the fundamentals behind CPA, FTD, retention, and ROI can make the difference between breaking even and breaking records.
Ready to level up? Save this glossary, share it with your team, and keep it handy as you navigate new GEOs, test fresh traffic sources, and negotiate better deals.
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