Affiliate Industry
Exclusive Q&A with Reza Shojaei, the founder of Value Marketing
As Value Marketing enters its third financial year under their new business model, they have already conquered 12 countries. 2020 is going to bring more exciting plans and goals, and the founder, Reza Shojaei, is ready to expand the company’s casino portals across the globe. The journey so far has been interesting and meaningful – and there is more to come.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Reza Shojaei and I am the founder of Value Marketing. I have been an avid poker player for the past 15 years, which is why operating a business in the iGaming market is a great passion of mine.
Value Marketing changed its business model in 2017. It used to operate in the face-to-face sales market. What made you want to switch business models?
Face-to-face marketing was an excellent field to operate in, but it was not really a passion of mine. iGaming is something I really like and playing poker is one of my favorite hobbies. So, when it was time to figure out future plans for Value Marketing, switching to the iGaming market was only natural. Though I am a fan of the market, it was not only a personal choice. We also saw a big problem in the iGaming market that we wanted to solve.
As the market grows more and more every year, new online casinos open constantly, and so do other gambling related companies, like software providers. Competition is wonderful, but sometimes it is hard for players to pick and choose the trustworthy casinos that are also high quality. In fact, starting out in the world of online casinos can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. The mission of Value Marketing was to change that.
So, what does Value Marketing offer its readers that other affiliate sites do not?
The biggest difference between us and many others is that our two brands, CasinoTopp.net and CasinoTop.com only recommend online casinos that are 100 percent safe and secure. Also, we review the casinos honestly and ensure that each review is transparent and thorough. We pick the online casinos that are high-quality and a great choice for players.
In addition, we want to build a big network of casino portals that covers multiple countries globally. Right now, we service 12 countries, but in 2020 the goal is to open more markets. This allows us to provide valuable information for players internationally.
Another thing we do is that we allow our readers to contact us and share their experiences. This is not something that all affiliate sites do.
How do you see the next few years in the iGaming market? Any new trends we should wait for?
The iGaming industry changes all the time and new trends can take over the market very quickly. Recently, pay & play casinos have been a big hit, so we can definitely see more of them. Also, more and more software providers have improved their game selection and especially the graphics are stunning. NetEnt has done excellent job with that for a long time, and we are excited to see what happens in the next couple of years.
In terms of regulations in the iGaming market, we might see some countries relaxing the regulations a bit. Sweden already opened their markets by offering their own license, and we hope that Norway and Finland follow in their footsteps, too. The US opened Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware to online gaming as well, so change is in the air.
Another interesting thing to see is what happens with Brexit. It might also affect the iGaming market a little bit.
What does it take to run a big global iGaming business like Value Market?
It takes a lot of work, honestly. CasinoTop.com services 12 countries so far, and there is more to come. We have multiple copywriters for each country, editors, designers, and developers. We produce new content constantly, as we want to keep our readers up-to-date and stay relevant. Also, as all countries and areas have different regulations, it is important to keep up with all the ever-changing laws and rules. This helps us to give valuable information for our leaders.
Days are sometimes pretty long, as many of our copywriters live in different time zones. But as iGaming is a great passion of mine, I look forward to work every day.
Is Value Marketing going to take on the US market as well?
At the moment, CasinoTop.com services Canada, but we have not entered the US market yet. The biggest reason for this is that in the US, online gaming is not yet allowed in all the states and it is still strictly regulated. Hopefully, in the future, the US will relax their laws more and allow online gaming and we can get our foot in the door, too.
What is Value Market looking to achieve in the next year?
We are looking to improve our existing content and to improve ranking for our current sites and countries. Also, we want to open more markets and extend our network of casino portals. Making new connections and partnerships is important in terms of success and staying relevant, which is what we will also be working for.
What is the key to succeeding in the area of iGaming?
I believe that succeeding in business, no matter the market, the key is putting people first and money second. The bottom line is that when you put people first, money will follow. That is how we look at our business as well, and the main aspect is to put the readers first. As they know they can trust us and communicate with us, they will recommend us and come back to us. Evidently, that will result in profits in our part. But money cannot be the only driving factor, whether we talk about iGaming or anything else.
Affiliate Industry
44 New Brands Growth in Q1’25: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results

Affilka by SOFTSWISS reports its business performance in Q1 2025, continuing its steady growth as one of the industry’s leading affiliate marketing platforms.
The first quarter of the year marked a period of significant achievements for Affilka by SOFTSWISS. In January, it was named Affiliate Company of the Year at the International Gaming Awards 2025, highlighting its growing recognition in the industry.
In the first three months of 2025, 44 new brands joined the Affilka platform, bringing the total number to over 450 brands. During the same period, affiliate GGR rose by 2.7%, the number of visits increased by 3.1%, and affiliate payments grew by 13.2% compared to Q4 2024. Overall, Affilka now supports over 400 thousand affiliate accounts (+23.1% vs Q4 2024) and tracks more than 98 million registered players, up from 87 million in Q4 2024.
Alongside its financial gains, Affilka maintains an active pace of product development. The team is now preparing to release a new feature: Cross-Brand Player Duplicate Detection. It will enable operators to detect identical player accounts across multiple brands within a single affiliate program. The tool will allow operators to optimise their marketing costs and improve traffic quality.
The innovation is the third major update released by Affilka in the last six months. Earlier, the platform introduced the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, which reduces user redirect times by fivefold and boosts player conversion. The most recent tool, the Cohort Analysis Report, enables operators to track and evaluate player behaviour more effectively.
“Affiliate marketing is evolving fast, and Affilka evolves with it,” says Anastasia Borovaya, Head of Affilka by SOFTSWISS. “We’re focused on helping our partners meet emerging challenges – whether that means offering new ways to analyse player behaviour, refine traffic strategy, or cut costs without losing efficiency. The Cross-Brand Duplicate Detection tool is one more example of how we turn real-world operator needs into functional, high-impact solutions.”
Anastasia Borovaya recently participated as a guest lecturer at the Academy of Gaming Operations, where she led a session on the Affiliate Management course. She is expected to return to teach the course again in the second half of 2025.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS complies with a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 27,800 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post 44 New Brands Growth in Q1’25: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
Casino Guru shortlisted for prestigious SBC Awards Europe 2025

Casino Guru has been shortlisted for the inaugural SBC Awards Europe 2025, joining a competitive field of contestants in the “Casino Affiliate of the Year” category. SBC Awards Europe 2025 is the first edition in what will be a recurring event, celebrating excellence at the SBC Summit Malta, which was rebranded from CasinoBeats Summit.
The event ceremony is due to take place on Thursday, June 12, at the Hilton Malta and will reunite 300 industry guests. Casino Guru is honored to have been distinguished by making the shortlist and competing against other industry leaders such as Gentoo Media, Gambling.com Group, and Brian Christopher’s Flip the Switch.
Casino Guru is more than an affiliate, with a distinguished track record for favoring player safety and empowering consumers to make the right choices about the casinos they play at.
With a review database that exceeds 8,296 casinos, 17,414 bonuses, and 20,194 casino games, Casino Guru is constantly growing as the Internet’s largest and most reliable database for anything that has to do with iGaming.
Commenting on Casino Guru’s shortlisting in the ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ category at the SBC Awards Europe 2025, Daniela Sliva, Public Relations and Creative Projects Director, said:
Being shortlisted for the inaugural SBC Awards Europe is a testament to Casino Guru’s impact and recognition as a trusted voice in the industry. Through continuous efforts to educate both industry professionals and players, we have consistently promoted the core values that should define the entire iGaming industry – transparency, fairness, and openness. Casino Guru is proud to be considered for the Casino Affiliate of the Year award, a reflection of our unwavering commitment to player protection and ethical industry standards.
Casino Guru is an outlier with groundbreaking initiatives, including the Complaint Resolution Center, which returned more than $40,000,000 to players by February 2025, making it an unmatched industry specialist.
Casino Guru is one of the few industry companies – and possibly the only one – to actively champion industry-wide improvement of casino standards through its unique Safety Index reviewing methodology.
Each of the more than 8,296 casinos in the Casino Guru database is reviewed manually and scrutinized for the fairness of their terms and conditions.
Ratings are fluid and are continuously subjected to reassessment to ensure that players looking for recommendations will get the most up-to-date and reliable information.
Casino Guru has spearheaded sustainable efforts in responsible gambling through the launch of the Gamtegrity platform and has worked with sector leaders to advance the importance of safe & positive play.
Casino Guru continues to set industry standards by taking a truly player-centric approach, one that challenges industry practices and upholds transparency, fairness, and openness as core principles of play.
The post Casino Guru shortlisted for prestigious SBC Awards Europe 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
Already Media acquires Live Casino Comparer

Tech-driven affiliate and media company Already Media has acquired Live Casino Comparer for an undisclosed sum.
Live Casino Comparer is a well-established review portal focused on the live dealer niche. It was founded in 2014, and its team brings more than 30 years of casino experience to every review it publishes.
The site’s founder, Neil Walker, will stay on both as an advisor and an active part of the content team, helping to scale Live Casino Comparer’s output across both the B2C and B2B verticals.
Already Media will also rebuild the site’s platform and has plans to enter into new geos and content formats.
The deal was brokered by Corfai, the specialist M&A advisory founded by Ben Robinson.
Alina Famenok, CEO at Already Media, said: “This is another landmark for Already Media, as we continue to acquire brands that expand our reach and can benefit from our technology. We’re excited to get to work alongside Neil to take Live Casino Comparer to new heights. Huge thanks to Ben and the Corfai team for helping us close this deal in just two weeks, which is surely the fastest M&A deal in iGaming history.”
Neil Walker, founder at Live Casino Comparer, added: “I couldn’t be more excited to begin this new chapter for Live Casino Comparer as part of the Already Media team. They bring the technical and operational firepower to scale globally, while keeping the spirit of honest, expert-driven reviews at the core.”
The acquisition aligns with Already Media’s strategy of acquiring trusted affiliate brands and elevating them through its technology-led approach.
Last year, the company acquired PokerListings, and has since migrated it to a new platform, entered new regions and developed a vibrant community around the brand.
The post Already Media acquires Live Casino Comparer appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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