Affiliate Industry
Which Euro-based bookmakers are making the biggest gains in the Indian market?
With a population of more than 1.3 billion, analysts are predicting that more than 600 million people will have access to the internet in the subcontinent by 2021 with the potential of the online betting market in one of the world’s biggest countries looking to be simply astronomical.
Yet the online betting market in India is still largely underdeveloped. This is in part due to the murky legal status of online gambling in India. Gambling is illegal in India and often takes place illicitly under the radar of government authorities. The current legislation under The Public Gambling Act of 1867 unsurprisingly does not take into account the role of online gambling.
It leaves off-shore international operators free to offer their services to Indian players – a trend that is increasingly on the rise, as serious attempts by European based and licensed bookmakers looking to tap into the lucrative Indian are already well under way.
A question of trust
The likes of British based Betway and Bet365, as well as Swedish-founded operators LeoVegas, Unibet and ComeOn! have all expanded their portfolios to meet the needs of, and to attract Indian players. However, the big issue in reaching Indian players is the question of trust.
When speaking to leading sports betting affiliate and CEO of Leadstar Media Eskil Kvarnström he emphasised the importance of enforcing the trust factor in using major online bookmakers.
“With on-shore gambling illegal in India and with recent betting scandals in the IPL, many Indians are reluctant to gamble with online betting sites, even if it might be something they are interested in”.
“With our Indian products, particularly our Indian betting sites page on BetBlazers.com, we aim to reinforce the legitimacy of major international bookmakers, not simply just to present an overview on what is on offer”.
Specialise and localise
Many of the aforementioned betting sites are starting to meet the challenges of the Indian market head on, and are beginning to understand the basic needs of the average Indian player.
Offering payment methods that are compatible with the Indian market is an important ground principle in allowing players from India to access global operators, particularly as some Indian banks seek to block transactions related to gambling. A variety of payment options such as e-wallets to circumvent this obstacle are particularly important.
The role of affiliates
The unique position of the Indian market in this respect is something that some affiliates such as Leadstar Media have sought to take a hands on approach to tackling.
“Because India is still such a young market, we find it extremely important to provide an overview of what is on offer, but also the basics on how to access betting sites and how to actively participate.”
“If you take our Betway review for example – as one of the leading online bookmakers in the world today, their expansion into India has been quiet but extremely successful. We see it as our job to rank and review the pros and cons of betting sites, but with such a nascent market as India we also offer tutorials on how to use betting sites like Betway, as well as how to access all the features available to Indian players.
Challenges going forward
The question of internet access, especially on mobile platforms, is still an issue for online bookmakers. However exposure to wireless internet is set to increase in the coming years, a trend that has been seen in Africa in particular.
The question of accessibility, but also of education is a core principle that online bookmakers and only the most service-conscious affiliates are seeking to tackle right now. However, the fact of the matter is, European-based bookmakers such as Betway, Bet365 and Swedish operators are already taking the lion’s share of gains in the Indian market by offering tailor-made products to entice potential Indian players.
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.
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.
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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