Within the UK, regulation is getting tighter and the market is much more regulated now for affiliates to promote in. In other markets, stringent regulation is actually paving the way for operators and affiliates to reach a brand new audiences and to consider incremental revenue uplifts. We explore how technology and regulation could impact affiliate business and what lies beyond these changes.
PASPA repeal makes North America a good target
Within the North American market, there have been a lot of changes taking place in the last week with regards to sports betting, making the US market a lot more accessible. Recently, this region has repealed the PASPA regulations that made online sports gambling illegal. This is a great market to get in on the ground floor with, as American sports fans are ripe for the picking and there is plenty of events to craft your content strategies around.
Prior to the repeal of this bill, sports betting could only be offered in certain states. Now, this market will be opened up as states are able to dictate their own terms surrounding sports betting. For some, this will mean affiliates are able to operate, but for others the regulations may still be strict. This is a market to watch and will require patience as we have yet to see how it will evolve post the repeal.
It’s important to understand the user and provide valuable information that’s localised right down to each state. This means that you’ll need to spend a bit of time immersing yourself into the culture surrounding the most popular sports teams to get a good head start. You’ll find that the experts in the American sports arena also passionate about the sports that they bet on. This means that you need to research the right terminology and create content that positions you as the expert now too.
eSports affiliates can really delve deeper into this market too, as there’s a massive audience that has so far not been accessed for traditional sports betting. If you know your stuff and are able to get your brand out there, then you can win a large proportion of this audience fairly quickly as this would be a new activity they can now legally try.
Other change area’s to consider
There are plenty of places around the world in which gambling is becoming more prominent. Gibraltar, for example, has always been a territory that has been associated heavily with gambling, but now they’re innovating further. They’re actively encouraging the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain opportunities which can also be an interesting prospect for existing iGaming affiliates.
This staple in the iGaming industry may change, as they seek to welcome this new payment and technology method. This could potentially have a knock on effect to the number of operators that accept these currencies. For affiliates, this means it’s a great idea to put content and reviews into place to make this payment currency easy to use and understand , and in regards to the technology transition help make it smoother for users.
It’s likely that more of these countries will be assessing online gambling over time. We’re seeing many countries weighing in on the likes of loot boxes and fantasy sports. This naturally creates a forum for citizens to voice their opinion on gambling as a whole. Alongside this, controversial technological developments will likely prompt more discussion as time goes on.
While the net is tightening in the UK market, we can see it opening up elsewhere. The affiliates that will profit from these changes are the ones that get in early with an in depth strategy. If you want to learn more about the affiliate market and what’s in store for global regulatory outlooks, book your seat now to this year’s AffiliateFEST.
