Affiverse caught up with PlayUK founder Thomas Jones, who detailed how the brand is looking to utilise affiliate partnerships to boost its launch and stature as a new casino.
Affiverse : As a new casino brand, how important is it that the affiliates you’re choosing reflect your brand correctly?
“It is really important that affiliates represent and reflect PlayUK accurately for two key reasons. The first is that the player needs to have their expectations met when being referred to an online casino by an affiliate; if that is not the case they are likely to have a bad experience and will almost certainly go elsewhere if they do.
“The second is that accuracy is the key to representing online casino brands in way that is fully compliant with the guidelines set by online gambling regulators and watchdogs. The UK Gambling Commission has made it clear that the operator is ultimately responsible for the affiliates promoting its brand, so it is a key concern for us.”
What type of content are you looking for from affiliates in order to best drive traffic to your site?
“We love it when our affiliate partners provide detailed and in-depth reviews of PlayUK. This ensures the player has all the information they need about our brand and what we offer, and know what to expect when visiting our casino. The best reviews are written by experienced casino players who can write with authority and clarity.
“When promoting PlayUK, we also encourage our affiliate partners to use display ads, video content and informational guides to showcase what we have to offer and to allow players to make an informed decision about whether we are the right online casino for them.”
How important is it finding a balance between quality traffic and quantity of traffic, as a new online operator?
“More traffic does not always equal better traffic, so it is very important to strike the right balance between the quantity and the quality of players affiliates refer to PlayUK. For example, players are now super-savvy and very aware of the welcome bonuses at their disposal, with some keen to take advantage.
“Bonus hunting is still a major concern for operators – particularly those new to the market – so we monitor traffic to spot patterns of bonus abuse and if we find that this is something a particular affiliate is pushing and/or encouraging, we take action.
“That said, we work very closely with our affiliate partners to ensure they are engaging genuine players and sending quality traffic to PlayUK. At the end of the day, that is what benefits both parties in the long-term.”
How much creative freedom do you give your affiliates when trying to drive traffic to your site?
“Our affiliate partners can be as creative as the like when promoting PlayUK, so long as they play by the rules and adhere to the terms and conditions set out by authorities such as the Advertising Standards Authority and the UK Gambling Commission.
“Affiliates also need to ensure they are GDPR compliant and we work closely with our partners to make sure this is the case. We are also open to creating custom campaigns to help maximise their traffic.
“We believe that affiliates are experts at engaging players with high quality content and then sending them to the casino site that best matches their preferences. In a lot of cases, this is PlayUK.”
