Gaming in Europe will host a webinar aimed at addressing the growing challenge of illegal affiliate marketing in licensed online gambling markets, as stakeholders across Europe face increasing competition from unregulated operators.
Titled “The rise of illegal affiliate marketing explained: Methods & countermeasures,” the webinar will be held on Thursday, April 16, at 14:00 CET. The initiative seeks to raise awareness of how illegal affiliates are reshaping visibility dynamics in the iGaming sector.
Affiliate marketing has become an increasingly important channel for players to discover online gambling operators, particularly as restrictions on broadcast and print advertising tighten.
However, industry observers note that illegal affiliates and the organizations behind them are leveraging this shift to promote unlicensed offerings more aggressively.
According to the webinar’s organisers, these illegal affiliates are not only enhancing the reach of illegal gambling services but are also limiting the visibility of licensed operators and compliant affiliates, intensifying competition in regulated markets.
The webinar will examine the techniques used by illegal affiliates to boost their online presence while suppressing legal competitors. It will also outline potential countermeasures available to licensed operators, legal affiliates, and regulators to mitigate the impact of such practices.
The issue is seen as pan-European in scope, with offshore gambling operators and associated affiliates often operating across multiple jurisdictions. As a result, the discussion is expected to be relevant for stakeholders in regulated and emerging markets including Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Finland.
Gaming in Europe founder Willem van Oort said: “In line with Gaming in Europe’s broader mission to support legal stakeholders against illegal and unfair competition – briefly summarized as #ReclaimTheMarket – we have decided to take a closer look at the how and why of the growing impact of illegal affiliate marketing.”
“Not only will we be looking at some of the highly questionable methods that illegal affiliates use, but we will also be exploring what proponents of the legal market, such as regulators and licensed operators, can do to stop this.”
The webinar will feature speakers including Timothy Malmros Genach (SEO Expert, Magenti Media), Dr. Andreas Ditsche (CEO, iGaming.com), and Frank op de Woerd (Editor-in-Chief, CasinoNieuws).
Click here to register.