Are Affiliates Losing Money Because Operators Can't Keep Players?

The operator takes over. And if those players leave after a few weeks, the affiliate can end up losing value from the traffic it worked hard to acquire.

As acquiring players becomes more expensive, this is becoming an important issue for both sides.

At AffPapa Conference Madrid, our host Surya Palli spoke with Paul Puolakka, Co Founder at crypto-casinos.com, for Episode 80 of iGaming Real Talk.

The conversation explored the future of CPA and RevShare, why affiliates may need more involvement in player retention, and how changing search habits and AI could reshape affiliate businesses.

One point kept coming up throughout the discussion.

Getting players to an operator is only part of the job. Keeping them valuable over time matters just as much.

Here's what stood out.

Affiliates bring the traffic, but operators control what happens next

Most affiliate partnerships are built around bringing players to operators.

The affiliate attracts the audience, sends the traffic and receives compensation according to the commercial agreement.

But what happens after the player reaches the casino?

“Nowadays, after the affiliate delivers the click, there's not much we can do about it anymore.”

Paul pointed out that affiliates have limited control over the player's experience once the operator takes over.

The operator manages onboarding, customer relationships, promotions and retention campaigns.

If those efforts fail, the player may leave, even if the affiliate originally delivered good traffic.

That creates a problem for both businesses.

The operator loses a player it paid to acquire, while the affiliate may lose the future value that player could have generated.

Poor retention can waste good affiliate traffic

Surya raised the issue of how quickly newly acquired players can become inactive.

Operators may invest heavily in acquisition campaigns only to see a large proportion of those players disappear within the first month.

The problem is particularly relevant when operators are paying CPA or hybrid commissions to bring those players in.

Paul believes both sides need to pay more attention to what happens after acquisition.

“If the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic.”

It is an interesting way of looking at retention.

Operators often treat player retention as an internal responsibility, separate from affiliate acquisition.

But for affiliates working on revenue-based agreements, the operator's ability to keep players engaged can directly influence the value of the partnership.

Paul also mentioned seeing significant differences between operators across different markets.

For him, working with trusted, long-term partners is important because not every operator produces the same results from the traffic it receives.

Should affiliates have a bigger role in CRM?

One of the more interesting parts of the conversation was Paul's view on how affiliate relationships could develop.

At present, affiliates often have limited visibility into what happens to their players after the initial conversion.

Access to data and transparency have been ongoing challenges.

But Paul expects closer cooperation between reputable operators and affiliates around the wider player lifecycle.

That could include CRM, retargeting and player reactivation.

Instead of simply delivering traffic and waiting for the results, affiliates could become more involved in helping operators understand how to keep those players engaged.

The idea is not necessarily to give affiliates control over an operator's customer management.

It is about improving cooperation and understanding where player value is being lost.

If both sides depend on the same players generating value over time, there is a reason for them to work more closely after acquisition.

Are FTDs still getting too much attention?

First-time deposits remain an important acquisition metric in iGaming.

But Paul questioned whether they should receive so much attention when evaluating the success of a partnership.

“Instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value long term.”

A player making a first deposit is only the beginning of the relationship.

What matters afterwards is whether that player continues engaging with the operator and generates value over time.

Paul noted that driving traffic has become harder and more expensive.

That makes retaining acquired players even more important.

He also clarified that lifetime value has always been a major consideration, particularly for affiliates looking beyond short-term acquisition results.

The challenge is ensuring that operators and affiliates are measuring success in ways that reflect the same long-term goals.

Bringing in more FTDs may improve acquisition numbers.

But it does not automatically mean those players will become valuable customers.

Affiliate businesses may start looking more like media companies

The discussion also moved to the future of CPA, RevShare and hybrid agreements.

Paul explained that his business mainly works with hybrid deals.

He expects affiliate marketing to change, although he was careful not to predict exactly how commercial models will develop.

One thing he does expect is a broader approach to attracting audiences.

“Affiliates are going to be more like media outlets.”

Traditional SEO has played a major role in affiliate acquisition for years.

But the way people search for and consume information is changing.

Paul pointed towards Google updates and ChatGPT as examples of developments affecting how audiences discover content.

As a result, affiliates may need to expand beyond depending heavily on search rankings.

Different traffic channels, content formats and audience relationships could become more important.

For smaller affiliates, this also means thinking more carefully about how they build a recognisable business rather than relying on one acquisition channel.

AI could change how affiliates test and manage traffic

With AI becoming part of almost every industry conversation, Surya asked Paul where the technology could have a practical impact on affiliate businesses.

Paul explained that his organisation had already started implementing AI and was continuing to integrate it into its workflows.

He identified several areas where it could become particularly useful.

Retargeting was one.

A/B testing landing pages dynamically was another.

He also expects AI to play a greater role in tracking.

These are practical areas where affiliates already invest time and resources.

But Paul acknowledged that businesses still have plenty to learn about how to use the technology effectively.

He did not share the specific internal workflows his organisation is developing.

What was clear, though, was that AI is becoming a priority for how the business approaches its future operations.

Is there still room for new affiliates?

With changes in SEO, new AI tools and increasing competition, starting an affiliate business today may look more complicated than it did several years ago.

But Paul does not believe the opportunity has disappeared.

His advice was to remain curious, study what works and find a specific area where the business can develop its own approach.

He also encouraged newer affiliates to learn from freely available resources and attend industry events.

Meeting people and understanding how the industry operates can be valuable, particularly for those without established relationships.

Paul believes there is still room for affiliates of different sizes.

The key is finding a niche, testing opportunities and understanding whether the traffic being generated has genuine commercial value.

He explained that his own work involves continually researching markets, testing opportunities and deciding where further investment makes sense.

The process does not stop at identifying a promising market.

It also involves understanding the player value behind the traffic.

What stood out to us

1. Affiliates have limited control after delivering traffic. Operators manage the player experience, which can directly affect the long-term value of an affiliate partnership.
2. Poor retention can waste acquisition spending. Even good traffic loses value when operators fail to keep players engaged.
3. CRM and reactivation could become more collaborative. Paul expects closer cooperation between affiliates and operators around the player lifecycle.
4. FTDs should not be the only measure of success. Long-term player value is becoming increasingly important as acquiring traffic gets harder.
5. Affiliate businesses are moving beyond traditional SEO. Changing search behaviour could push affiliates towards broader, media-like business models.
6. AI has practical applications beyond content creation. Retargeting, dynamic landing-page testing and tracking are areas Paul expects to develop.
7. There is still room for smaller affiliates. Research, niche selection, experimentation and industry relationships remain important.

What made this conversation interesting was that it questioned where an affiliate's responsibility really ends.

Operators spend money acquiring players. Affiliates spend money attracting them.

But both businesses ultimately benefit when those players stay.

If a player leaves shortly after arriving, it raises a question about how much value the original acquisition actually created.

Paul's perspective suggests that the future of affiliation may involve closer relationships with operators, greater attention to retention and more involvement across the player lifecycle.

CPA, RevShare and hybrid deals may continue to evolve.

But the bigger change could be in how operators and affiliates work together after the first click.

If affiliates are responsible for bringing in the players, should they also have a say in how operators keep them?

As part of the fourth stop of The Real Roadshow 2026, Episode 80 of iGaming Real Talk was recorded at AffPapa Conference Madrid, featuring iGaming Marketing Executive Paul Puolakka.

This episode is brought to you by Evoverse, providing custom crypto casino and source code solutions, and Wicked Games, creating slot games that slap.

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