Why Trust Between Affiliates and Operators Is Becoming Harder to Maintain

But what if better access to data could help both parties see where the real problems are?

At AffPapa Conference Madrid, our host Surya Palli caught up with John Wright, Co-founder of Nousviz and the name behind StatsDrone, for Episode 81 of iGaming Real Talk.

John was also the very first guest on the podcast when it started, making this a special return. This time, the conversation focused on affiliate shaving, questionable commercial practices, data transparency and why both operators and affiliates need greater accountability.

They also explored how Nousviz plans to bring fragmented industry data together, what the StatsDrone Affiliate Software Report reveals about the market, and whether AI agents could change how affiliate businesses operate.

Here's what stood out.

The trust problem goes both ways

Affiliate shaving has been a long-standing concern in iGaming.

Affiliates question whether the conversions, revenue and commissions reported by operators always reflect the actual performance of their traffic.

But John believes the conversation has become too one-sided.

“It's a problem on both sides of the fence.”

He pointed out that operators can also face unfair commercial demands or agreements that do not deliver what was promised.

For example, an affiliate might charge for placements across different markets without honouring those commitments.

John also questioned how some operators can remain profitable when faced with deals involving large CPA payments alongside high revenue-share percentages.

The result is a market where both sides have reasons to question each other.

“No one's trusting the data coming from operators, and operators are starting to lose trust in affiliates.”

For John, rebuilding trust will require more than simply asking everyone to behave better.

It will require better information.

Could shared data make the industry more transparent?

One of John's main arguments was that industry-wide performance benchmarking could change how affiliates and operators make decisions.

Today, affiliates can see their own performance data, but they often have limited visibility into how that performance compares across the wider market.

John believes anonymised data from multiple affiliate businesses could help create a clearer picture.

The idea behind Nousviz is to let affiliates share anonymised copies of their data and receive industry benchmarks in return.

Those benchmarks could help reveal differences in conversion rates, player value and operator performance.

For example, an affiliate could compare how its traffic performs with different casinos in the same market.

If one operator consistently produces higher player value than another, affiliates would have a stronger reason to reconsider where they send their traffic.

John believes this could put more pressure on operators to improve their own products and operations.

“The big data, I think, is going to bring the operators and affiliates a bit more together, where people can't hide from the data.”

It is an ambitious idea, and John acknowledged that gathering and sharing such information needs to be handled carefully.

But the principle is simple.

Better visibility could make it harder for either side to hide poor performance.

Operators may have bigger problems than losing affiliates

John raised an interesting point about what happens when affiliates begin comparing operator performance more closely.

An operator might assume its biggest problem is losing affiliate partners to competitors.

But what if the real issue is that its players generate less value than those at competing casinos?

John used the example of an operator discovering that another casino in the same market delivers four times the player value.

That difference could reflect problems in the operator's CRM, VIP programme, payment options or broader player experience.

If affiliates can see those differences, they may start sending their traffic elsewhere.

And the operator may struggle to generate a return even if it continues acquiring players.

“You shouldn't be worried about losing affiliates. You should be worried about your cost per click. You're not going to get an ROI from it.”

The point is that affiliate performance cannot always be separated from what happens inside the casino.

An operator can negotiate better deals and attract more traffic.

But if its product and retention systems are underperforming, cheaper acquisition alone may not solve the problem.

Affiliate technology still has a data problem

The discussion also looked at the technology supporting affiliate businesses.

John explained that the industry has plenty of platforms and tools, but getting them to work together remains difficult.

Surya referenced the StatsDrone Affiliate Software Report, which identified at least 51 affiliate platforms in its coverage.

That number surprised him, particularly because there had been limited visibility into the broader affiliate software market.

But the number of platforms was only part of the story.

John explained that different systems use different data structures and approaches to providing access.

“We want the industry to have more API, but API is unfortunately not standard across all software, which drives me nuts.”

Some systems offer API connections, while others still rely on credentials. Even when APIs are available, the data is not always standardised.

This makes it harder for affiliates and operators to combine information across different platforms.

John believes the industry needs to move towards more consistent data access.

The StatsDrone report is one way his team is trying to make the software landscape easier to understand, with further analysis planned around integrations, features and platform adoption.

Nousviz wants to bring different data sources together

John also explained where Nousviz fits into this problem.

The goal is not to replace every existing affiliate management or analytics platform.

Instead, Nousviz aims to make it easier for businesses to bring information from multiple sources into one place.

That could include data from affiliate platforms such as PartnerMatrix, ReferOn, Trackier and Affnook, alongside external tools used for SEO, campaign monitoring and market intelligence.

For an affiliate manager, the benefit could be seeing campaigns, affiliate activity and changes in player value without constantly moving between separate systems.

John also spoke about making data easier to store and manage within a company's own infrastructure.

This matters because the more fragmented the information becomes, the harder it is to understand what is actually happening across a business.

A campaign might be producing traffic, but when does its player value begin to decline?

When should an operator reconsider a deal?

And which information does the commercial team need before making that decision?

Nousviz is being developed around making those questions easier to answer.

Data could also expose problems the industry would rather ignore

Not every part of the conversation was about commercial performance.

John also discussed a casino complaints dataset he had been examining using information from platforms including CasinoMeister, AskGamblers, Casino Guru and Casino Reviews.

By bringing the information together, he began comparing complaint categories and how different platforms handle them.

One area stood out to him personally.

Self-exclusion complaints.

John believes these cases deserve more attention because they concern how operators handle player protection and responsible gambling.

He argued that the industry should address serious problems proactively rather than waiting for external scrutiny.

“We should kind of care and self-police before the policing gets done on us.”

The wider point connects with the earlier discussion about transparency.

Better data can help businesses identify commercial opportunities.

But it can also bring uncomfortable problems into view.

And having that information creates a responsibility to act on it.

Could AI agents make analytics easier for smaller businesses?

Towards the end of the interview, the discussion moved to AI and what it could mean for affiliate operations.

John described 2026 as the year of AI agents.

He believes agents could make it easier for businesses to access analytics, improve support and automate parts of their daily operations.

One challenge he has seen is that many affiliate businesses want better data but lack the resources to build large internal technology teams.

Hiring database engineers, building business intelligence systems and maintaining complex software can become another business in itself.

John sees an opportunity for services that make this technology easier to access.

Instead of requiring companies to build everything internally, tools could help them get the information and capabilities they need with less technical work.

“Done-for-you services with agents. Agents are going to be the key driver.”

For John, the purpose is not necessarily to replace employees.

It is to help businesses make better use of data without having to become technology companies themselves.

If AI can build software, what happens to SaaS businesses?

Surya ended with a question that directly challenged John's own business.

If AI is making software easier and cheaper to build, how can SaaS companies remain valuable?

John acknowledged that this is a question investors are already asking.

He does not believe software businesses are immune to disruption simply because they already have products in the market.

As building tools becomes easier, companies may need stronger reasons for customers to continue using their services.

John used the example of platforms such as Slack, where the value comes partly from the network of people already using the product.

Replacing that kind of network is much harder than simply recreating software features.

Other categories, particularly tools that can be made cheaper or easier to use, may face greater pressure.

For Nousviz and StatsDrone, John believes the challenge is to keep improving what they offer while making the technology more accessible.

He also expects businesses to rethink how much they charge as software becomes easier to develop.

The question he believes every SaaS company needs to answer is straightforward.

“What is your moat?”

Having a working product may no longer be enough.

The business needs something that makes it genuinely valuable and difficult to replace.

What stood out to us

1. Trust is breaking down on both sides. Affiliate shaving concerns, aggressive commercial deals and unfulfilled placement agreements are creating problems for operators and affiliates.
2. Shared benchmark data could improve transparency. Comparing conversion rates and player value across operators may help affiliates make better decisions about where they send traffic.
3. Poor operator performance can make traffic unprofitable. Weak CRM, VIP programmes or payment experiences can affect player value, regardless of acquisition volume.
4. Affiliate technology remains fragmented. Different APIs, data structures and reporting systems make it difficult to combine information across platforms.
5. Nousviz is focusing on connected data. The platform aims to bring information from different affiliate and analytics tools into one environment.
6. Player complaints deserve closer attention. John believes self-exclusion issues and other serious complaints should be addressed proactively by the industry.
7. AI agents could make advanced tools more accessible. Businesses may be able to improve their analytics and operations without building large internal technology teams.
8. SaaS companies need stronger competitive advantages. As AI reduces the effort required to build software, long-term value may depend on data, network effects and capabilities that are difficult to reproduce.

The most interesting part of the conversation was that John did not treat transparency as a problem only operators need to solve.

Affiliates also have responsibilities.

Both sides make commercial promises, both depend on accurate information, and both can lose money when those promises are not fulfilled.

Better data will not automatically make everyone more trustworthy.

But it could make poor performance, unfair practices and weak business decisions easier to identify.

And perhaps that is what the industry needs more than another argument about who is responsible.

If operators and affiliates could see the same performance data, would it rebuild trust or simply expose how much trust has already been lost?

As part of the fourth stop of The Real Roadshow 2026, Episode 81 of iGaming Real Talk was recorded at AffPapa Conference Madrid, featuring John Wright, Co-founder of Nousviz and associated with StatsDrone.

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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