Episode 80·30 min·7 Sept 2026

Are CPA and RevShare Models Starting to Change? | Paul Puolakka

with Paul Puolakka, Co Founder, Crypto-Casinos

Surya Palli

Founder of iGaming Real Talk.·7 Sept 2026

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Affiliates can spend time and money bringing in players, but what happens after that traffic reaches the operator?

Surya speaks with iGaming Marketing Executive Paul Puolakka about the changing affiliate and operator relationship, especially as traffic becomes more expensive and player retention becomes harder.

Paul explains that affiliates currently have limited control once they deliver the click. If the operator fails to retain the player, the value of that traffic is also lost for the affiliate. He believes this could lead to closer cooperation around CRM, retargeting, reactivation and the wider player lifecycle.

The conversation also looks at the future of CPA, RevShare and hybrid deals, along with how affiliation may move beyond traditional SEO. Paul expects affiliates to work more like media businesses across different channels, while AI becomes part of areas such as testing, tracking and retargeting.

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

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

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

“It's harder to get traffic also. The one you get, you should really nourish this one.”

Key takeaways

Affiliates lose when operators fail to retain players
Once an affiliate delivers traffic, they have limited control over what happens next.
“If the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic.”
Paul believes affiliates and operators may need to work more closely around CRM and reactivation.
FTDs should not be the main measure of success
Paul says traffic is becoming harder and more expensive to acquire.
“Instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value long term.”
The value of a player after acquisition matters more than simply counting the first deposit.
Affiliate models are becoming broader
Paul expects affiliation to move beyond a heavy dependence on SEO.
Changes in Google, ChatGPT and the way people find information mean affiliates will need to use more channels and increasingly operate like media outlets.
AI will become part of everyday affiliate workflows
Paul says his organisation is already adding more AI into its workflow.
He points to retargeting, A/B testing and tracking as areas where AI could become more useful, while still leaving plenty for affiliates to learn..

About the guest

Paul Puolakka

Co Founder, Crypto-Casinos

Paul Puolakka is a Co-Founder & CMO at Crypto-Casinos.com, with 10+ years of experience across iGaming, affiliate marketing, SEO, branding, and sales. He has previously held senior roles including CMO at Mr. Gamble and Head of Affiliates, with a strong focus on iGaming growth and partnerships.

LinkedIn profile

Extended summary

Published by the podcast, not written by our newsroom.

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(0:00 - 0:29) Surya: Almost 60% of the traffic goes down after one month. Paul: Nowadays, after the affiliate delivers the click, there's not much we can do about it anymore. If the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic. Instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value in the long term. Affiliates are going to be more like media outlets. The one you get, you should really nourish this one.

Surya: CPA and RevShare models are kind of evolving, or rather dying, changing fast. What do you think about it? Paul: We work mainly... (0:34 - 1:10) Surya: iGaming Real Talk is launching the next series. This is the fourth event out of the 11 events we are doing this year, and I'm very excited to bring you the insights from the expo floor. This time on affiliate and operator relationships, as well as what's missing in the industry. What's the trend?

What are we looking at when it comes to 2026, 2027 and beyond in terms of trends, AI and everything else? This series is brought to you by EvoWorks. They offer custom crypto casino solutions, as well as source code. This series is also brought to you by Wicked Games. They create slot games that slap. (1:18 - 2:23) Surya: Hello, and welcome back to another episode of iGaming Real Talk. I have with me here Paul, who I have known for a very long time on LinkedIn.

I'm really excited to have him here. Since we are at AffPapa, we are discussing more about affiliation, affiliate and operator relationships and so on. What I hear is that a lot of people are saying that the CPA and RevShare models are kind of evolving, or rather dying, changing fast. From an affiliate perspective, from the inside, what do you think about it?

Paul: We work mainly on hybrid deals, but obviously, yeah, there's probably going to be some changes in general in how we do affiliation in the future. I'm a little bit uncertain about which way it's going to go. Affiliates are going to be more like media outlets. Surya: Okay. Paul: And of course, instead of focusing on SEO, there's going to be different channels.

It's going to be wider in the future because obviously how people get their information has changed quite a lot with ChatGPT and Google updates. So affiliates need to adapt also to that. Surya: Well, of course operators too. Paul: Yeah. (2:25 - 3:25) Surya: From the data, we see that almost 60% of the traffic goes down after one month. Whatever new acquisition happens, it goes down after one month. Almost 60 to 70%.

So operators are paying CPA deals or hybrid deals, and then after one month they're losing 60% of it, probably because they're not doing the right retention campaign or taking care of the flow. Is there a way affiliates can control that? Because they don't have access to what the operator does after they send the traffic. Sometimes they don't even have access to the data. Paul: Having data and transparency has always been a problem.

But I would see that in the future, affiliates and reputable operators are going to be more closely tied to drive the CRM also and see how it can help with the lifecycle and CLV and those kinds of things. Because nowadays, after the affiliate delivers the click, there's not much we can do about it anymore. Probably there's going to be more cooperation around retargeting and those kinds of things, like how we reactivate players.

(3:25 - 4:18) Surya: Are there some smart operators already working towards maximizing LTV as the main focus when working with affiliates, or is it still not the case? Paul: To be honest, LTV has always been the number one thing. Surya: Yeah. Paul: Some affiliates still have a focus on FTD. But for us, if the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic. So I think and hope it's going to change in the future for the better.

We work with and see a lot of operators. We see what works in what countries and what doesn't. And we see a huge difference with trusted, long-term partners. I think instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value long term because it's getting more expensive. It's harder to drive traffic. Surya: Yeah. Paul: Harder to get traffic also. The one you get, you should really nourish this one. (4:19 - 5:13) Surya: Cool.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. AI. It's everywhere. Everyone is talking about it. There's a lot of talk going on, but do you think there are any tangible use cases for affiliates? Are you using it in your organisation? How do you use it for the core business itself? Paul: Yeah, definitely. I think there are still lots of things that we need to learn about how to use it. We are in the process of adding it more into our workflow.

We already started last year to implement it. But in the future, I would see, for example, retargeting or testing A/B landers on the fly becoming more important. For tracking, I think it's going to help also. Surya: How do you use AI in your current organisation? Do you have any workflows running completely by AI, or are you not there yet? Paul: We are currently focusing on adding it more. I can't reveal what we have.

It's definitely the number one thing that we are focused on. (5:19 - 5:55) Surya: For anyone who's starting affiliation today, in the new age, so to call it, do you have any advice or suggestions for how to do it best? Paul: Be curious. Really dig into what's working and what's not. There's a lot of free content on YouTube about AI, SEO and branding. Obviously, attend these kinds of events like AffPapa. There you get to actually know people and get the vibe of the industry.

Find your own way to do affiliation because there are always niches you can work with. Of course, it depends on how big the company is, but I think there's room for all sizes of affiliates. (5:55 - 6:27) Surya: In terms of markets and your focus, what are the plans for the rest of 2026 and beyond? Paul: We've been focusing on Europe and North America. There are lots of things that we are currently testing, and unfortunately I can't reveal them all.

But there are lots of things popping up. Obviously, if we see that there's some traction in some market, we start testing and digging into that. How good is it with more traffic? How much should we invest in that? What's the player value? So there's a lot of research going on all the time. It's always been like that. (6:28 - 6:43) Surya: Thank you so much, Paul, for joining me as well as sharing your insights, experience and plans. I'll see you on the next show.

Paul: All right, great. Thank you. Surya: Thank you so much for watching. Do share your thoughts in the comments below. Like, subscribe and engage wherever you're watching. I'll see you on the next one.

(0:00 - 0:29) Surya: Almost 60% of the traffic goes down after one month. Paul: Nowadays, after the affiliate delivers the click, there's not much we can do about it anymore. If the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic. Instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value in the long term. Affiliates are going to be more like media outlets. The one you get, you should really nourish this one.
Surya: CPA and RevShare models are kind of evolving, or rather dying, changing fast. What do you think about it? Paul: We work mainly... (0:34 - 1:10) Surya: iGaming Real Talk is launching the next series. This is the fourth event out of the 11 events we are doing this year, and I'm very excited to bring you the insights from the expo floor. This time on affiliate and operator relationships, as well as what's missing in the industry. What's the trend?
What are we looking at when it comes to 2026, 2027 and beyond in terms of trends, AI and everything else? This series is brought to you by EvoWorks. They offer custom crypto casino solutions, as well as source code. This series is also brought to you by Wicked Games. They create slot games that slap. (1:18 - 2:23) Surya: Hello, and welcome back to another episode of iGaming Real Talk. I have with me here Paul, who I have known for a very long time on LinkedIn.
I'm really excited to have him here. Since we are at AffPapa, we are discussing more about affiliation, affiliate and operator relationships and so on. What I hear is that a lot of people are saying that the CPA and RevShare models are kind of evolving, or rather dying, changing fast. From an affiliate perspective, from the inside, what do you think about it?
Paul: We work mainly on hybrid deals, but obviously, yeah, there's probably going to be some changes in general in how we do affiliation in the future. I'm a little bit uncertain about which way it's going to go. Affiliates are going to be more like media outlets. Surya: Okay. Paul: And of course, instead of focusing on SEO, there's going to be different channels.
It's going to be wider in the future because obviously how people get their information has changed quite a lot with ChatGPT and Google updates. So affiliates need to adapt also to that. Surya: Well, of course operators too. Paul: Yeah. (2:25 - 3:25) Surya: From the data, we see that almost 60% of the traffic goes down after one month. Whatever new acquisition happens, it goes down after one month. Almost 60 to 70%.
So operators are paying CPA deals or hybrid deals, and then after one month they're losing 60% of it, probably because they're not doing the right retention campaign or taking care of the flow. Is there a way affiliates can control that? Because they don't have access to what the operator does after they send the traffic. Sometimes they don't even have access to the data. Paul: Having data and transparency has always been a problem.
But I would see that in the future, affiliates and reputable operators are going to be more closely tied to drive the CRM also and see how it can help with the lifecycle and CLV and those kinds of things. Because nowadays, after the affiliate delivers the click, there's not much we can do about it anymore. Probably there's going to be more cooperation around retargeting and those kinds of things, like how we reactivate players.
(3:25 - 4:18) Surya: Are there some smart operators already working towards maximizing LTV as the main focus when working with affiliates, or is it still not the case? Paul: To be honest, LTV has always been the number one thing. Surya: Yeah. Paul: Some affiliates still have a focus on FTD. But for us, if the operator doesn't take care of the players, we also waste traffic. So I think and hope it's going to change in the future for the better.
We work with and see a lot of operators. We see what works in what countries and what doesn't. And we see a huge difference with trusted, long-term partners. I think instead of operators focusing on FTDs, they should focus definitely more on player value long term because it's getting more expensive. It's harder to drive traffic. Surya: Yeah. Paul: Harder to get traffic also. The one you get, you should really nourish this one. (4:19 - 5:13) Surya: Cool.
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. AI. It's everywhere. Everyone is talking about it. There's a lot of talk going on, but do you think there are any tangible use cases for affiliates? Are you using it in your organisation? How do you use it for the core business itself? Paul: Yeah, definitely. I think there are still lots of things that we need to learn about how to use it. We are in the process of adding it more into our workflow.
We already started last year to implement it. But in the future, I would see, for example, retargeting or testing A/B landers on the fly becoming more important. For tracking, I think it's going to help also. Surya: How do you use AI in your current organisation? Do you have any workflows running completely by AI, or are you not there yet? Paul: We are currently focusing on adding it more. I can't reveal what we have.
It's definitely the number one thing that we are focused on. (5:19 - 5:55) Surya: For anyone who's starting affiliation today, in the new age, so to call it, do you have any advice or suggestions for how to do it best? Paul: Be curious. Really dig into what's working and what's not. There's a lot of free content on YouTube about AI, SEO and branding. Obviously, attend these kinds of events like AffPapa. There you get to actually know people and get the vibe of the industry.
Find your own way to do affiliation because there are always niches you can work with. Of course, it depends on how big the company is, but I think there's room for all sizes of affiliates. (5:55 - 6:27) Surya: In terms of markets and your focus, what are the plans for the rest of 2026 and beyond? Paul: We've been focusing on Europe and North America. There are lots of things that we are currently testing, and unfortunately I can't reveal them all.
But there are lots of things popping up. Obviously, if we see that there's some traction in some market, we start testing and digging into that. How good is it with more traffic? How much should we invest in that? What's the player value? So there's a lot of research going on all the time. It's always been like that. (6:28 - 6:43) Surya: Thank you so much, Paul, for joining me as well as sharing your insights, experience and plans. I'll see you on the next show.
Paul: All right, great. Thank you. Surya: Thank you so much for watching. Do share your thoughts in the comments below. Like, subscribe and engage wherever you're watching. I'll see you on the next one.