Scaling smart in iGaming: A blueprint for modern affiliates
Across global iGaming, the challenge for affiliates is shifting from simple traffic acquisition to sustainable and measurable growth. Regulation is expanding in several markets, smartphone penetration continues to rise, and competition between operators is increasing. Industry forecasts suggest that the global online gambling market could reach more than US$150 billion by 2030, driven by digital access and growing consumer demand. These conditions create opportunities, but they also expose weaknesses in single-market or single-channel affiliate strategies.
Scaling today requires broader thinking. Entering multiple regions at once, diversifying acquisition funnels, and managing performance through analytics have become essential. Localisation, payment reliability, and regulatory awareness can determine whether a market becomes profitable or unpredictable. At the same time, emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are helping affiliates predict traffic quality, understand player value, and streamline partnership decisions.
Speaking to SiGMA News in an exclusive interview, CEO of Martini’s Affiliates and iGaming expert Marina Martini explains how affiliates can build resilient and scalable models in this environment. With more than a decade of senior experience across Europe and the CIS, she shares why scaling smart requires diversified geographies, strong localisation, data-driven decision making, and a focus on long-term value rather than quick results.
SiGMA News: You’ve led several successful affiliate and betting ventures across Europe and the CIS. From your experience, what defines a scalable affiliate business model in today’s competitive iGaming environment?
Marina Martini, CEO of Martini’s Affiliates: The key to scaling any business is, first of all, having a scalable strategy. The old approach of chaotic launches or relying on a single geography does not work anymore.
To succeed, you need to enter the market at scale, covering as many geographies, traffic sources and acquisition funnels as possible. This not only protects the business from volatility, but also accelerates learning cycles and highlights where the highest return on investment (ROI) opportunities truly are.
However, wide coverage only works if you can control it. This is why analytics sits at the core of the model. Constant tracking, comparison and optimisation are what separate successful operations from those that fall behind. Data allows you to see quickly what works, remove what does not and scale the profitable areas.
SiGMA News: You often describe iGaming as a marathon, not a sprint. What are the biggest mistakes you see new affiliates making when chasing fast results, and how can they focus on sustainable growth instead?
CEO Martini: One of the most common mistakes new start-ups make is relying too heavily on cost per acquisition (CPA). If the cost paid for traffic is higher than the lifetime value of users, or if traffic is purchased before retention mechanisms are properly established, the product is unlikely to survive and may fail very quickly.
Another frequent error is attempting to copy a competitor’s success. Strong performance in one particular market does not mean the same strategy will work elsewhere. The specific details that led to that result are rarely visible, and attempting to replicate it can lead to wasted investment and missed opportunities. It is more effective to scale what works for the product itself, rather than trying to follow another company’s approach.
Regulatory requirements are also regularly underestimated. They change constantly and failing to observe them can result in blocked domains or financial losses.
Long-term success is built on a strong foundation. Retention, customer relationship management (CRM) and traffic acquisition need to work together from the beginning. With these fundamentals in place, a product has a genuine chance of sustainable, long-term growth.
SiGMA News: South Asia and East Asia are emerging as powerful growth regions. What makes these markets stand out, and what should affiliates prepare for before entering them?
CEO Martini: In markets such as South Asia and East Asia, localisation is not simply important; it is everything. A well-known brand and strong campaigns from other regions will not succeed unless they are adapted to what local audiences expect and respond to.
Competition in these regions tends to come from local players, which means a deeper understanding of the audience is required. Careful testing of campaigns, establishing a reliable traffic and acquisition process, and building a solid foundation must take place before any attempt to scale.
Payment systems in these regions can also change rapidly due to regulatory developments. It is important to have backup partners and alternative options in place to ensure operations are not disrupted.
SiGMA News: Market readiness is a major factor in scaling. How do legal frameworks, payment systems, and cultural nuances shape affiliate performance across different geographies?
CEO Martini: Market readiness is one of the most important factors in scaling. Success in any geography starts with thorough analysis and proper preparation before launch. Entering a new region often feels like establishing a new start-up from scratch. It requires a deep understanding of the geography, from regulations to local business to consumer (B2C) preferences, finding the right partners, testing campaigns and scaling gradually.
Regulation is sometimes viewed as a limitation, yet it brings predictability, which is essential for planning and sustainable growth. Clear rules allow businesses to estimate revenue, forecast development and scale in a controlled manner. This predictability supports planning, performance monitoring and delivery to partners in line with expectations, including return on investment (ROI).
Unregulated markets may appear more profitable at first, but they are often unstable. Whole markets can close without warning, as witnessed in India recently, resulting in unpredictable outcomes and disruptions to performance.
SiGMA News: AI is reshaping affiliate marketing from top to bottom. How do you see technologies like AI, RegTech, and automation changing partner relationships, compliance, and player engagement?
CEO Martini: AI is transforming affiliate marketing across operations, compliance, and performance. It addresses many of the challenges affiliates face, particularly in operational optimisation and forecasting.
AI supports partner collaboration, evaluates traffic, predicts traffic quality, estimates ROI, forecasts player value and anticipates behaviour. These capabilities help operators and affiliates understand performance more accurately and make decisions based on real data rather than assumptions.
The technology has also automated many tasks that previously required significant manual work. This shift enables teams to operate more efficiently, scale faster and maintain greater predictability across markets. Current trends suggest that AI will continue to expand and become embedded in almost every aspect of business operations, supporting sustainable growth and stronger relationships between affiliates, operators and players.
This is Part 1 of a two-part interview series with CEO Marina Martini, where we focus on how affiliates can scale through diversified markets, localisation, regulation and data. In Part 2, we will look at the people side of the industry, including leadership, strategic partnerships, trust, player experience and long-term brand value.
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