Earlier this year, our Marketing Director, Erica Anderson, moderated a webinar on the US iGaming market and the value of using affiliate marketing to acquire new users. The webinar focused on the key differences in the market, opportunities for affiliates and operators and what potential pitfalls may arise.

To further examine this topic, industry experts joined us to discuss what the growth of the market would mean for the industry as a whole and how affiliates might fit in. The following piece reflects some of the insights that were shared during this discussion.

US iGaming Market Overview

The US iGaming market is a growing one, where each state has their own regulations. That means each state needs to be treated as unique, as some are simple for operators or affiliates to enter, while others require more steps. With that in mind, it’s recommended to look at each state as almost an individual country, as they each have specific audiences, regulations and interests to consider. For example, most markets don’t require affiliates to get licenses, but the US market does.

Tactics that are common in more mature markets might not be as effective in the US.

While it may be tempting to use successful strategies from the UK or other English markets, approaching the US as unique would be recommended.

Market Opportunities

As with any new market, there’s an opportunity here for both operators and affiliates to educate users on their product and offerings.

Operators can open themselves up to more affiliates by offering transparent and robust data.

In more established markets, most users may already have preferences or a level of expertise, but that won’t be as common in a newer market like the USA. From there, brands can position themselves well by offering players engaging platforms and a clear funnel.

Affiliates also often point out the lack of data they receive and the reasons why are quite clear. Simply put, having relevant data will allow affiliates to optimize their campaigns on a more frequent basis and ideally bring in additional users to their brands.

Market Difficulties

The US iGaming market is rapidly expanding but is not without some growing pains. The market has had lower conversion rates than other markets, which in turn has made it more difficult for affiliate to use PPC campaigns efficiently to acquire users. Many operators are newer and aren’t providing the relevant data that will allow affiliates to efficiently optimize their campaigns.

With the state-by-state approach, it can be tricky to navigate at times with all the different regulations. Also, US affiliates are subject to greater regulations than more traditional markets, requiring more licenses than are commonly seen.

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The US iGaming market will only continue to boom over the next few years, especially as additional states come into play. This leaves a lot of opportunity for both operators and affiliates as the market matures and becomes clearer. By using the ideas in this post, we hope you’re greater prepared to take on this exciting market.

Listen to the full webinar here.