What is Revenue Share in iGaming Affiliate Marketing?

How it works

The operator's affiliate platform tags each referred player to the affiliate and calculates the player's NGR each month according to the deal's definition — GGR less bonuses, taxes and agreed fees. The affiliate receives the agreed percentage, commonly between 25% and 45%, often on a tiered scale where the rate rises with the number of first-time depositors delivered in the month.

Two clauses decide what a rate is really worth. The deductions list determines the size of the NGR base. The negative carryover clause determines what happens when referred players win: with carryover, the negative balance is deducted from future months; without it, each month starts at zero. A 30% deal without negative carryover can pay more than a 40% deal with it.

Revenue share sits alongside CPA (a fixed fee per depositing player) and hybrid deals that combine a smaller CPA with a smaller revenue share.

Why it matters for operators and suppliers

For operators, revenue share is cash-flow friendly — cost follows revenue — and it motivates affiliates to send players who stay. Its weakness is permanence: an affiliate who sent a high-value player five years ago is still being paid, and lifetime deals are hard to renegotiate.

For affiliates, revenue share builds an annuity but exposes them to the operator's bonus policy, tax changes and the NGR definition, none of which they control. Affiliate software providers compete on how transparently they report these calculations.

Example

An affiliate on a 35% revenue-share deal with negative carryover refers 40 players in March. In April those players generate €12,000 GGR; after €2,400 bonuses, €2,400 tax and €300 fees, NGR is €6,900 and the affiliate earns €2,415. In May one player wins €15,000 and cohort NGR is −€9,000: the affiliate earns nothing and carries a €9,000 deficit into June, which must be recovered before payments resume.

NGR (Net Gaming Revenue) — the base revenue share is paid on.
Lifetime Value (LTV) — what a revenue-share affiliate ultimately shares in.
GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) — the figure before deductions.
Wagering Requirement — bonus terms that affect the deductions.

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Frequently asked questions

Most deals fall between 25% and 45% of NGR, with tiered structures that reward volume. The definition of NGR and the carryover clause matter as much as the headline rate.

For players who stay and deposit repeatedly, revenue share pays more over time. For affiliates who need predictable cash flow, or in markets where retention is weak, CPA or a hybrid is safer.

If referred players win more than they lose in a month, the affiliate's balance goes negative. With negative carryover, that deficit is deducted from future earnings; without it, the next month starts from zero.