The affiliate sector is still in its infancy in the legal and regulated US online gambling market but already we are seeing different approaches being taken to engaging audiences and driving traffic to sportsbooks and casinos.
Some are going down the traditional route of reviewing and comparing the various licensed sportsbooks and casinos in each state, while others have become media powerhouses churning out tens if not hundreds of news stories, previews, analysis pieces, and interviews each day.
But there is another approach being used by online casino affiliates in European markets that we have yet to see land in the USA, and that is slot review sites. These affiliates base their model around reviewing online and mobile slots and then sending players to their partner casinos that stock them.
These sites are hugely popular with player communities, allowing them to understand what a slot has to offer before playing with their own money. Players are often encouraged to share their own ratings and leave comments on the game reviews based on their experiences of playing the game.
The Basics Of Slot Review Sites:
Slot review sites live and die on the game reviews they produce and publish to players. Reviews tend to be broken down into two clear sections – top-level game information (reels, payline, RTP, volatility, max win, max bet, etc) and then the reviewer’s experience of the game.
Game reviewers often become household names among the slots playing community, but they do need to have a deep understanding of how slot games work from a technical perspective and what generally is a good game and what is not.
Of course, individual player preferences are permitted and are actually a big part of what makes slot review sites so popular. But opinions must be backed up with experience otherwise they do not add any value to those wanting to learn if a game is for them before playing with their own money.
Grow Your Community And Watch It Thrive:
The area where slot review sites differ from traditional casino affiliate sites the most is that they are primed for building a thriving community of players that return to your site week in week out to keep up to speed with all of the new games being launched.
By allowing them to create an account and then rate and review games themselves, affiliates can build a database of players they know are primed and ready to covert, but more importantly players that trust their site and brand.
If they read a game review and they want to play that game, they simply click the partner casino link embedded in the review and they are taken straight to a site where the game can be played.
Slot review sites are very content-heavy, but the reward is worth the effort. While this model has yet to really make its mark in the US, as the sector matures players will seek out more information about the games they are playing online and via their mobiles.
Those looking to get ahead of the game should consider adding slot review content to their casino affiliate sites now. If they do, they might just hit the jackpot.