I’ve been in the iGaming affiliate industry for 10 years — first working in a big organisation, then going solo and running several of my own affiliate sites, earning through referring organic traffic to legal US and UK casino and betting operators. For most of that time, the challenge was clear: rank your content for high-value keywords like best casinos UK, top betting sites, or brand- and promo-specific terms like 10bet promo code.
To win, you’d invest in expert-written content, ideally from someone with a McRuck profile or a credible journalist with a real LinkedIn page. Then you’d run PR campaigns, buy or earn quality links, and climb the rankings. That was the game.
Now? The game has changed.
The AI Overview and Zero-Click Problem
Google’s AI Overviews have introduced a serious challenge for organic-focused affiliates like britishgambler.co.uk that already lost some traffic. Instead of simply showing search results, Google serves users ready-made answers — often quoting directly from our content. Yes, they include source links, but who’s clicking when the answer is already right there?
Take someone searching for the best casino apps in the UK. If Google’s AI Overview gives them a ready-made list, there’s little reason to visit my site. Without direct clicks, partners are far less willing to pay for top spots on our landing pages — even if those pages have been the bread and butter of conversions for years.
It’s even worse for intent-heavy searches like casino name + bonus code. The AI Overview shows the offer directly. Players just copy the code from Google’s box without ever visiting our site. We lose the affiliate click and the commission — essentially giving away value for free.
Operators Still Expect the Old Model
Many operators still demand that a customer use our affiliate link to trigger a CPA or commission. If someone takes the bonus code we’ve provided but doesn’t click the link — no payment. I’ve explained to partners that we need unique tracking casino codes that customers can use directly on the operator’s site, ensuring they’re tracked even without clicking through.
Unfortunately, not many partners are adapting. From their perspective, it’s better business to take the customer without paying the affiliate. But this short-term thinking is bad for the ecosystem — if affiliates can’t monetise, they’ll stop promoting those brands entirely.
What Needs to Change
I believe we’ll soon see a shift where operators pay affiliates for brand mentions in high-authority lists like Top Casinos in the UK — even without clicks. If your brand isn’t in the affiliate’s content, it won’t appear in AI Overviews either.
The bigger immediate fix? Tracking codes that work without a click. Affiliates can keep driving new depositing customers, and operators can keep getting measurable results. Without this, zero-click search will erode the affiliate channel’s value.
Time to Adapt
AI search isn’t going away. Affiliates and operators need to adapt to the new zero-click reality. For affiliates, that means finding ways to deliver first-time depositors without relying solely on traditional click tracking. For operators, it means recognising that the value of a trusted affiliate is more than just the link — it’s the brand placement, the trust, and the intent-driven audience we bring.
The affiliates who adapt fastest — and the operators willing to meet them halfway — will be the ones still standing in the AI-driven search era.
Cover photo: Bongkod Worakandecha
