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There are hundreds of gaming affiliate programs.  As an affiliate, selecting the right programs to work with can be a daunting task, particularly if you are just starting out.  The purpose of this guide is to help share the expertise of GPWA affiliates in finding and evaluating affiliate programs with the goal of providing a framework you can use to make better, more informed decisions in the selection process.

Any reputable affiliate has a variety of goals to satisfy in choosing the affiliate programs with which they work.  Before working with an affiliate program you should ask yourself whether or not the affiliate program:

* Represents gaming sites that offer gaming activities you want to promote
* Represents gaming sites that deliver good value to the player
* Offers affiliate compensation and terms and conditions you find satisfactory
* Will work with you and support you in the fashion you expect from a business partner

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==Evaluating Affiliate Program Compensation==
There are a variety of factors that are important in terms of evaluating compensation plans from affiliate programs.
* Do they offer payment methods you can accept.
* Do they carry forward losses if you work on a revenue share arrangement.
* Do they offer revenue share for the life-time of the players who came through you.
* Do they bundle profits and losses from multiple gaming sites together in calculating your earnings.
* Do they have minimum payout amounts and what are those amounts.
* How large are payouts at the revenue level you expect to generate (either as a percentage of  or revenue per acquisition).
* For CPA arrangements is there a minimum player deposit or other requirements to qualify for the agreed player acquisition fee.

Most affiliate programs offer revenue share arrangements and some offer CPA arrangements.

It is important to realize that the amount of money you will earn is based on the product of the number of players that sign up through you and the value of those players.  So a program with lower earnings paid per player can actually represent a better deal if it does a better job of converting potential players to real players.

Generally revenue share arrangements will pay more over the longer term.  That is because it is a sound business decision for an operator to share more of the revenue earned with an affiliate when the risk around the revenue to be earned is also shared with the affiliate.

Sometimes, however, fixed acquisition fees can be better for an affiliate.  If you are trying to maximize revenue in the first month or two after a player is acquired rather than over the longer term this will be true.  There is also not the long term risk for an affiliate if an operator's finances suffer, or if regulatory pressures result in a decision to abandon players you referred.

==Evaluating Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions==
The [http://www.affiliateguarddog.com Affiliate Guard Dog] website is an excellent source of information about affiliate program terms and conditions.  The pages on the GPWA website for sponsor programs include links to information provided by affiliate guard dog about terms and condition changes for affiliate programs.

==Evaluating an Affiliate Program as a Business Partner==
A variety of factors should be considered when evaluating an affiliate program as a potential business partner.

If you are considering a program that is a GPWA sponsor you should understand what it means for a program to be a GPWA sponsor and the information that is available to you for GPWA sponsor programs that you should consider.  Details are available on the [[GPWA sponsorship]] page.

Other factors to consider include:

* Creatives available.
* Affiliate program software.
* Reliability and usability of the reporting system.
* Availability of support for the affiliates.

==Monitoring Affiliate Program Performance==

Some affiliate programs do a better job at converting players than others or generating more income per player.  This could be for different reasons including deposit options, incentives such as bonuses, VIP player development, games available, etc.  When choosing an affiliate program it would be smart to first check with other affiliates on forums, such as GPWA, to see how the affiliate program performs.  Once you have chosen affiliate programs to promote you should always be monitoring them to ensure they are performing well.  Compare your numbers for each affiliate program, looking at impressions, click throughs, sign ups, and real money players (RMPs).

The reporting tools provided for monitoring performance vary from program to program in areas such as depth of information available, reliability, and frequency at which data is updated.  At the basic level such systems provide detail about commission earned, while at the detailed level reporting may provide insights into player behavior and performance of specific promotional campaigns.

==Avoiding Unethical Affiliate Programs==

A good way to avoid getting involved with an unethical affiliate program, and end up getting ripped off, is to spend a few minutes on the search engines and the public Gambling Forums searching the for the casino/affiliate program name along with the 'qualifiers'  [Rogue], [Blacklisted], [Bad] before you sign up.