The marketing landscape for regulated iGaming operators continues to evolve at pace. Over the past week, developments across affiliate management, compliance leadership, organic growth and retention strategies have reinforced a single truth: performance marketing is now inseparable from responsibility. For senior leaders, this is a moment to balance acquisition with governance, and to understand that the next wave of sustainable growth will be driven as much by credibility as by creativity.

Affiliate marketing faces new regulatory constraints

Across Europe, regulators continue to place affiliate models under closer scrutiny. The latest SOFTSWISS 2025 trends report highlighted the risk of wider restrictions or outright bans on certain forms of influencer-led gambling promotion, while EvenBet Gaming’s latest analysis framed “compliance pressure” as the defining theme for the year ahead. These developments point to a tightening framework where affiliate channels can no longer be treated as secondary acquisition routes. Operators will need to elevate affiliate governance to the same standard as paid media, ensuring that partner due diligence, transparent reporting and responsible messaging are built into every campaign. The cost of doing business may rise, but so too will the reputational dividend for those who treat compliance as an integral part of marketing performance.

Find out more about the SOFTSWISS report here and EvenBet Gaming's analysis here.

Compliance leadership moves to the boardroom

evoke's appointment of Mark Summerfield as Chair of its Gaming Compliance Committee signals a shift in how marketing and compliance intersect. It marks a clear recognition that brand reputation and regulatory alignment are no longer operational side concerns but board-level imperatives. The appointment demonstrates how leading operators are embedding governance within their growth engines rather than adjacent to them. This approach offers both a cultural and commercial advantage: it reassures regulators and investors while reinforcing a message of accountability to players. For the wider market, it is a reminder that leadership credibility (visible, structured and proactive), will soon become as valuable a marketing asset as conversion rates or cost-per-acquisition.

Find out more here.

Operators pivot towards organic visibility and owned discovery

With paid media facing greater compliance oversight and rising costs, operators are intensifying investment in SEO, owned content and on-site engagement tools. While there have been no new platform rollouts this week, the trend is unmistakable: the most resilient growth is being built on owned channels that can weather algorithm shifts, advertising restrictions and compliance rule changes. Content ecosystems built around education, responsible play and community engagement provide both marketing longevity and brand defensibility. As acquisition channels fragment, these efforts create consistent discovery pathways and allow operators to maintain visibility without dependency on volatile paid platforms.

Retention and CRM become the new growth engine

As acquisition costs increase, retention has become the most reliable measure of marketing maturity. Recent commentary from EvenBet underscored that marketing is moving to the centre of the operational strategy, particularly in its overlap with player engagement and CRM. Advanced segmentation, behaviour-based messaging and lifecycle automation are no longer optional; they are the core levers of profitability in regulated markets. The strongest operators are now linking CRM with compliance, ensuring that every retention campaign aligns with responsible play commitments and transparent promotional terms. In a market where trust and longevity define lifetime value, retention is not just the end of the funnel, it is the foundation of growth.

Find out more here.

The Questions Ahead

• How will operators maintain acquisition scale as affiliate models face tighter restrictions across Europe?
• Can compliance leadership become a competitive advantage in markets where trust is the decisive brand currency?
• What investment mix between paid, organic and owned channels will deliver resilience in a more restricted environment?
• How can CRM systems and marketing automation strengthen both engagement and responsible play commitments simultaneously?

Editor’s Note

The iGaming marketing model is maturing. Growth, once measured solely in clicks and conversions, now depends on credibility, structure and restraint. The operators that will lead the next chapter are those that treat compliance as culture, not cost; who build creative strategies that can withstand regulatory turbulence; and who understand that lasting engagement is built on trust, not volume. The message from this week is simple: in regulated gaming, the most powerful marketing strategy is integrity executed at scale.