Crypto Casino Affiliate Marketing Glossary: 50+ Terms Explained

New to casino affiliate marketing and drowning in acronyms? You're not alone.

This industry loves jargon. CPA, FTD, RevShare, GGR, NGR, negative carryover, sub-IDs, cookie duration—it's enough to make anyone's head spin. You read a program's terms and conditions and feel like you need a dictionary just to understand what you're signing up for.

That's exactly what this glossary is: your decoder ring for casino affiliate marketing.

Whether you're reading your first affiliate agreement, trying to understand payment structures, or just want to know what veteran affiliates are talking about in forums, this guide has you covered. We've organized 50+ essential terms into logical categories so you can quickly find what you need.

Commission Models

These terms describe how you get paid. Understanding the difference between these models is crucial because it determines your entire earning strategy.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

One-time payment when a referred player makes their first deposit (FTD). Typical payouts range from $50-$300 depending on the program and player quality.

Example: You refer a player who deposits $100. The casino pays you $150 CPA. That's it—no ongoing earnings from that player.

Best for: Affiliates who need cash flow now, have high-volume traffic, or target bonus hunters (players who churn quickly).

RevShare (Revenue Share)

You earn a percentage of the casino's profit from your referred players for as long as they play. This is usually calculated as a percentage of NGR (Net Gaming Revenue).

Example: You refer a player on a 40% RevShare deal. That player loses $100 this month. You earn $40. Next month they lose $200, you earn $80. This continues forever (or until they stop playing).

Best for: Long-term builders who want passive income that compounds over time.

Hybrid Model

Combination of both: upfront CPA payment plus ongoing RevShare. Usually the percentages are lower than pure models.

Example: $150 CPA + 20% lifetime RevShare (versus $250 pure CPA or 40% pure RevShare).

Best for: Affiliates who want some immediate cash but also long-term earning potential.

Sub-Affiliate Commission

Earn commission from referring other affiliates to the program. You get a percentage of what they earn.

Example: You refer another affiliate who earns $1,000/month. With a 5% sub-affiliate rate, you earn an extra $50/month from their activity.

Best for: Affiliates with large networks or audiences of other marketers.

Player Metrics

These terms help you understand player quality and value. Programs use these metrics to evaluate performance and sometimes to tier commission rates.

FTD (First Time Depositor)

A player who makes their first deposit. This is the key conversion event—the moment a signup becomes a paying customer.

Why it matters: CPA payments trigger on FTD. Programs track your FTD count to measure your quality as an affiliate.

Active Player

A player who wagered within a recent period, typically 30 days. This metric shows retention quality.

Why it matters: 100 total signups means nothing if only 10 are active. Active player count determines your actual earning potential.

Whale

High-value player who deposits and wagers significantly more than average—typically $10,000+ total. One whale can be worth 50-100 regular players. See our deep dive on whale economics.

Why it matters: Protecting and retaining whales is crucial. Some programs even let you negotiate custom deals for verified whale traffic.

Lifetime Value (LTV)

Total profit a casino expects to generate from a player over their entire playing lifetime.

Formula: Average monthly loss × player lifespan in months

Example: Player loses $200/month average, plays for 18 months = $3,600 LTV

Why it matters: Understanding LTV helps you calculate whether CPA or RevShare makes more sense for your traffic.

Churn Rate

Percentage of players who stop playing within a given period.

Example: You refer 100 players in January. By March, 70 are still active. Your churn rate is 30%.

Why it matters: Lower churn = higher LTV = more earnings. Programs with better games and lower house edge have lower churn.

Revenue Calculations

These terms define how casino profit (and thus your commission) is calculated. Understanding these is essential for evaluating payment terms.

GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue)

Total amount wagered minus total amount paid out in wins. This is the casino's gross profit before any deductions.

Example: Players wager $100,000 total. Casino pays out $97,000 in wins. GGR = $3,000.

Why it matters: Some less transparent programs calculate commission on GGR, which sounds good until you realize bonuses and chargebacks aren't deducted yet.

NGR (Net Gaming Revenue)

GGR minus bonuses, chargebacks, fees, and other costs. This is the casino's actual profit.

Formula: NGR = GGR - bonuses - chargebacks - payment fees

Example: GGR is $3,000. Casino gave out $500 in bonuses, had $200 in chargebacks. NGR = $2,300.

Why it matters: Most reputable programs calculate your commission on NGR. This is fair because you shouldn't earn commission on money the casino never actually received.

House Edge

The casino's mathematical advantage over players, expressed as a percentage.

Example: A 1% house edge means the casino expects to keep $1 for every $100 wagered (on average, over time).

Why it matters for affiliates: Lower house edge = players last longer = more betting volume = higher LTV. A 1% edge casino will generate more long-term commission than a 3% edge casino, even if commission rates are similar.

RTP (Return to Player)

Percentage of wagered money returned to players over time. This is the inverse of house edge.

Formula: RTP = 100% - House Edge

Example: 1% house edge = 99% RTP. 3% house edge = 97% RTP.

Why it matters: Higher RTP casinos have better player retention. Always check RTP when evaluating programs.

Payment Terms

These terms govern when and how you get paid. Read these carefully in every affiliate agreement—this is where programs hide unfavorable terms.

Negative Carryover

If players win (casino loses money), you don't earn commission that month. Worse, that debt carries forward to future months.

Example:

• Month 1: Players lose $1,000. You earn $400 (40% RevShare).
• Month 2: Players win $2,000. You owe $800. Your debt is now -$800.
• Month 3: Players lose $1,500. You earn $600. But first the $800 debt is subtracted, so you only get $0 and still owe -$200.
• Month 4: Players lose $1,000. You earn $400. Debt subtracted = $200 payout.

Why it's terrible: One bad month can erase 3-4 good months. Avoid negative carryover programs.

No Negative Carryover

Each month resets to zero. If players win, you earn $0 that month, but you never go into debt.

Example:

• Month 1: Players lose $1,000. You earn $400.
• Month 2: Players win $2,000. You earn $0. (No debt)
• Month 3: Players lose $1,500. You earn $600. (Fresh start)

Why it's better: You're never penalized for variance. This is essential for small/medium affiliates.

Minimum Payout

The lowest amount you can withdraw. Common thresholds: $50, $100, $500.

Example: If minimum is $100 and you earned $87, you have to wait until next period to hit the threshold.

Why it matters: High minimums ($500+) are red flags. They're designed to delay payments or prevent small affiliates from withdrawing.

Payment Frequency

How often the casino pays out: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or on-demand.

Why it matters: Weekly payments = better cash flow. Monthly = you're essentially giving the casino an interest-free loan. On-demand is rare but ideal.

Payment Processing Time

Days between payment request and actual receipt.

Example: "Net 30" means 30 days after month-end. So earnings from January are paid February 28-March 2.

Why it matters: Some programs have 60-90 day terms. That's a cash flow problem disguised as policy.

Tracking & Attribution

These terms relate to how traffic is tracked and conversions are credited to you.

Tracking Link

Your unique affiliate URL that identifies traffic as coming from you.

Example: casino.com/?ref=youraffid or casino.com/r/youraffid

Why it matters: This is how you get credit for conversions. Always use your tracking link, never send direct traffic.

Cookie Duration

How long a visitor remains "tagged" as your referral after clicking your link.

Example: 30-day cookie means if someone clicks your link today and signs up 20 days later, you still get credit.

Why it matters: Longer cookies = more conversions. 7-day cookies are weak. 30-60 days is standard. 90+ days or lifetime cookies are best.

Sub-ID

Custom parameter you add to tracking links to identify specific campaigns or traffic sources.

Example: casino.com/?ref=youraffid&subid=twitter_thread_001

Why it matters: Lets you track which campaigns convert best so you can optimize.

Conversion Rate

Percentage of clicks that result in FTDs (first time depositors).

Formula: (FTDs / Clicks) × 100

Example: 1,000 clicks, 20 FTDs = 2% conversion rate.

Why it matters: Industry average is 1-3%. If you're below 1%, either your traffic is low-quality or your landing page needs work.

Attribution Model

How the program determines which affiliate gets credit when multiple affiliates are involved.

Common models:

• First-click: First affiliate to refer gets credit (most common)
• Last-click: Most recent affiliate gets credit (less common)
• Revenue share split: Multiple affiliates split commission (rare)

Why it matters: Under first-click, if a player clicks your link then another affiliate's link, the other affiliate gets nothing. You get the full commission.

Program-Specific Terms

[Tier System](/blog/tiered-commission-structures)

Progressive commission rates based on performance. Generate more revenue, earn higher percentages.

Example:

• Tier 1: $0-5k monthly revenue = 30% RevShare
• Tier 2: $5k-20k = 35% RevShare
• Tier 3: $20k-50k = 40% RevShare
• Tier 4: $50k+ = 45% RevShare

Why it matters: Can be good for scaling, but check if tiers are retroactive (entire revenue at new rate) or incremental (only new revenue above threshold).

Performance Bonus

One-time payment for hitting specific milestones.

Example: $500 bonus for 50 FTDs in a month, $2,000 bonus for 200 FTDs.

Why it matters: Free money for volume. But don't chase bonuses at the expense of player quality.

Baseline Requirement

Minimum performance needed to keep your account active.

Example: Minimum 5 FTDs per month or account gets deactivated.

Why it's problematic: Penalizes new affiliates still building traffic. Avoid programs with strict minimums.

Player Reassignment

Casino reserves right to reassign your players to another affiliate or to the house.

Why it's terrible: You do the work, they can take your players away. Never accept this term.

Affiliate Manager

Your point of contact at the casino. Handles questions, negotiations, payments, issues.

Why it matters: A good affiliate manager can get you custom deals, resolve payment issues quickly, and provide insider tips. A bad one (or none at all) is a red flag.

Quick Reference Tables

Commission Model Comparison

Model	Upfront Payment	Ongoing Income	Best For	Risk Level
Pure CPA	High ($150-300)	None	Quick cash, high volume	Low
Pure RevShare	None	Lifetime	Long-term builders	Medium (variance)
Hybrid	Medium ($75-150)	Reduced %	Balanced approach	Low-Medium

Player Value Tiers

Player Type	Monthly Deposit	Monthly Loss	LTV (18 months)	Value Rating
Casual	$50-200	$10-40	$180-720	Low
Regular	$200-1,000	$40-150	$720-2,700	Medium
High Roller	$1,000-5,000	$150-500	$2,700-9,000	High
Whale	$5,000+	$500+	$9,000+	Very High

Payment Term Red Flags

Term	Red Flag Level	Why It's Bad
Negative Carryover	🚩🚩🚩 Critical	Can erase months of earnings
60-90 day payment	🚩🚩 High	Cash flow killer
$500+ minimum	🚩🚩 High	Designed to prevent payouts
Vague fraud clause	🚩🚩🚩 Critical	They can withhold for "suspicious activity"
Player reassignment	🚩🚩🚩 Critical	They can steal your players

How to Use This Glossary

When reading contracts: Reference the Payment Terms and Program-Specific Terms sections. These are where unfavorable terms hide.

When evaluating programs: Compare using the Commission Models and Revenue Calculations sections. A 50% RevShare program with negative carryover can pay less than 35% without it.

When tracking performance: Use the Player Metrics and Tracking sections to understand what numbers actually matter.

When talking to other affiliates: Now you'll actually understand what they're saying in forums and communities.

Final Thoughts

Casino affiliate marketing has its own language because it's a complex industry with money on the line. Programs use specific terms because precision matters when calculating commissions on millions of dollars in player activity.

Don't let the jargon intimidate you. Every successful affiliate started where you are—confused by the terminology. The difference is they learned it, and now you have too.

Bookmark this page. You'll reference it often in your first few months. By month 6, these terms will be second nature.

Ready to start? Check out our complete beginner's guide to casino affiliate marketing, learn how to choose your first program, and see our list of beginner-friendly programs that accept new affiliates.