1Revenue Share: the long game
Rev Share pays the affiliate a percentage of a player's net gaming revenue for the lifetime of the account. Typical rates: 20-40%, often tiered by volume.
- Best for: established operators with strong LTV, SEO-driven affiliates bringing recreational players
- Risk: pay-as-you-earn aligns incentives, but negative-NGR months need clear carryover policy
- Cash flow: excellent - you only pay when players lose
2CPA: the acquisition engine
CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) pays a flat amount per qualifying action - typically an FTD above a minimum deposit threshold. Typical rates: $80-$400 per FTD depending on vertical and geo.
- Best for: aggressive growth phases, paid-media affiliates, tier-1 geos
- Risk: you carry all LTV risk - a player who deposits once and leaves still costs the full CPA
- Cash flow: demanding - large upfront outflows before revenue is realized
3Hybrid: the peace treaty
Hybrid combines a smaller CPA (say $100 per FTD) with a reduced Rev Share (say 20%). It caps your acquisition cost while sharing long-tail revenue.
- Best for: mid-funnel affiliates, newer partnerships where LTV is uncertain
- Risk: complex to track across players - exactly where software wins over spreadsheets
- Cash flow: balanced - small upfront cost, ongoing rev share
2026 industry trend: Hybrid is the fastest-growing model in European iGaming affiliate agreements. Operators are increasingly unwilling to take pure CPA risk, and top affiliates are unwilling to wait out long negative-NGR months on pure Rev Share. Hybrid splits the risk.
Which model should you offer?
Most serious operators run all three in parallel - Rev Share as the default, CPA for premium affiliates in high-value geos, and Hybrid as the "we'll meet in the middle" option during negotiations. The only way to manage that at scale is with a commission engine that can express all three models side by side.
FAQ - Commission Models
Launch all three commission models in one dashboard
Rev Share, CPA, Hybrid, tiered, per-brand - configure every plan visually and let the engine do the math. Start with 2 months free.
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