What iGaming Affiliates Need to Know About the 2025 Regulatory Update

If you’re running an iGaming affiliate business in 2025, the question isn’t whether regulation affects you it’s how much. Gone are the days when affiliates sat on the sidelines of compliance conversations. Increasingly, regulators are writing rules that apply to the entire marketing chain, including third-party promoters.

A new wave of updates across key regions from the UK and EU to emerging markets in Latin America and Africa is shifting the way affiliate deals are signed, tracked, and measured. Operators are under pressure to vet partners more thoroughly, and affiliates are expected to prove they’re not just driving clicks, but doing so responsibly.

So, what’s changed? And what should you be doing to stay ahead?

1. UK tightening rules on transparency and financial promotions

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) continues to be one of the most proactive regulators globally. In 2025, their updated guidance focuses on:

• Clearer bonus disclosures: Affiliates must ensure that all offers especially “no deposit” or “free spins” include full T&Cs and are not misleading.
• Financial promotion rules: Inspired by FCA regulations, there’s now stricter scrutiny of how risk and reward are communicated in gambling ads, even on affiliate sites.
• Age-gating requirements: All affiliate traffic sources must be age-restricted. Promoting offers on general-interest or underage-accessible platforms can result in account termination.

Operators are now holding affiliates more accountable. If your site or content leads to a breach, the operator gets fined and you get dropped.

2. EU pushing for cross-border clarity

Several EU member states are harmonising their affiliate compliance frameworks, particularly in markets like:

• Netherlands – Advertising enforcement is aggressive. Affiliates need formal approval and must use only operator-provided assets.
• Germany – Recent Glücksspielstaatsvertrag updates require affiliates to avoid promoting unlicensed brands and include player limit reminders.
• France – New restrictions are likely to impact bonus wording, influencer marketing, and paid media partnerships.

For affiliates operating pan-European content sites, this means stricter localisation. The one-size-fits-all homepage model is being replaced by country-specific landing pages, with compliance built in from the ground up.

3. LatAm is booming and watching

Latin America remains the growth frontier for iGaming. But with that growth comes regulatory attention.

• Brazil’s iGaming law, now in full effect, includes explicit restrictions on affiliate marketing. Operators must register all partners, and any promotion must include regulator-approved disclaimers.
• Colombia and Mexico are likely to follow suit, especially as pressure mounts to curb underage targeting and offshore brand promotion.

Affiliates entering these markets should invest in legal translation, local market research, and verified payment routing. Avoiding grey-market tactics is no longer a long-term strategy it’s a risk.

4. KYC for affiliates: it’s coming

Some jurisdictions are exploring Know Your Affiliate (KYA) policies frameworks that mirror traditional KYC but apply to business partners.

This could mean:

• Submitting business documentation and tax records
• Proving source of traffic
• Signing off on updated marketing agreements each quarter
• Undergoing audits by operator legal teams

While this might feel like overreach, it’s gaining momentum. If you’re a mid-sized or larger affiliate with real revenue, expect more paperwork and more scrutiny.

5. AI-generated content under the microscope

With more affiliates using AI tools to scale content, regulators are beginning to pay attention to:

• False claims (e.g. guarantees, biased reviews that aren’t marked as sponsored)
• Undisclosed automation (especially when mimicking expert reviews)
• Auto-translation issues (which can misrepresent bonus mechanics)

The safest approach in 2025 is to treat AI as a first draft, not a finished product. Human editorial control and clear disclosure where applicable will reduce your risk.

6. Operators are demanding more from partners

Affiliates are finding that deals are harder to secure and retain in 2025. Why?

• Fewer active partnerships: Operators are trimming their affiliate lists to focus on quality over quantity.
• Higher thresholds: Many now require minimum monthly FTDs or engagement metrics to keep deals live.
• Affiliate terms are tougher: Inactive accounts may be closed. Rev-share deals are being capped. Hybrid models are harder to negotiate.

But this also means that affiliates who do play by the rules and drive consistent value are seeing better retention, more reliable payments, and stronger long-term upside.

Final word

Affiliate marketing in iGaming is no longer the wild west. It’s a regulated performance channel one that requires as much attention to legal risk as it does to SEO, creative, or campaign optimisation.

If you’re serious about growing your affiliate business in 2025, you need to treat compliance as a competitive advantage. The affiliates who do this are earning operator trust, building brand equity, and staying live in the markets that matter.

The rest? They’re disappearing from the SERPs and from the spreadsheets.