Clovio: exclusive interview with Sander Delabie
You are undoubtedly familiar with the many rankings of different casinos that you come across when you are looking for online casinos, nicely listed with the advantages and disadvantages of each casino. On a rainy day, our reporter meets with Sander Delabie, the owner of Clovio, an international affiliate brand that promotes not only casinos but also other items. In Belgium they are active under www.feelinglucky.be. He gave his vision on the Belgian casino affiliate and the direction we are heading as a sector.
Sander, thank you for taking some time for us. What does an affiliate actually do for casinos?
An affiliate supports casino brands in promoting their casino product to their target audience. Affiliates have a website, newsletter file, app, or marketing services that help them reach that target audience. Through this collaboration, the affiliate and the online casino agree on how they will join forces to communicate about the casino to that audience.
The affiliate informs potential gamblers about the online casino, the conditions that must be met to play in the online casino, and the casino’s offer. The affiliate does this in return for payment from the casino in the form of a fixed amount or a commission, for example.
What makes the difference between a ‘good’ and ‘bad affiliate’ for you?
An affiliate acts as an informant and intermediary between the casino player and the casino. The affiliate must first and foremost add value for the gambler himself. If not, it is worthless that the affiliate is there as an intermediary. The affiliate contributes to correctly informing players, which is in the interest of the player, the casino, and the affiliate itself. After all, a well-informed player is a valuable customer who contributes to a good player portfolio for both the casino and the affiliate.
As an affiliate, it is important to ensure that only gambling sites with the approval of the local gaming commission are promoted through their medium, and that the information provided is up to date. Affiliates who do not care about promoting an illegal casino, use questionable practices to make potential gamblers click on non-existent casino promotions, and use spam techniques to direct visitors to the casino, can safely be characterized as a bad affiliate.
“An affiliate acts as an important resource to educate gamblers about responsible gambling, and the importance of betting at regulated casinos.”
Do you feel like the affiliate market has changed since the advertising ban? In what way?
When the advertising ban was introduced, it was announced that gamblers who actively look for information about legal online gambling should still have access to that information. Affiliate sites are there to achieve just this: to be findable and approachable for gamblers who are clearly looking for online gambling sites and apps.
The advertising ban makes it more difficult for legal casinos to build and maintain brand awareness, which makes it more difficult for gamblers who want to take a gamble to distinguish between approved brands and illegal gambling sites. This makes affiliate websites like ours more important than ever to guide the gambler to the right offer.
How can you contribute to a highly regulated industry?
An affiliate acts as an important resource to educate gamblers about responsible gambling, and the importance of betting at regulated casinos. Together with other affiliates, we ensure that gamblers are aware of the changes to the Gambling Act and the offer.
Given the abundance of illegal gambling sites and misinformation via social media, among other things, it is important that affiliates are able to fulfill their role. We must be able to enter into partnerships with the casinos, bookmakers and poker platforms to guarantee their operation.
“Given the abundance of illegal gambling sites and misinformation via social media, among other things, it is important that affiliates are able to fulfill their role.”
We at GamblingClub have already indicated that it is legal for operators to use affiliates again. Have you been in contact with the Gaming Commission since the advertising ban?
In the run-up to the introduction of the Royal Decree on advertising for online gambling, we proactively contacted the Belgian Gaming Commission. To date, we have not been able to sit down with them, but combined efforts have led to the Belgian Gaming Commission clearly stating the following in its RD advertising update at the end of 2023: “The system of affiliate websites that advertise the licensed websites shall be admitted, under the conditions of Article 10.”
This has led to almost all brands now entering into new partnerships with affiliates. Unfortunately, many of our existing partnerships have been terminated in the meantime, which has led to major economic damage for many affiliates and clouded the relationship between affiliates and the casinos. We closely monitor updates from the Gaming Commission and remain available and willing to engage in discussions with the Commission.