Affiliate

RevShare

RevShare (Revenue Share) is the foundational commission model in iGaming affiliate marketing, under which an affiliate earns a recurring percentage of…

By Sofia Almeida · Senior Editor Reviewed 12 September 2026

In brief

Definition

RevShare (Revenue Share) is the foundational commission model in iGaming affiliate marketing, under which an affiliate earns a recurring percentage of the Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) generated by the players they referred to an operator. Unlike one-time payment models, RevShare ties the affiliate's income directly to the long-term profitability of the players they bring in, creating an ongoing revenue stream rather than a single transaction.

→ Affiliate programs with revenue share

In context

In practice, the operator calculates NGR for each referred player (or group of players) at the end of a reporting period, typically monthly, and pays the affiliate an agreed percentage of that figure. Rates commonly range from 20% to 50%, depending on the vertical (casino, sportsbook, poker), the affiliate's traffic quality, and negotiating leverage.

For example, a casino affiliate program might offer 30% RevShare on slots but only 20% on live dealer games due to differing margin structures. The percentage is usually fixed in the affiliate agreement but can also be tiered, increasing as the affiliate delivers more volume.

A critical operational detail is how NGR itself is defined in the contract - deposits minus withdrawals, minus bonuses, minus payment processing fees, and sometimes minus chargebacks. Affiliates need to scrutinize this definition closely, since two programs both advertising "35% RevShare" can produce very different actual payouts depending on what deductions are applied before the percentage is calculated.

Some operators also apply negative carryover clauses, where a losing month for the operator (players winning big) creates a negative balance that must be recovered before future RevShare payments resume.

RevShare is important in iGaming because it aligns affiliate incentives with long-term player value rather than short-term acquisition volume. An affiliate earning RevShare benefits from promoting operators with strong retention, fair bonus terms, and low churn, since a player who stays active for years generates far more cumulative income than one who deposits once and disappears.

This makes RevShare especially attractive for affiliates with engaged, high-quality traffic, unlike pure paid-traffic arbitrage models that favor CPA.

A common mistake affiliates make is choosing RevShare deals without understanding player lifetime value (LTV) trends for a specific operator or GEO, leading to underperformance compared to CPA alternatives. Newer affiliates often underestimate how negative carryover and bonus-heavy NGR calculations can suppress earnings for months.

Experienced affiliates diversify between RevShare and CPA/Hybrid deals, request monthly reporting transparency, and audit NGR calculations against their own tracking data.