A rewarded video ad is a full-screen video, mostly in mobile games and apps, that the user chooses to watch in exchange for an in-app reward — extra lives, coins, a hint, a timer skip.
Definition
A rewarded video ad is a full-screen video, mostly in mobile games and apps, that the user chooses to watch in exchange for an in-app reward — extra lives, coins, a hint, a timer skip. The defining feature is that it is opt-in: the user initiates it and knows they will watch a video to completion to get the reward, so attention and completion rates are high and the format is considered one of the least intrusive in mobile advertising.
Because the view is chosen and the reward is virtual, rewarded video performs well for app-install and engagement campaigns and pays publishers strong effective rates. The trade-off is context: the user is mid-task in a game and motivated by the reward, not by the advertised product, so intent is low and post-install behaviour has to be watched closely.
In context
For iGaming, rewarded video is a restricted and sensitive channel. It lives inside mobile games, whose audiences skew young and include many under-18s, so most ad networks prohibit gambling advertising in rewarded placements outright or allow it only in specific licensed markets with strict age controls.
Even where technically permitted, placing real-money gambling ads in front of a game-playing audience raises obvious responsible-gambling and age-appeal problems, and regulators scrutinise any gambling advertising that reaches or appeals to minors.
Where a licensed operator does use rewarded video in a permitted market, the requirements are stringent: verified adult audiences only, no game genres or apps that appeal to children, clear advertising identification, responsible-gambling messaging, and close monitoring of the installs and deposits that result, because a reward-motivated audience typically converts to low-quality, low-retention players. For affiliates, rewarded video is generally not a channel to use for gambling offers, and content should not present it as one.
It is more relevant as context: understanding that a cheap flood of app installs from rewarded placements often produces registrations that never deposit is useful when evaluating any app-install traffic source an affiliate is offered.
Worked example
An operator licensed in one market tests rewarded video for app installs through an age-gated network, excluding all kids' game categories. Installs are cheap but the cohort's day-30 deposit rate is a fraction of its other channels, so it stops the test.
An affiliate offered "rewarded install traffic" for a casino app declines, recognising the format's audience and compliance profile.
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