Definition
A site mirror is an alternative domain that serves the same content and the same account system as a main website, so users can still reach the service when the primary domain is blocked by an ISP, filtered by a DNS provider, delisted, or temporarily unreachable. Betting and casino operators serving markets where their main domain is subject to blocking rely on mirrors to maintain access continuity for existing players.
Mirrors share the operator's player database, so a user's balance, bonuses, history and open bets carry over seamlessly when they move from a blocked domain to a working mirror - from the player's perspective it is the same site at a different address. Operators rotate mirror domains as each one is blocked, and communicate the current working address through channels that are harder to block: email, apps, messenger channels, and their affiliate partners.
In context
For affiliates operating in affected GEOs, distributing and updating current mirror links is part of the job: they maintain a redirect or a "working link" page, update it as domains fall, and often build it into their apps so users always land on a live address. This makes an affiliate's traffic more resilient to blocking than a direct link would be, which is one reason operators in these markets value app-based and community affiliates highly.
Mirrors are a feature of markets where an operator is not locally licensed or where licensed operators are still subject to access restrictions. In fully regulated markets, licensed operators run a single stable domain and mirrors are unnecessary; the presence of a network of rotating mirror domains for a brand is itself a signal that the brand is operating outside a local licensing framework, which matters to affiliates choosing which brands to promote and to compliance-minded directories deciding what to list.
Worked example
After an ISP block takes down an operator's main domain in a market, the operator activates a new mirror domain and its affiliates update the link in their apps and "working link" pages within hours. Players moving to the mirror log in to the same balances and open bets, and the operator queues two more mirror domains for the next block.
Related terms
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