Webinar: iGaming Club debates fixed-fee affiliate shift

• AffPapa’s iGaming Club hosted its second LinkedIn Live webinar on 27 August, focused on fixed-fee affiliate deals.
• Six speakers, including moderator Moses Wartan, discussed whether the shift signals a move towards a pay-to-play model.
• The full recording is available on YouTube, with monthly sessions planned as part of the series.

AffPapa’s iGaming Club held its second LinkedIn Live webinar on 27 August, bringing together six affiliate marketing professionals to discuss the growing shift toward fixed-fee deals.

The session, titled “Only Fixed Fees: Is Affiliate Management Turning into Media Buying?”, examined whether upfront payments are reshaping the relationship between affiliates and operators.

Fixed-fee shift

Moderated by Moses Wartan, Head of Affiliate Management Team at AffPapa, the panel unpacked what is driving more operators toward fixed-fee arrangements. Speakers debated whether the model is becoming the new standard in affiliate management, and whether it could push the market toward a “pay-to-play” structure.

The discussion also covered how upfront payments alter incentives for both sides. Panellists weighed the practical effects on affiliates and operators, alongside what the trend could mean for affiliate partnerships going forward.

Panel line-up

Alongside Wartan, the session featured Nugzar Ramishvili, CEO of Wayzen; Oleksandr Kulyk, VP of Partnerships at Makeberry; Denitsa Hadzhiivanova, Head of Affiliates at Blockbuster Partners; George Meladze, Affiliate Manager at AffPapa; and Darina Nikol, Deputy Head of Affiliates at Rocks Partners.

Wartan said:

“Fixed-fee deals have become a major part of the conversation between affiliates and operators, and there are strong arguments on both sides. The important thing is understanding what this shift means for the industry as a whole. Our second webinar gave us the opportunity to hear different perspectives and have an open discussion about where affiliate partnerships are heading.”

Monthly series

The session builds on iGaming Club’s first webinar and forms part of a new educational initiative, with one session planned each month. Each instalment brings affiliate marketing professionals together to share practical experience on issues shaping the sector.

A recording of the 27 August session is available on YouTube for those who missed the live broadcast. AffPapa said industry professionals can follow iGaming Club on LinkedIn for updates on future speakers and sessions.

The webinar lands as AffPapa builds out its wider events calendar. The company recently confirmed iGaming Club Lisbon’s in-person return for September, on the back of its AffPapa Conference in Madrid drawing its biggest turnout to date earlier this year.

No consensus emerged from the panel on where fixed-fee deals will settle, but the range of views aired points to a live and unresolved debate within affiliate management circles.