Affiliate rules in 35 jurisdictions, reviewed 2026-09
Affiliate Licensing Index
Most countries don't license gambling affiliates — a handful genuinely do, several ban them outright, and everywhere else the licensed operator carries the liability. This index maps who requires what, from each regulator's own sources, dated per row. For the narrative version, read Do gambling affiliates need a licence?; to get licensed where it's required, see the affiliate licensing service.
Formal regimes — licence, registration, accreditation or approval (7)
The short list that actually requires paperwork from the affiliate itself. Romania and Greece run full licensing registries; Gibraltar made marketing a licensable activity on 1 April 2026; the US works per state, keyed to your compensation model.
| Jurisdiction | Requirement | Headline cost | Legal basis | Regulator | Reviewed | Source link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (NT) | NTRC approval of revenue-share deals Every profit-sharing affiliate arrangement of an NT bookmaker needs Commission approval with a per-affiliate probity file; ACMA blocks offshore-promoting affiliate sites | probity vetting per arrangement | s 81(b) Racing and Betting Act 1983 (NT) | NT Racing & Wagering Commission | 2026-07 | |
| Bulgaria | Affiliate licence + levy — draft 2026 Budget Proposed: licence + €6,000/yr fixed + 10% tax on gambling-promotion commissions; not adopted as of Jul 2026 | €6,000/yr + 10% of commissions (proposed) | Draft State Budget Act 2026 | NRA | 2026-07 | |
| Gibraltar | GOSS licence (marketing services) Since 1 Apr 2026 providing gambling marketing in/from Gibraltar is a licensable activity (six-month transition to 1 Oct 2026); intra-group marketing to a Gibraltar licensee and local Gibraltar media exempt | £8,000 application + £50,000/yr (£25,000 under £200k sales) | Gibraltar Gambling Act 2025, s.17(1)(f); Duties and Licence Fees Regulations 2026 | Gambling Division | 2026-09 | → |
| Greece | Affiliate suitability licence + registry Licensed operators may only work with affiliates entered in the HGC Register of Affiliates | €1,000 registration deposit | HGC Decision 509/1/11.09.2020; L. 4002/2011 | HGC (ΕΕΕΠ) | 2026-07 | → |
| Philippines | Support Service Provider accreditation Marketing / player-acquisition providers to PAGCOR licensees need accreditation (regime effective 2 Oct 2025); 2–3-year validity | ₱1,000,000 performance deposit | PAGCOR accreditation framework (2025) | PAGCOR | 2026-07 | |
| Romania | Class 2 licence Revenue-share-triggered; 10-year validity with annual fee; affiliation contracts filed with ONJN within 15 days | €20,000/yr + €15,000/yr RG fund | OUG 77/2009 + GEO 82/2023; HG 111/2016 art. 2(b) | ONJN | 2026-07 | → |
| United States | Per-state: vendor registration (CPA) / supplier licence (rev-share) No federal regime; IL & MO ban rev-share compensation outright; IN dropped registration Jul 2025; TN charges $150k/3yr for the rev-share tier | free – $150,000 per state | State gaming acts & regulations | State regulators (DGE, PGCB, MGCB…) | 2026-07 | → |
Prohibited or de-facto banned (5)
Markets where affiliate marketing is outlawed outright or the advertising rules leave no room for compensated third parties.
| Jurisdiction | Requirement | Headline cost | Legal basis | Regulator | Reviewed | Source link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | De-facto ban (no compensated third-party ads) Advertising allowed only on the operator's own site/socials with no compensation to third parties — paid affiliate marketing excluded | — | Royal Decree 27 Feb 2023 (from 1 Jul 2023) | Kansspelcommissie | 2026-07 | |
| Brazil | Betting advertising banned by MP 1,394 MP 1,394 of 25 Sep 2026 bans fixed-odds betting and all advertising, marketing and sponsorship of it aimed at Brazil (arts. 1, 16); breaches are abusive advertising under the Consumer Code (art. 18); the MP lapses unless Congress converts it | — | Medida Provisória 1.394/2026 | Ministry of Finance (SPA) / consumer-protection authorities | 2026-09 | |
| Finland | Affiliate marketing prohibited New Gambling Act (approved 16 Dec 2025) permits only listed channels — affiliate and influencer marketing are outside the list; licensed market opens 1 Jul 2027 | — | New Gambling Act (2025) | National Police Board → Supervisory Agency | 2026-07 | |
| Italy | Ad ban applies to affiliates directly Dignity Decree bans gambling advertising incl. tracked links and bonus codes; AGCOM fines €50k–500k chargeable to the affiliate (Top Ads: €700k) | — | Art. 9 DL 87/2018 (Dignity Decree) | AGCOM / ADM | 2026-07 | |
| New Zealand | Affiliate arrangements prohibited 2026 Regulations bar sponsorships, endorsements and affiliate marketing even for licensed online-casino operators | — | Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 + Regulations (3 Jul 2026) | DIA | 2026-07 |
Advertising pre-approval regimes (3)
No affiliate permit as such — but every gambling advertisement needs the regulator's sign-off before it runs, which gates affiliate creatives in practice.
| Jurisdiction | Requirement | Headline cost | Legal basis | Regulator | Reviewed | Source link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Pre-approval of all advertising materials Licensee must clear every advert with the Commission before it runs; affiliates act as agents of the licensee | per-material approval | Gaming Commission Advertising Guidelines (2025) | Gaming Commission of Ghana | 2026-07 | |
| Kenya | Prior GRA approval of every gambling ad Celebrity/influencer endorsements banned by statute; responsible-gambling message ≥20% of ad space | per-ad approval | Gambling Control Act, No. 14 of 2025 | Gambling Regulatory Authority | 2026-07 | |
| Tanzania | GBT advertising approval (6-month) Companies marketing gaming products need Board approval — 6 months initially, extendable in 1-year terms | approval-based | s 51 Gaming Act, Cap. 41 (as amended) | Gaming Board of Tanzania | 2026-07 |
No affiliate permit — operator-liability markets (20)
The affiliate holds nothing; the licensed operator answers for its marketing partners. The compliance file replaces the licence — and enforcement against affiliates of unlicensed operators is still very real.
| Jurisdiction | Requirement | Headline cost | Legal basis | Regulator | Reviewed | Source link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta (Canada) | No registration — Ontario-style standards Market live 13 Jul 2026; operators may not use referral partners that also promote unregistered sites taking Alberta wagers | — | iGaming Alberta Act + AGLC standards | AGLC / Alberta iGaming Corp. | 2026-07 | |
| Argentina (CABA) | No licence — suppliers register, affiliates don't Enforcement doctrine treats affiliates of illegal sites as partners of the operator (art. 301 bis Penal Code context) | — | Province/city rules (LOTBA) | LOTBA (CABA) | 2026-07 | |
| Colombia | No licence — monopoly-intervention sanctions Promoting unlicensed gambling = unlawful intervention in the state monopoly (Law 643/2001 arts. 4/44); operators file annual marketing plans | — | Law 643/2001 | Coljuegos | 2026-07 | |
| Croatia | No licence — hard ad windows from 2026 New law (2025): ad ban 06:00–23:00 on TV/radio/internet and a total celebrity/athlete/influencer endorsement ban from 1 Jan 2026 | — | New gambling law (2025) | Ministry of Finance / HAKOM | 2026-07 | |
| Curaçao | No licence — outside supplier perimeter LOK supplier registration (deadline 24 Dec 2026) covers critical B2B services only; marketing/affiliate services are not on the list | — | LOK (in force 24 Dec 2024) | Curaçao Gaming Authority | 2026-07 | |
| Czechia | No licence — three-party ad liability Advertiser, producer (incl. affiliate) and publisher can each be fined for unlawful gambling advertising | — | Act 40/1995 + Act 186/2016 | Ministry of Finance | 2026-07 | |
| Denmark | No licence — operator responsible DGA marketing guides bind affiliate output via the licensee; affiliates may not display the DGA label on their own sites | — | Spilleloven § 36 + DGA guides | Spillemyndigheden | 2026-07 | |
| France | No licence — ANJ ad framework No licensed online-casino vertical exists — casino promotion to French users is promotion of illegal gambling by definition | — | Decree of 4 Nov 2020; ANJ guidelines | ANJ | 2026-07 | |
| Germany | No licence — statutory rev-share ban Variable (revenue/deposit/stake-based) affiliate remuneration prohibited for online slots/poker/casino advertising — fixed fees only; GGL enforces via operator permits | — | § 5 GlüStV 2021 | GGL | 2026-07 | |
| Ireland | No licence yet — B2B 'advertise' licences 2027–28 GRA 2024 channel rules (watershed, double-follow social rule) commence on dates TBC; remote betting licences live since 1 Jul 2026 | — | Gambling Regulation Act 2024 | GRAI | 2026-07 | |
| Isle of Man | No licence — marketing not a licensable trigger Licence trigger is registering players / striking bets on IoM infrastructure, not promotion | — | OGRA 2001 | GSC | 2026-07 | |
| Malta | No licence — joint liability for ads Affiliate and operator jointly responsible under the Commercial Communications Regulations; MGA can order affiliate ads removed | — | S.L. 583.09 (L.N. 245 of 2018) | MGA | 2026-07 | |
| Netherlands | No licence — chain responsibility Written operator agreement required before starting; opt-out + evidenced ≥95% of reached audience 24+; KSA prosecutes affiliates of unlicensed operators (CasinoScout: €225k × 3 + domain takedown) | — | Wok/KOA; Bwrvk art. 2ab (Besluit orka) | Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) | 2026-07 | → |
| Ontario (Canada) | No registration — operator standards Affiliates need no AGCO registration regardless of compensation model; Standards 1.19/1.21/2.05 enforced via operators (BetMGM fined CAD 110k over affiliate inducement ads, 2025) | — | Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming | AGCO / iGaming Ontario | 2026-07 | |
| Peru | No licence — authorised-platform sponsorship only Only MINCETUR-authorised platforms may sponsor; influencer betting-ad investigations opened Mar–Jun 2026 | — | Law 31557; DS 005-2023-MINCETUR | MINCETUR | 2026-07 | |
| Poland | No licence — narrow ad windows Online casino is a state monopoly; betting ads only within statutory windows; Jun 2026 bill would criminalise promotion of illegal gambling (3 months–5 years) | — | Gambling Act arts. 29–29b | Ministry of Finance | 2026-07 | |
| Portugal | No licence — operator responsible No standalone affiliate regime; SRIJ polices affiliate output through licensed operators | — | RJO (DL 66/2015) | SRIJ | 2026-07 | |
| Spain | No licence — ad rules in flux RD 958/2020's digital-affiliate ban annulled by the Supreme Court (Apr 2024); DGOJ consulted on replacement restrictions May–Jun 2026 | — | RD 958/2020 (as partially annulled) | DGOJ | 2026-07 | |
| Sweden | No licence — intermediary criminal liability proposed Sept 2025 memorandum: criminal liability for intermediaries facilitating unlicensed gambling, proposed in force 1 Jan 2027 | — | Spellag (2018:1138) ch. 15 | Spelinspektionen | 2026-07 | |
| United Kingdom | No licence — operator liable (LCCP) 2023 white paper expressly rejected affiliate licensing; ASA holds both brand and affiliate responsible under the CAP Code | — | LCCP SR 1.1.2 & 5.1.6; CAP Code 16.3.12 | Gambling Commission | 2026-07 |
How this index is sourced
Each row is compiled from the jurisdiction's own instruments — the statute, decree or regulator decision that creates (or expressly rejects) an affiliate requirement — cross-checked against tier-1 legal guides, with the review date shown alongside. Several regimes here are new (Gibraltar's GOSS licence, PAGCOR's accreditation) or still drafts (Bulgaria's 2026 Budget proposal): treat every figure as reviewed-not-live and confirm the current position with us or the regulator before you rely on it.
Reuse under CC BY 4.0 — cite "Vantegris Affiliate Licensing Index" with a link. Machine-readable: affiliate-licensing.json.