Influencers win hearts. Affiliates win spreadsheets. For years, iGaming treated them as separate worlds: creators handled attention, affiliates handled revenue. One built the story, the other delivered the numbers. Both worked, but running them separately left efficiency and profit on the table. In 2026, the teams rethinking acquisition aren’t choosing anymore. They’re combining them. Hybrid affiliate–influencer models merge authentic creator content with performance-based rewards. The result? Influence that converts, and partnerships that actually scale.

Influencer marketing can move the needle for casino, sportsbook, and poker products when it is engineered like performance media, not just content. The upside is real – warm audiences, trusted recommendations, and rich creative that fills gaps in paid UA. The risk is also real – policy pitfalls, weak tracking, and bonus hunters can erode ROI fast. This playbook shows how to design influencer programs that drive qualified registrations, FTDs, and retention across regulated markets.