Virtual Betting Affiliate

Virtual sports betting affiliate marketing allows publishers to monetise websites, communities and content dedicated to simulated sporting events by referring new players to bookmakers through CPA, Revenue Share or Hybrid campaigns.

How does virtual sports betting affiliate marketing work?

The model uses a personal affiliate tracking link. When users reach a bookmaker through that link, clicks, registrations, first-time depositors and other qualifying actions can be attributed to the publisher’s campaign.

The commercial structure is therefore similar to traditional sports betting affiliate marketing. The underlying product is different because users are wagering on simulated events rather than the outcome of real sporting competitions.

Publishers can measure which content generates traffic and which pages actually produce players. CTR, first-time depositors, conversion rate and EPC consequently provide more useful commercial information than page views alone.

How large is the virtual betting market?

Virtual betting has its own measurable market in Italy. During 2025, online stakes on fixed-odds simulated events reached approximately €1.608 billion.

Online stakes had been approximately €1.439 billion in 2024 and €1.077 billion in 2023. This represents growth of around 11.7% in one year and almost 49% over two years.

December 2025 also demonstrates the size of the wider sector. Combining retail and online channels, virtual betting generated more than €502 million in stakes during that month alone, up 11.36% year on year.

What are virtual sports bets?

Virtual betting uses simulated events on which bookmakers provide odds and different possible outcomes. Virtual football, horse racing and greyhound racing are examples of formats that can appear on betting platforms.

Unlike a real football match, users do not necessarily have to wait for a league or tournament schedule. Simulated events can take place frequently, creating a different product experience from traditional sports betting.

Italian technical requirements also establish information that must be presented for virtual events, including participants, available bet types, odds and the remaining time before betting on the event closes.

Why are virtual sports interesting for affiliates?

The first major characteristic is event continuity. Traffic does not necessarily depend on a real match kicking off at a particular time because simulated competitions can be offered repeatedly throughout the day.

This also changes the content strategy. Instead of producing hundreds of predictions that become obsolete when a match finishes, publishers can focus more heavily on guides, betting markets, product explanations and bookmaker comparisons.

Growth in online stakes provides another relevant signal. Moving from approximately €1.077 billion in 2023 to €1.608 billion in 2025 represents substantial expansion in digital activity within the vertical.

How do virtual betting affiliates earn money?

Commercial agreements can include CPA, Revenue Share and Hybrid models. CPA provides a commission when referred players satisfy programme requirements, while Revenue Share links affiliate earnings to commissionable revenue generated by those players.

At a hypothetical €50 CPA, 20 qualified players would generate €1,000. Fifty conversions would produce €2,500, while 100 qualified players would theoretically generate €5,000 in affiliate commissions.

Under a hypothetical 30% Revenue Share agreement, €4,000 in commissionable net revenue would instead produce €1,200. These figures are mathematical examples rather than guaranteed commission levels or earnings.

Which virtual betting content can affiliates create?

Educational guides provide a strong starting point. Publishers can explain how virtual events work, which markets are available, how odds are displayed and how simulated betting differs from betting on real sports.

More specific clusters can then be developed around virtual football, simulated horse racing, virtual racing, 1X2 markets, totals, correct scores and other betting options available through operators.

This structure creates significant evergreen potential. A guide to virtual football does not become obsolete when a real match finishes and can continue generating traffic while the information and product details remain current.

How much traffic is required?

Consider a specialist project receiving 3,000 monthly visits. At a 15% outbound CTR, the website would send 450 clicks to bookmakers. A 4% click-to-player conversion rate would generate approximately 18 qualified players.

Using a hypothetical €50 CPA, this would produce €900. Increasing conversion to 5% would generate approximately 23 players from the same traffic and €1,150 in theoretical commissions.

A relatively small website can therefore become commercially relevant when its audience is highly targeted. Improving CTR and conversion can also generate growth without requiring a proportional increase in organic traffic.

Which metrics should affiliates monitor?

The principal measurements include bookmaker clicks, outbound CTR, registrations, first-time depositors, conversion rate, commissions, EPC and revenue per visitor. Results should ideally be segmented by page, operator and traffic source.

If 400 clicks generate 20 qualified players and €1,000 in commissions, click-to-player conversion is 5% while EPC reaches €2.50 per outbound click.

A bookmaker offering a higher CPA is not automatically the most profitable option. Publishers need to understand how effectively each operator converts virtual betting traffic and how much commercial value each outbound click generates.

SEO or communities for virtual betting?

SEO is particularly suitable for evergreen content. Guides explaining virtual sports, betting markets, rules and differences from real sporting events can attract users without depending on a specific competition schedule.

Communities can instead build an ongoing relationship with users. Publishers can distribute new content directly to an existing audience rather than depending on users performing another Google search each time.

Video and live content can also make the product easier to understand. Creators can demonstrate how virtual events and markets work while building an audience around their specialist knowledge.

How should affiliates choose programmes?

The quality of the bookmaker’s virtual product should be examined first. Event variety, available markets, mobile experience and usability can directly influence the operator’s ability to convert referred traffic.

CPA, Revenue Share, tracking and qualification requirements should then be compared. Headline commissions provide only part of the information required to determine the actual commercial value of a programme.

An €80 CPA converting 10 players generates €800. A €50 programme producing 25 conversions instead generates €1,250. Real value therefore becomes visible only when commission and conversion performance are analysed together.

Why use Affiliation.bet?

Growth in virtual betting creates opportunities, but publishers still need to identify programmes, compare commercial conditions and determine which operators convert their particular audience most effectively.

Affiliation.bet simplifies this part of the process by providing access to multiple opportunities through the same network, allowing publishers to concentrate more resources on content, SEO and audience development.

With virtual sports betting affiliate marketing, the key advantage is a digital product that does not depend on the real-world sporting calendar. Specialist evergreen content can therefore turn targeted traffic into measurable affiliate revenue.