Europe Tightens the Screws on Influencer Marketing — What Affiliates Must Know Now

This comes at a time when regulators across Europe are not just issuing guidelines, but enforcing penalties. For example:

• In the Netherlands, the regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) fined three influencers for promoting unlicensed gambling services — fines amounting to €25,000 per violation, up to €75,000, and removal orders for their content.
• In Sweden, prosecutors charged a prominent influencer for systematically promoting unlicensed casinos via live-streams and social media — marking the first ever case of its kind in that jurisdiction.

So what we’re seeing is not just good intentions — we’re seeing a clear regulatory trend: influencer-led promotion of gambling is under the microscope, and affiliates working with creators must pay attention. The EGBA pledge may be voluntary, but the enforcement signals make it de facto “what you’ll need to align with” if you want to stay safe.

Why This Matters for Affiliates

If you’re working in affiliate marketing for iGaming, especially in Europe or targeting European geos, several direct implications arise:

Influencer and creator partnerships need scrutiny

Make sure any influencer you collaborate with is suitable: check their audience (age, region), ensure they’re comfortable with compliant messaging, and review whether they have a history of regulated-marketing behaviour.

Promotional content must be clearly labelled as advertising, should not appeal to minors, and must avoid directing users to unlicensed operators — because regulators are holding creators accountable.

Document the influencer arrangement (briefs, content approvals, audience data) because you may be asked to show due diligence if a regulator audits the operator or influencer chain.

Traffic quality and affiliate-operator alignment become more important

Operators will increasingly favour affiliates who bring compliant traffic rather than just raw volume. If an influencer campaign lands users who have high risk profiles (under-age, unverified, vulnerable), both operator and affiliate may face reputational or regulatory risk.

Affiliates might need to prove or at least ensure that the players they refer were acquired via safe, legitimate promotions and that the operator has procedures in place (for example, age verification, licence checks, exclusion lists).

Content strategy needs to evolve

The “big win” hype, excessive bonus promises, targeting younger audiences — these strategies are under risk. Affiliates should steer towards responsible-gaming messaging, ensure creatives comply with local market rules, and avoid vague or exaggerated claims.

Since the pledge emphasises age-gating and independent monitoring, affiliates must review their ad placements, influencer posts & stories, and ensure no content is easily accessible to minors or includes calls to unverified/unlicensed sites.

Geographical & market awareness becomes key

Each European country may adopt or reference the EGBA pledge differently. Some may incorporate tighter regulation or enforce stricter standards. Affiliates that deploy pan-European strategies should segment by country, understand national licensing/regulation, and adapt accordingly.

For example, while Sweden is already prosecuting influencers, the Netherlands is issuing fines — other markets soon may follow. Being proactive gives you a competitive advantage.

Early alignment gives competitive edge

Affiliates who adjust now — by changing influencer partnerships, upgrading compliance checks, focusing content strategy — will be seen as trusted partners by operators. Operators will likely favour such affiliates when forming deals in increasingly regulated geos.

Affiliates who ignore the trend risk losing access, having campaigns shut down or being excluded by compliant operators. In a market moving toward “responsibility = trust = value”, this is not trivial.

My View

The EGBA pledge is more than a policy document — it signals a shift in iGaming affiliate marketing: from promotion-at-any-cost to promotion-with-integrity.

For affiliates, this isn’t a headache if you treat it as an early opportunity rather than a last-minute compliance scramble. Operators prefer affiliates who reflect their brand values and regulatory outlook — so aligning now with transparent influencer practices and safe traffic is both smart and strategic.

In short: influencer marketing isn’t going away — but it is changing. Affiliates who adapt will stay ahead; those who don’t may find themselves sidelined.