First, let's get the numbers straight for the industry, which is believed to have some 2,300 sites offering the best of online gaming. Last year about 12 million Americans wagered $6 billion.
Americans are estimated at about half the market, which means the industry entertained last year well over 20 million players and generated about $12 billion. Some companies are valued in the multi-billion dollars as well. It becomes almost unimaginable when one considers the growth potential the industry still has.
As a legit Internet industry, the players are many and the money wagered does not all stay with the gambling sites. The business is much more complicated than that, supporting a wide range of companies and employing directly and indirectly a large number of people. Such subsidiary companies include, in large numbers, affiliate programs. Who are they, and more interestingly, how much money do they make?
The goal of each affiliate program is to generate visitors to the sites, and to have them play games at the sites. They receive credit for visitors directed to sites through technological tools that trace the players, such as CGI scripts and cookies. The affiliates earn a percentage of the players' net game play, generally around 20-50% of the profits over the player's lifetime, which comes to about $64 a month per player. Affiliates can very quickly earn over of $50,000 per month.
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Baccarat
Craps
Poker
