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The government monopoly model of online gambling is set to change for Finland in the middle of next year, but the affiliate market for online gambling in the country is already changing. Affiliate websites have made the change towards testing online casinos with real money and by the metric of how transparent and accurate their withdrawals are. But why has the affiliate market changed, and what do those changes entail exactly?
Just as many other jurisdictions have done, the Finnish online casino market is changing from one in which there is a strict government monopoly to a more open and competitive licensing model. At present, and until the middle of next year on July 1st, Veikkaus is the only Finnish government-licensed operator able to offer its services in the country. The new system, still under development, will allow for private operators to acquire licenses and offer online gambling services to Finnish residents with government approval. But despite these regulatory changes still being more than 10 months away, the Finnish casino affiliate market is already seeing changes.
Previously, online casino platforms would have been ranked by affiliate websites based largely on the promotions on offer, bonuses players can access, and reviews of the game libraries. Now, affiliate platforms in the country, like Tosikasinot, are focusing on testing the real-money value players can get, and how transparent online casino withdrawal promises are. Verifiable information about payment methods, licensing information and the actual practical experience that players can expect when using an online casino have become much more important to players.
Let's take a look at why the Finnish online casino affiliate market has changed, and how this change might be connected to the changing regulatory situation.
Why Casino Affiliates in Finland Are Shifting Their Focus
Casino affiliates are doing the same thing they have always done, improving user acquisition for online casino platforms, but they are doing it a little differently. Instead of focusing on things that players are likely to have seen a hundred times over, such as bonuses, promotions and game library size, affiliates are instead trying to give players a window into the real experience of playing at an online platform.
When affiliates do the work and test out online casino platforms with real-money testing, they can give fact-based information that would otherwise be impossible to come by. They aren't simply regurgitating the marketing copy that a website has handed them; they are making accounts, logging in, depositing money, playing games and withdrawing money. This sort of testing can provide answers to questions that are important to players, and do so in a way that builds player trust.
A Movement Towards Greater Affiliate Transparency
One of the biggest advantages that affiliate platforms gain from undertaking real-money testing is greater transparency. When there is detailed documentation of the entire process from sign-up to withdrawal, it shows players that the affiliate has really gone ahead and explored an online casino's services.
This heightened level of transparency gives any review a great deal more credibility. It also allows affiliates to be truthful about the marketing claims that online casinos make, highlighting where platforms fail to live up to their claims, or if they are able to meet or exceed the expectations that their marketing presents.
Advertising Based on Withdrawal Transparency
By far one of the biggest points of friction for most people who play online casino games occurs when they go to withdraw their funds. If the withdrawal process is slow and frustrating, it's likely that players will simply take their business elsewhere in future. Affiliate websites are well aware of this, and that's why some of the best affiliate websites in Finland are using withdrawal transparency as one of their metrics for reviewing online casino platforms.
Providing examples of their own withdrawal experiences, and comparing them to what the online casino advertised or promised, is something that players love to see on affiliate websites. Many players are highly likely to choose an online casino based on smooth withdrawal processes, rather than bonuses or promotional offers.
Changing Regulations Herald a Changing Market
While we are still very far out from the coming regulatory changes to Finland's online casino market, it is important to acknowledge that nothing happens in a vacuum. The affiliate market is well aware that the regulations are changing, and it could be that they are preparing for a broader and more open regulated market now.
The changing metrics by which Finnish online casino affiliates review online casino services might simply be the next step in a natural progression, but it seems likely that some element of this shift should be attributed to the coming regulatory changes.
Evidence-Based Reviews Hit Harder
With the changing regulations and the potential for many new online casino platforms to appear, affiliates that present reviews that are transparent and clearly evidence-based will be able to stand out from their peers.
Players in Finland, just as in other jurisdictions, are sick of reading the same marketing copy about the bonuses and promotions that online casino platforms offer. But those same players are much more likely to take a review seriously if it showcases the exact process from sign-up to funds withdrawal, especially if that review highlights any points of friction or differences between marketing claims and reality.
Reviews that are based on evidence like this are much more likely to answer important questions that players have, and are much more likely to build player trust, rather than simply repeating marketing claims.
The Finnish Affiliate Market Is Maturing
A succinct way to put this change is that the affiliate market for online casinos in Finland is maturing. Rather than simply squabbling over the same old information about payment methods, game libraries, promotions and bonus offers, affiliates are attempting to provide real, concrete information to players with real-money testing and withdrawal transparency.
Giving players real information, instead of purely repeating marketing copy, is a real sign that the Finnish affiliate market has matured. By putting their money where their mouth is, affiliates can demonstrate through evidence which platforms might be better suited for players.
As Finland prepares for a new online casino licensing system, a more mature affiliate market will provide players with great resources to search for the best online casino services for their needs.
- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com
