Where the funding actually comes from
The majority of the outbound casino links you meet on PlaySide are affiliate links, which simply means each URL carries a small tracking parameter identifying the referral as ours. When you use one of those links and go on to register an account or fund it, the operator may credit us with a commission on the referral. That fee is drawn purely from the casino's own marketing spend, so nothing about your bonus, your deposit, your account terms or your experience changes because you arrived from our page. Those commissions are what let us keep paying for real deposits, honest play time and self-timed cashouts across our nine markets without asking readers for a subscription.
| Reader question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Do I pay more if I use a PlaySide link? | No. The commission is paid by the operator out of its own marketing budget. |
| Is my bonus smaller because I clicked a tracked link? | No. Tracked links receive the standard offer, and often an equal or better welcome package. |
| Does the casino learn my personal details from the click? | No. Only an anonymous referral tag is passed until you choose to sign up. |
The three commission structures we sign
Affiliate agreements in the online casino space almost always fall into one of three templates, and we think it is worth showing all of them because each one nudges a less scrupulous publisher in a slightly different direction. The table below sets out how each pays and how we handle the pull that comes with it.
| Model | How the operator pays | What it means for readers |
|---|---|---|
| CPA (cost per acquisition) | A single flat payment for every referred user who registers and deposits. | Tempts publishers to funnel sign-ups anywhere. We refuse to let it drag a failed casino onto our lists. |
| RevShare (revenue share) | A recurring share of the net revenue a referred player produces for the operator over time. | Favours publishers who send players to sites they stick with. It never adjusts a score, and struggling operators are still removed. |
| Hybrid | A lower upfront payment paired with a reduced ongoing revenue share. | By far our most common contract. Whatever the mix, the reviewer scoring the casino is never shown the terms. |
Why our rankings are not for sale, at any price
A steady stream of operators would gladly buy the top slot on our lists, and not one of them ever will. Every position on a PlaySide table is set by the results of our tests, and no commission rate has a chair in that meeting. Casinos offering the fattest affiliate terms sit unlisted on our shortlist because the testing did not back a listing, and casinos already featured are cut the instant payouts start dragging, terms tilt against the player, or support goes silent. We also decline paid placements, sponsored ratings, and the discreet deletion of criticism. When a commercial partnership collapses because we would not move a casino up the table, we treat that as evidence the system is doing exactly what we built it for.
How the six-check method stays walled off from money
Every operator on this site is measured against the same six checks: verifying the licence directly on the regulator's public register, funding a live account from the reviewer's own wallet, spending genuine hours inside the game catalogue, reading the bonus terms line by line, timing a real withdrawal from click to cleared balance, and putting the support desk through a proper stress test. The reviewers running these checks operate from the player's side of the screen and are not shown what any casino pays us, so a site sitting on a generous commission does not get a softer landing than one that pays us nothing at all. We revisit scores as soon as fresh test data or credible reader reports arrive, which means no commission can quietly buy a slow decline: the moment the numbers slip, the ranking moves with them.
What we ask of you in return
Transparency has to work in both directions, so here is our short list. Everything published on PlaySide is written for adults aged 18 and over, or the higher age set by law where you live, and none of it is financial advice or a promise of winnings. Gambling regulation varies dramatically from country to country, and it is on you to confirm that any operator we cover is lawful in your jurisdiction before you deposit so much as a single unit. Treat any wagering as paid entertainment with a clear cost, lean on the tools laid out on our Responsible Gambling page, and if a tracked link helps fund the next round of testing along the way, the arrangement is working exactly as we describe it here. If anything on this page needs clearing up, our Contact team is always open to questions.
18+ and check your local law first
Never wager underage, and never wager in a jurisdiction where doing so is against the law. If play starts feeling less like entertainment and more like a problem, our Responsible Gambling page collects free, confidential help lines for each of the markets we write for.