BetMGM's VP of Partnerships sat down with AffNova for an exclusive conversation on affiliate strategy, the evolving US market, and what they're actually looking for in partners in 2026.
"We've moved past chasing raw CPA numbers"
"The arms race on CPA was never sustainable. When you're paying $600 for a depositor who churns in two weeks, your LTV math falls apart fast. We shifted our entire acquisition strategy to focus on player quality metrics — specifically 90-day retention and lifetime GGR per player. Affiliates who understood that shift got better deals. The ones still selling on raw CPA volume got squeezed."
On hybrid deals
"Our sweet spot right now is $250 CPA with 20% lifetime RevShare. That alignment means the affiliate has skin in the game for player quality, not just quantity. We've seen player LTV jump 40% on hybrid deals compared to pure CPA traffic from the same sources."
What BetMGM looks for in affiliates
- Established SEO presence in target states — Ohio, Massachusetts, North Carolina are priorities
- Content-first sites over pure coupon/bonus aggregators
- Transparent traffic sources — sub-affiliate networks get significantly lower rates
- Willingness to share GA4 data for the first 90 days of a new deal
On the competitive landscape
"FanDuel and DraftKings are both pulling back on affiliate spend in mature states and doubling down on retention marketing. That's actually creating an opportunity — we're willing to pay well for quality acquisition in states where our brand has room to grow."
What affiliates get wrong
"Leading with CPA number as the only metric. The affiliates who get our best deals come in with LTV data from other programs. Show me your player 90-day retention rate and I'll show you what I can offer. Show me nothing and I'll show you the standard rate card."