A fresh SiGMA interview says 2026 iGaming affiliate teams are maturing fast. The headline shift is from classic CPA logic toward KPI-based deals, heavier AI use, and a more disciplined approach to traffic quality and analytics.
One of the more useful market signals this week came from SiGMA’s interview with Trident CEO Nikita Koshelyuk. The core point is clear: in 2026, iGaming affiliate marketing is being reshaped by new ad algorithms, changes in affiliate economics, and much wider AI adoption across workflows. Koshelyuk says classic CPA is fading as the only model that matters, while KPI-driven structures are becoming more important.
That matters for buyers because KPI logic changes how traffic gets judged. Front-end volume alone stops being enough. Operators want better quality, better downstream behavior, and clearer alignment between acquisition cost and player value. SiGMA also notes that Trident has already been using AI tools for design, asset generation, and internal development, with further plans to plug hybrid LLM workflows into internal systems.
In plain arbitrage language, the market is getting less forgiving. It is harder to brute-force cheap regs and call it a win. If you buy gambling traffic now, you need cleaner analytics, stronger creative production, and better quality control after the click. The buyers who still think only in raw CPA terms are going to feel older every month.
