A new era of affiliate marketing

Alex Riddick, founder of Riddick’s Partners, leverages his vast experience in affiliate marketing to tackle some of the biggest challenges the sector faces and outlines how to achieve global success.

Geopolitical trends throughout 2025 may support a growing thesis that the economy is going through a period of deglobalisation. There may be some truth in that: as the Trump administration continues its will-he-won’t-he affair with tariffs, the world is getting further away from the heyday of the ‘90s and ‘00s where economies grew rapidly.

While, on a macro level, globalisation may be waning, the same cannot be said for iGaming. Sure, there are regional powers and local hero brands, but the industry continues to be driven by globally operating companies that play a key role across regulated markets.

The affiliate sector is no different, with plenty of affiliate marketing firms as well as affiliate programs leveraging global offices and expertise to chase a proverbial pot of gold.

Alex Riddick is one figure who has embraced the globalised nature of affiliate marketing in iGaming. Riddick, who has over 13 years of experience in the sector, was a driving force behind the creation of PIN-UP Partners and has now formed Riddick’s Partners, an affiliate program which focuses on expertise, trust, transparency and advanced tools.

“The gambling industry in general is at the stage of globalisation,” Alex tells Affiliate Leaders. “Affiliate marketing is an integral part of this market because as marketeers, we observe and understand the trends. We understand all the hurdles and opportunities on both the affiliate and advertiser side.”

It’s this understanding of the global sector that underpins the entire Riddick’s Partners business model.

“The Riddick’s Partners architecture was built on real-world experience, not theory,” he adds. “We’ve created a point of attraction with each side winning. Small teams are hitting a plateau in their development and capabilities but Riddick’s Partners is not just an ambitious project. I see it as the next stage in the development of the affiliate market.”

As stated, Riddick’s Partners was born out of its founder’s wealth of experience in the sector including starting PIN-UP Partners in 2016 alongside PIN-UP Global. But Riddick’s time in the sector began way before 2016.

He explains: “I started my journey with product projects. We launched everything from scratch, testing hypotheses, building traction and training our first partners. It was then that I realised: affiliate marketing is not about tools, but about an ecosystem of growth and trust.

“The highlight of my journey was the creation of Riddick’s Partners, a next-generation system where I have poured all the experience I have accumulated over more than 13 years. Today this is a team that brings trusted products together and meets the challenges of the market.”

Tackling the big issues

Riddick’s Partners is a truly global business; it operates in all tier-one geos and any geo except for those which ban traffic driving. With a big focus on new iGaming products and innovation, the company is all too aware of the biggest issues affiliates and operators face.

Key to global scale, Riddick says, is being able to understand the driving forces for each market. The company also works strategically with partners to ensure they know these key factors.

“It is a logical step for everyone who is hitting limits in local markets,” he explains. “It is important to understand the specifics of each region: you need to know the regulations, type of traffic, players’ behaviour. Without this, scaling turns into chaos.”

The rise of local regulations across many jurisdictions is perhaps iGaming’s biggest story of the decade as it has upended the rulebook for many.

Alex identified this as the sector’s greatest challenge and is working with partners to ensure they remain on the right side of the line.

“More and more countries impose restrictions and success depends on how quickly teams can adapt. My advice would be to think at the GEO level, don’t ignore the legal risks and try your own creative approaches.”

Another threat wrangling the minds of executives across the affiliate sector is the level of trust between operators and affiliates.

Riddick says the lack of transparency on both sides of the table has caused distrust and he urges all stakeholders to play by the rules.

“There are still cases of fraud on both sides of the market, some don’t pay, some supply poor quality traffic so trust remains a key factor,” Alex says. “Riddick’s Partners is a trusted link between affiliates and advertisers, where both parties’ interests are protected. We provide transparent real-time statistics, work only with trusted partners and keep teams anonymous.

“It is important for us to build partnerships based on transparency, stability and mutual respect.”

Got traffic? What geo?

As a truly global player and a business that is in tune with player behaviours, Riddick’s Partners is an ideal commentator on which geos are driving the industry today.

With plenty of regulated markets now available, each has pros and cons but Alex helpfully cuts through the noise and outlines where affiliates should be paying attention to in 2026.

He tells Affiliate Leaders: “Today, we observe the highest volumes in the CIS, Latin America and Tier-One regions — the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. LatAm stands out in particular: the region is showing stable growth in 2025 and we see potential in it. Africa is also actively developing and is already moving from being a “promising region” to a phase of active monetisation.

“This dynamic reflects the globalisation of demand and diversification of traffic. The market is becoming multicultural and only agile teams are able to maintain leadership. In the long term, we expect LatAm and Africa to grow rapidly, with Tier-One markets remaining key due to solvent audiences, established retention mechanics and a strong partner culture.”

All this mention of Africa, then Latin America, then the US can be daunting. It cannot be possible to be in all places at once and still make a profit, can it?

Well thanks to the wonders of technology and the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning into backend functions, it is becoming more possible.

Any successful global affiliate company must adopt AI to navigate the global marketplace.

For Riddick, AI is speeding up the industry and breaking down barriers.

“I see AI covering entire streams: routine tasks, tests, even adaptation for creative markets,” he notes. “For example, we use AI to generate and adapt creatives for different GEOs and formats, automated A/B testing, predictive analytics on traffic and behaviour, and rapid bundle evaluation.”

He adds: “Affiliates who implement such tools at all stages – from research to scaling – significantly reduce time for decision-making, minimise manual work and achieve quality results faster. It provides them not just speed, but a real competitive advantage.”

Most affiliates understand that there are existential threats being posed to the sector right now. The status quo of operating is being challenged and evolution is required. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opportunities if the right steps are taken.

Having a strategic partner such as Riddick’s Partners can help decision makers weather the storm and build a truly global empire.

As Alex concludes: “Our strength comes from a combination of product expertise and complete traffic coverage. We know how to work with any source – from influencer marketing and media to complex flooding bundles.

“We clearly understand what kind of traffic a particular funnel needs, how it will behave at the conversion stage and how to build the right communication. It’s not just a platform – it’s a partnership as a service.”

**Visit Riddick’s Partners at booth F7 at SBC Summit in Lisbon from September 16th – 18th**