Revenue Optimization with StatsDrone

Affiliates used to send traffic and leave the rules to the operator. That no longer works. In this episode, Oleg Samoilenko, Head of Compliance at TonyBet, explains why regulators now write rules aimed at affiliates themselves, and what operators look for in a partner as a result. Oleg has 12 years in gambling, 10 of them in compliance. He says compliance used to be a last resort, called in only after something went wrong. Now it's part of how TonyBet chooses its partners. The affiliates who come out ahead have done their homework before the first call. They know the rules of each market, keep geo-specific creatives and legal lines separate, and can answer compliance requests quickly. We also talk about whether AI gives smaller affiliates a real chance, or just makes it easier to put up a page that sounds compliant. We cover why avoiding paperwork is itself a red flag. And we look at why affiliates who reuse the same legal lines across Ontario and Alberta keep getting their creatives sent back. In this episode: Why affiliates can no longer treat regulation as the operator's problem What a "mature" affiliate partner looks like to an operator's compliance team Whether AI gives small affiliates a fighting chance, and where it falls short Contracts and paperwork: why avoiding them is a red flag The most common mistakes affiliates make entering Ontario and Alberta Where to start on Monday morning: build a market-by-market rule book of what's allowed, what needs operator approval and what's a grey area Chapters: 00:00 Meet Oleg Samoilenko, Head of Compliance at TonyBet 01:32 Why "compliance is the operator's job" no longer holds 07:14 Who gets squeezed as requirements tighten 09:02 Can AI level the field for smaller affiliates? 11:28 The paperwork problem 13:26 Standardized bonus and creative feeds: a single source of truth? 24:30 Common affiliate mistakes in Ontario and Alberta 32:20 The first operational change to make on Monday 35:00 Players are learning their rights, and looking for affiliate loopholes 36:00 What affiliates can expect from TonyBet

How do modern affiliate platforms actually scale? In this episode of Revenue Optimization, John Wright sits down with Oleksandr Kulyk, VP of Affiliate & Business Development at Makeberry, to discuss how affiliate technology is evolving, where AI is changing the industry, and what operators and affiliates should expect over the next few years. Topics include: • How Makeberry approaches affiliate growth • Building stronger operator and affiliate relationships • AI opportunities inside affiliate technology • Product development lessons • What successful partnerships look like • The biggest challenges facing affiliate businesses today • Predictions for the future of affiliate marketing Whether you're an affiliate, operator, SaaS founder or technology builder, this conversation explores practical lessons from someone helping shape the next generation of affiliate platforms. Thanks again to our supporters at StatsDrone, NousViz, Affilka and Odys iGaming.

John Wright welcomes Artem Butov, founder of Marxel, for an in-depth conversation about the future of affiliate marketing technology and the rise of API-based performance marketing systems. Artem shares his journey from traditional advertising into affiliate marketing, eventually building both an affiliate network and a SaaS platform focused on helping businesses manage traffic, leads, and tracking more efficiently. Together, they discuss how the affiliate industry is shifting away from outdated pixel tracking toward API-driven infrastructures that allow advertisers and affiliates to better manage data, automate workflows, and optimize traffic performance. The discussion also touches on AI-powered campaign management, smart links, affiliate ecosystems, and how smaller teams can now launch sophisticated affiliate operations without massive development resources. The episode also explores major industry trends, including shrinking margins, rising competition, traffic volatility, fraud prevention, and the increasing importance of analytics and conversion optimization. Artem explains why successful affiliate businesses must become more data-driven and operationally efficient in order to survive in today’s rapidly changing environment. If you’re interested in affiliate marketing, media buying, SaaS tools, API tracking, or the future of performance marketing infrastructure, this episode is packed with valuable insights and real-world experience from two industry veterans. Artem is the founder of Marksel.io. Thanks for our podcast sponsors Odys iGaming, StatsDrone, NousViz and Affilka.

In this episode, John sits down with Kyle Roof, the mind behind Page Optimizer Pro, to unpack what’s really happening in SEO as AI reshapes the landscape. While many claim SEO is dying, Kyle argues the opposite: it’s evolving and those who understand the fundamentals are winning more than ever. They dive deep into why AI-generated content often fails to rank, what Google is actually rewarding in 2026, and why “term richness” and contextual relevance still matter more than hype. Kyle shares insights from ongoing case studies analyzing AI content, revealing where it falls short and how to fix it. The conversation also explores programmatic SEO, building content systems that scale, and how SaaS companies and affiliates can rethink their strategy to stay competitive. If you’ve been feeling lost in the noise around AI and SEO, this episode brings clarity and a practical roadmap forward. Shoutout to podcast sponsors Odys iGaming and StatsDrone! Special mention to our affiliate software sponsors iGsuite, Affilka and Intelitics.

In this episode, we sit down with Zak Ali, General Manager (US) at Finder, to unpack how AI is fundamentally reshaping companies, workflows, and entire industries. Zak shares a candid look at how large organizations are navigating the shift, from early experimentation to a world where AI is operating at the level of full-fledged employees. We dive into the internal challenges companies face: balancing innovation across teams, managing fear around job displacement, and transitioning employees from task-based execution to higher-level orchestration. Zak explains why the most valuable skill in the AI era isn’t doing the work, it’s designing systems that do the work for you. The conversation also explores the collapse of traditional SEO and the rise of brand, data, and distribution as the new competitive moats. Finder’s approach highlights a major shift: SEO is no longer a top-of-funnel channel, but connective tissue that reinforces brand authority across platforms like YouTube, social media, and AI-driven search. We also get into the future of SaaS, why many tools may not survive in an AI-first world, and how first-party data, influencer marketing, and authentic brand presence are becoming the true differentiators. If you’re building in affiliate, SaaS, or digital media, this episode is a roadmap for what’s coming next. Shoutout to our main sponsors NousViz, StatsDrone and Odys iGaming. Also thanks for the affiliate platforms supporters in iGsuite, Affilka and Intelitics.

In this episode, John sits down with Travis Jamison (Capital Pad, SEO entrepreneur, investor) to unpack how building, investing, and scaling businesses is changing in the AI era. They dive into one of the biggest founder dilemmas: should you focus on one thing or juggle multiple projects? Travis shares why his biggest wins actually came from overlapping skills, not pure focus. The conversation then shifts into how AI is reshaping everything from SaaS and service businesses to investing and hiring. While AI makes building easier than ever, it also raises the bar across the board. They also challenge popular narratives: Is SaaS actually dying? Is venture capital still worth it? Why are “boring businesses” suddenly so attractive? One of the biggest takeaways: distribution, not product, is becoming the real moat.

In this episode, John Wright speaks with Andrew Ansley, an AI consultant focused on building agentic systems and autonomous AI workflows. The conversation explores how AI agents are changing the way companies build products, run operations, and scale teams. Andrew explains how the latest generation of AI tools allows developers and entrepreneurs to create systems that can analyze information, research problems, generate solutions, and execute tasks with minimal human oversight. Rather than focusing purely on models, Andrew believes the real breakthrough is happening in agent harnesses — the systems that orchestrate AI tools, commands, and workflows. Together they explore: The shift from vibe coding to AI agents How AI systems can automate complex workflows Why smaller teams may outperform larger organizations The growing importance of clear thinking and structured communication What skills will matter most in the next decade Andrew also shares practical advice for founders and operators looking to experiment with AI in their own businesses. This episode is a deep dive into how AI agents may reshape work, startups, and software development over the next few years. Guest Andrew Ansley AI consultant specializing in agentic systems and AI automation. Shoutout to StatsDrone and Odys iGaming as our partners. Also to the affiliate software companies like iGsuite, Affilka and Intelitics where you can launch your next affiliate program or affiliate network.

In this episode, John Wright sits down with Lazar Petrov, founder of iGsuite, to unpack one of the most overlooked problems in iGaming — the massive gap between the data operators have and the data they actually need to make profitable decisions. Lazar shares his firsthand experience building affiliate software and working with operators across Europe, explaining why most affiliate platforms still lack real BI capabilities, why only ~10% of operators connect their affiliate data to any form of business intelligence, and why that's costing the industry millions. They also dive into the shifting landscape of white labels vs. turnkey solutions, why legacy software providers are stuck in a painful upgrade cycle, and where the real opportunities lie for new technology entering the market. Topics covered: Why affiliate managers lack the tools to evaluate performance properly · The real cost of not understanding your data at the player, traffic source, and country level · Why dashboards built "for the sake of it" don't deliver insights · AI in reporting — is it actually faster than ready-made reports? · The collapse of easy PPC and cheap SEO in iGaming · White label vs. turnkey — why the model is shifting · Legacy platforms and the "Software V2" moment the industry is entering · Why new platform suppliers and tech tools represent the biggest opportunity right now Shoutout to our premier partners Odys iGaming and StatsDrone. Another shoutout to our affiliate software partners that includes iGsuite. Guest: Lazar Petrov — Founder, iGSuite Host: John Wright

I recorded this episode because I think a lot of affiliates are about to discover something uncomfortable in their data. I was speaking with one of our customers who noticed something strange. An FTD showed up in tracking, deposits were happening, wagering was happening, net revenue was positive… but revenue share commission was zero. Zero. That should never happen unless you explicitly agreed to a 0 percent deal. In this episode, I walk through a very simple analysis you can run yourself to detect this. It takes minutes. Export your campaign data as a CSV and look for campaigns where net revenue is positive but rev share commission is zero. That’s it. If you find it, you either have a 0 percent deal attached or no deal assigned at all. Either way, you are losing money. I am currently looking at accounts where there are tens of thousands in deposits generating no rev share commission. That is not a rounding error. That is a structural issue. Some programs will blame software. Some will blame you. Some will say a deal was never signed. None of that changes the fact that if you are approved, sending traffic, and generating revenue, there should be a deal attached. Stop assuming it is set up correctly. Audit your campaigns. Sort by highest net revenue. Check your rev share column. If it is zero and it should not be, you have a problem. If you are not measuring it, you are guessing. Shout to supporters of the show StatsDrone and Odys iGaming. Our affiliate software supporters include iGsuite.

AI tools have changed the game. In this episode, I break down why “vibe coding” your own CRM is not only possible, but easier than most people think. With modern cloud tools, you can replicate core CRM features in hours, not months. I share why SaaS giants like Salesforce may be more vulnerable than they appear, how on-premise data ownership is becoming critical, and why companies that don’t start building their own internal tools could get left behind. 2026 is going to be disruptive and most aren’t ready. Shoutout to our sponsors at StatsDrone. Affiliate software supporters including iGsuite. Affiliate programs like Royal Partners, RevDuck Affiliates and Master Affiliates. Learn more at RevenueOptimization.io