affiliate tracking<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 1: Partner (Affiliate ID)<\/strong> The affiliate network or individual partner. Auto-assigned by your platform. Never changes. Example: partner_12345<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 2: Offer (Offer ID)<\/strong> Which product or promotion the affiliate is promoting. You might have different offers for different geos, different welcome bonuses, or different brand variants. Example: offer_welcome100<\/code> or offer_casinogames_de<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 3: Campaign<\/strong> The affiliate’s marketing initiative. Time-bound or ongoing. This is their organization layer. Example: spring2026_relaunch<\/code> or evergreen_review<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 4: Placement<\/strong> Where the link appears. This is the page or channel context. Example: homepage_hero<\/code>, reviewpage_table<\/code>, twitch_overlay<\/code>, email_header<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 5: Creative<\/strong> The specific ad creative, CTA text, or visual variant. Example: banner_300x250_v2<\/code>, cta_getbonus_red<\/code>, video_intro_15sec<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\nLevel 6: SubID Slots (sub1\u2013sub5)<\/strong> Flexible dimension fields that affiliates populate based on their tracking needs. These map to the hierarchy above or capture additional metadata.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExample mapping:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nsub1<\/code> = traffic source platform (organic, meta, google, twitch)<\/li>\n\n\n\nsub2<\/code> = campaign identifier<\/li>\n\n\n\nsub3<\/code> = placement\/position<\/li>\n\n\n\nsub4<\/code> = creative variant<\/li>\n\n\n\nsub5<\/code> = geo or device or experiment ID<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nOptional Dimensions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nGEO code (especially if offer isn’t geo-specific)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet, app)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Landing page variant (if you’re A\/B testing landing pages)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Funnel step (for multi-step registration flows)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nThe key is consistency. Don’t let one affiliate use sub1<\/code> for campaign while another uses it for creative. Define a standard and enforce it in your affiliate onboarding documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe “Never Change This” Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Use stable IDs, not mutable labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u274c Wrong approach: Set campaign=SummerPromo2026<\/code> then reuse that field next year for campaign=WinterPromo2027<\/code>. Now your historical data is corrupted. Last year’s summer traffic is labeled with this year’s winter campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2705 Right approach: Use immutable identifiers. campaign=c_001<\/code> where c_001 always refers to Summer 2026, even after the campaign ends. Store the human-readable label (“Summer Promo 2026”) in your campaign metadata table, not in your tracking parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis applies to all dimensions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nOffer IDs don’t change meaning<\/li>\n\n\n\n Placement IDs don’t get reassigned<\/li>\n\n\n\n SubID schemas don’t shift definitions mid-year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nWhen you need to change something, create a new ID. Don’t reuse old ones. Your year-over-year analysis will thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SubID Naming Convention Template (Copy\/Paste Ready)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Use a consistent separator-delimited format for SubID values when affiliates need to pack multiple dimensions into one field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recommended format:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nsource|channel|placement|creative|variant\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nReal example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nsub1=twitch|channelXYZ|overlay|bonus50|v2\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis reads as: traffic source is Twitch, specific channel is channelXYZ, placement is the stream overlay, creative is the “bonus50” offer, variant is version 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allowed characters:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nLowercase letters: a-z<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nNumbers: 0-9<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nHyphens: -<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nUnderscores: _<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\nPipe separator: |<\/code> (use only if your tracking stack doesn’t mangle it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nAvoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSpaces (they break URLs or get encoded as %20)<\/li>\n\n\n\n Special characters: &, ?, #, =, \/<\/code> (these have meaning in URLs)<\/li>\n\n\n\nUppercase letters (causes case-sensitivity matching issues)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nMax length guidance:<\/strong> Most platforms handle 255 characters per SubID field. Practical limit: keep each SubID under 100 characters. If you need more, you’re probably overcomplicating it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCase rules:<\/strong> Lowercase everything. Twitch<\/code> and twitch<\/code> will be treated as different values in most reporting systems. Pick one (lowercase), enforce it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSeparator rules:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nUse |<\/code> (pipe) to separate logical components within a SubID<\/li>\n\n\n\nUse -<\/code> (hyphen) within component values (campaign-name-here<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\nUse _<\/code> (underscore) for word separation (landing_page_variant<\/code>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nAvoid mixing separators inconsistently. Pick a standard and document it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example SubID schema for media buyers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nsub1 = platform-campaign-id\nsub2 = adset-id\nsub3 = ad-id \nsub4 = landing-page-variant\nsub5 = geo-device\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPopulated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sub1=meta-spring2026\nsub2=adset-789\nsub3=ad-456-carousel\nsub4=lp-v3\nsub5=de-mobile\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nClean. Parseable. URL-safe. Ready for reporting segmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click ID Lifecycle: From Click to Postback to Payout<\/h2>\n\n\n\nStep-by-Step Lifecycle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Understanding the Click ID journey is essential to debugging attribution problems. Here’s exactly what happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Click generated \u2192 Click ID issued<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer clicks affiliate’s tracking link:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https://yourcasino.com\/?aff_id=12345&sub1=twitch&sub2=stream-jan15\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nYour tracking system receives the click, generates a unique Click ID, logs the event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Click ID: clk_a7f3d9e2b4\nTimestamp: 2026-01-15 14:32:18 UTC\nAffiliate ID: 12345\nSubID values: {sub1: \"twitch\", sub2: \"stream-jan15\"}\nIP: 85.214.x.x\nUser Agent: Mozilla\/5.0...\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n2. Redirected to landing page (with params)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer gets redirected to your landing page with Click ID appended:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https://yourcasino.com\/register?click_id=clk_a7f3d9e2b4\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nYour landing page JavaScript or server-side code extracts the Click ID and stores it (cookie, localStorage, or server-side session).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Registration event fired<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer completes registration. Your platform fires an event to your tracking system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POST \/api\/conversion\n{\n \"click_id\": \"clk_a7f3d9e2b4\",\n \"event\": \"registration\",\n \"player_id\": \"p_847392\",\n \"timestamp\": \"2026-01-15 14:38:44 UTC\"\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nTracking system matches Click ID to the original click, validates it, creates a conversion record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. KYC event (optional but valuable)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer passes KYC verification. Platform fires another event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
{\n \"click_id\": \"clk_a7f3d9e2b4\",\n \"event\": \"kyc_approved\",\n \"player_id\": \"p_847392\",\n \"timestamp\": \"2026-01-15 16:22:11 UTC\"\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n5. Deposit event (FTD – First Time Deposit)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer makes first deposit. PSP or platform fires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
{\n \"click_id\": \"clk_a7f3d9e2b4\",\n \"event\": \"first_deposit\",\n \"player_id\": \"p_847392\",\n \"amount\": \"200.00\",\n \"currency\": \"EUR\",\n \"timestamp\": \"2026-01-15 18:45:33 UTC\"\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is typically when commission becomes payable (after hold period).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Wager\/NGR events (the gold standard)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer wagers, platform calculates NGR, fires ongoing events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
{\n \"click_id\": \"clk_a7f3d9e2b4\",\n \"event\": \"ngr_update\",\n \"player_id\": \"p_847392\",\n \"ngr\": \"45.30\",\n \"period\": \"2026-01-15\",\n \"timestamp\": \"2026-01-16 02:00:00 UTC\"\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n7. Postback sends data back to affiliate network<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf your affiliate is working through a network that requires postbacks, your system makes a server-to-server call:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
POST https:\/\/affiliate-network.com\/postback\n{\n \"click_id\": \"clk_a7f3d9e2b4\",\n \"status\": \"approved\",\n \"payout\": \"80.00\",\n \"currency\": \"EUR\",\n \"transaction_id\": \"txn_445566\"\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n8. Conversion validated \u2192 payable or reversed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour finance team reviews the conversion during the hold period. If player is clean (no fraud, no chargeback), status stays “approved” and becomes payable. If fraud detected, status changes to “rejected” and commission is reversed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Payout logic reads validated events<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMonth-end arrives. Your payout system queries all conversions with status=approved<\/code> for each affiliate, calculates commission based on your agreement (CPA, RevShare<\/a>, hybrid), generates payout reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe entire flow is keyed on Click ID. Without it, this chain breaks at step 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Breaks It<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Redirect chains stripping params<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPlayer clicks affiliate link \u2192 redirects through affiliate’s tracking domain \u2192 redirects through your CDN \u2192 lands on your site. Each hop is an opportunity to lose URL parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If any redirect doesn’t preserve query params, your click_id<\/code> disappears. Player registers with no attribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFix: Test your redirect chain. Use server-side 302 redirects that explicitly preserve all query parameters. Avoid JavaScript redirects that might not carry params.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cross-domain hops without pass-through<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAffiliate link is on review-site.com<\/code>. Your registration is on yourcasino.com<\/code>. Browser cookies don’t transfer across domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’re relying on cookies to persist Click ID across domains, it won’t work. Use URL parameters and server-side storage instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mobile in-app browsers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nInstagram, Facebook, TikTok all use in-app browsers with restricted cookie and storage access. Click ID stored in a cookie might not persist when player opens the link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fix: Use server-side Click ID storage tied to a session identifier that survives browser quirks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caching \/ prefetch \/ bot clicks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCDNs and browsers prefetch links. Bots crawl affiliate links. Each generates a click but never leads to a real player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your system registers thousands of Click IDs from bot traffic<\/a>. When a real player registers, if you’re not validating that the Click ID came from a human session, you might attribute to a bot click instead of the real affiliate click.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFix: Implement bot detection at click time. Flag suspicious clicks. Use fingerprinting or behavioral signals to validate human traffic before issuing Click IDs that count toward attribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrong event mapping from platform\/CRM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour gaming platform fires a “new_player” event but doesn’t include Click ID in the payload. Your tracking system receives the event and has no way to attribute it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fix: Ensure your platform integration includes Click ID in every event payload. Registration, deposit, wager\u2014everything needs the Click ID field populated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parameter Map (The Core Implementation Table)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Here’s the complete parameter reference for casino affiliate tracking. Use this as your integration specification:<\/p>\n\n\n\nParameter<\/th> Set By<\/th> Purpose<\/th> Example Value<\/th> Required?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> click_id<\/code><\/td>Platform (auto)<\/td> Unique click identifier for attribution<\/td> clk_a7f3d9e2b4<\/code><\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr> affiliate_id<\/code><\/td>Platform<\/td> Identifies which partner\/affiliate<\/td> aff_12345<\/code><\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr> offer_id<\/code><\/td>Operator<\/td> Which offer\/promotion being tracked<\/td> offer_welcome100_de<\/code><\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr> sub1<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> First SubID dimension (traffic source)<\/td> twitch<\/code><\/td>Recommended<\/td><\/tr> sub2<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Second SubID dimension (campaign)<\/td> stream-jan15<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr> sub3<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Third SubID dimension (placement)<\/td> overlay<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr> sub4<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Fourth SubID dimension (creative)<\/td> bonus50-cta<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr> sub5<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Fifth SubID dimension (variant\/geo)<\/td> de-mobile<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr> creative_id<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Specific creative asset identifier<\/td> banner_728x90_v3<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr> placement_id<\/code><\/td>Affiliate<\/td> Where the link appeared<\/td> homepage_hero<\/code><\/td>Optional<\/td><\/tr>
![\"partner](\"https:\/\/www.scaleo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/scaleo-partner-marketing-software-developed-fori-igaming-industry-scaled.jpg\" "\\"-\\"")
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