Blask, an AI-driven iGaming analytics platform, is preparing to unveil a new feature that will provide day-to-day tracking of operator brands on affiliate sites and provide documented proof of their positions. Prior to the official launch, CEO and Co-founder Max Tesla spoke with The Gamblest about the historical reliance on trust for affiliate placements, the expected changes with this new capability, and what operators can anticipate once it is active.
The Gamblest: Can you explain the new Affiliates feature?
Max: This feature will allow operators to see their brand's specific placement on affiliate pages alongside their competitors on any given day. They will be able to confirm whether their brand is in second place, eleventh, or any position in between, and whether its placement has changed since the previous day. Our system detects the relevant affiliate sites, identifies pages that display brand rankings, and captures a daily snapshot of which brands are present and in what order.
The Gamblest: What issue are you addressing with this feature?
Max: Affiliate placements are typically based on contractual agreements, where an operator pays for a logo to be displayed in a particular location on a specified page for a determined period. Unfortunately, there’s no method to verify these placements after the fact. Operators currently rely on screenshots from affiliate managers, who have a vested interest in ensuring those images support their claims. Consequently, every month, operators receive invoices that lack substantive proof.
The Gamblest: How is the data for this feature collected?
Max: Our approach involves three main steps. First, it’s a continuous discovery process rather than a static list reliant on manual maintenance. Second, we catalog all available pages on each site to locate those that feature brand rankings. Lastly, we record daily which brands appear on these pages and their respective rankings. Each brand's position is logged alongside a screenshot to document the display order, from top to bottom and left to right.
The Gamblest: What was the biggest challenge in developing this feature?
Max: The primary difficulty was ensuring the ranking logic remained effective when interacting with real web pages. If a page redesign or a script alters logo arrangements during a refresh, it can disrupt our straightforward "read the page" strategy. In our early developments, we encountered a bug where a brand was mistakenly flagged as absent because the affiliate began using lazy-loaded images that appeared below the screen fold. Although the brand was present, our crawler had not scrolled sufficiently. This experience taught us that verification tools need to be exceedingly thoroughly designed to minimize false negatives.
The Gamblest: Is it possible for an affiliate or operator to manipulate the results by altering logo placements to coincide with your data collection?
Max: If someone is crafty enough to time a logo switch precisely before our crawler runs, there are deeper questions about their motivations. To clarify, our product provides screenshots as evidence rather than numbers we process post-collection and could modify. If someone is actively manipulating logo placements when we scan, that raises important issues beyond just the data itself.
The Gamblest: How will this feature empower operators in ways they currently can’t?
Max: There are two main functions. First, operators can confirm that their brand appears where the contract stipulates on the specified dates. They can easily retrieve the affiliate details, page, date, ranking, and screenshot. Second, and more significant over time, they will be able to monitor their competitors' footprint in affiliate marketing. They can track when a brand appears on new affiliates, observe shifts week over week, and determine exactly which sites are featuring it. The first function acts as an audit, while the second provides a competitive intelligence tool that operators have previously lacked.
The Gamblest: Will this feature bring benefits solely to operators, or can affiliates also gain from it?
Max: This tool offers value to both operators and affiliates. Affiliates build trust when pitching to new operators, as well-respected affiliates promote reputable brands. Once our feature is operational, affiliates will be able to demonstrate how many brands rank on their sites, which ones, and for how long. Strong affiliates will want this data to be publicly visible. This shift echoes trends seen when ad networks stopped relying on self-reported impressions and began using verified metrics, leading operators to place more trust in validated numbers.
The Gamblest: Why has this type of affiliate analysis not been developed before?
Max: The landscape of affiliate placements consists of countless uniquely designed web pages that lack standardization, and these placements change daily. There is no API that answers the question of "what does this page look like today?" Someone must manually check every relevant page every single day, and even more so when these pages undergo redesigns. Many companies deem the ongoing maintenance too burdensome, but we chose to reimagine the web archive in our own way.
The Gamblest: How does this feature fit within Blask's existing framework? Is it an add-on or central to your mission?
Max: It embodies the core philosophy guiding everything we create at Blask: identify signals that can predict market trends and make them accessible. Affiliate placements function as both a demand and competitive signal, similar to search demand or game visibility. This particular aspect has simply remained unstructured until now; we are enhancing the existing framework in which operators track over 5,000 brands already present in Blask.
The Gamblest: When will this feature officially launch, and what regions will it cover initially?
Max: We expect to launch within the next few weeks, starting with Brazil. Given the heavy reliance on affiliate marketing in Brazil's operational strategies, the ability to confirm whether a logo is located as agreed is particularly significant at this time. Expansion will occur thereafter. I prefer to commit to one market where I feel confident rather than provide an extensive list that may require reevaluation in the near future. I should also emphasize that the preview version represents only the beginning; we have many additional features under development that will roll out by the end of the year.
The Gamblest: What does success look like for you in a year?
Max: Success, a year from now, would mean that when heads of affiliates in the iGaming space seek information, they instinctively turn to Blask Affiliates instead of relying on email attachments or spreadsheets. Achieving this behavioral shift is the true milestone, one that will lead to global coverage of our services regardless.
