The get a bonus for referring users (get $100 if you sign someone up that plays for xxx) and signing up (get $100 if you sign up and play for yyy) to the platform. The platform wants to attract gamblers but instead is getting people ‘doing a job’ that are probably significantly less sticky. Is that illegal or just against the T&Cs of the platform? Im not sure.

I’m not sure how this makes money overall though since the reward money has to be balanced at the population level so the platform always comes out ahead. I suspect there’s an element of getting the employee to gamble with their own money with promises to pay that don’t materialise.

Overall the platforms play a numbers game. Pay $200 to get a new customer, because, on average each customer makes them $200 + y. But there's a toooon of variability.

They know, and expect, on x% they won't make that $200 back. This scheme structured itself on increasing that x% and being low-volume enough for platforms to not catch on or redefine their acquisition programme.

And if you are that real customer that will provide that y, you're going to sign on the platform with the big bonuses.

There was some forum post by a platform's "loss officer" looking for info on this scheme. They suggested anyone taking part was "money laundering", but money laundering is a pretty broadly worded offence. The responses weren't sympathetic to an online casino complaining about losing money on more signups.

Thanks that makes a lot more sense.