In the second part of this iGB L!VE 2025 speaker interview series, Game Lounge CTO Keith Cassar discusses the fragmented state of affiliate platform data, why transparency is essential for trust and performance, as well as how the Trust and Data Index is setting a new benchmark for the iGaming industry.
Drawn by the “rigour of technical science and the creativity of natural sciences”, Game Lounge CTO and iGB L!VE speaker Keith Cassar began his career as a software developer at a Malta firm, working on automating manual business processes. He later relocated to London to study information security and spent over seven years at King, the company behind the viral tile-matching game Candy Crush Saga. There, he learned to navigate data complexity at a scale of 300 million daily users and, most importantly, “how essential reliable accessible data is for fast-paced decision making”.
Affiliates sit between players and operators, which means you get a full view of the business
By 2020, Cassar was ready for something new. With iGaming now a major part of Malta’s tech landscape, he was keen to explore how the industry worked. So when a head of data position opened at Game Lounge, he applied straight away and got the job. For him, the role felt like a natural fit.
“Affiliates sit between players and operators, which means you get a full view of the business: user acquisition, conversion and revenue. It felt like the right entry point,” he recalls.
Now serving as the affiliate’s CTO, Cassar leads the company’s entire technology function. He oversees everything from the stability and scalability of internal systems to developing security and governance frameworks and driving product integration across teams. A major focus is enabling teams to work with usable and accessible data. But as he explains, achieving that is rarely straightforward.
Even basic terms like “click”, “NDC” or “FTD” can mean different things depending on the platform
A fragmented landscape
In a previous iGBA interview, OLBG’s commercial manager Sam Darkens said the lack of data transparency has been among the biggest challenges in the iGaming space. Cassar agrees and says most affiliate platforms’ reporting features were designed for operators, not affiliates. This mismatch leads to constant headaches.
“There are inconsistent metric definitions, vague documentation and very little granularity. Even basic terms like ‘click’, ‘NDC’ or ‘FTD’ can mean different things depending on the platform,” he explains. “Granularity is one of the biggest issues. Some platforms offer breakdowns by campaign, geo or brand. Others provide a single total with no context.”
The way data is accessed also varies wildly. While some platforms offer filtered API access, others might only provide a CSV export “that breaks if a column changes”. This leaves affiliates in limbo, wasting hours doing manual work to align datasets that should be standardised in theory.
When conversions or commissions are quietly reduced without explanation and when the data lacks transparency, doubts grow quickly
These issues are not merely annoying – they directly affect affiliates’ performance, as it can be challenging to optimise underperforming campaigns based on data with a low level of detail. More concerning is the lack of transparency around total commissions, as affiliates often struggle to get clear reporting on the figures.
“Even worse, it increases the risk of being shaved by an operator. When conversions or commissions are quietly reduced without explanation and when the data lacks transparency, doubts grow quickly. This kind of opacity puts affiliates at a disadvantage and undermines trust across the value chain,” he adds.
A win-win-win: the Trust and Data Index
Game Lounge has been on a mission to solve the industry riddle since very early on. Back in 2019, the team joined forces with Better Collective, Catena Media and Raketech to develop the Affiliate Standard Reporting framework. But adoption stalled, and only NetRefer was able to fully implement the standard.
Now in 2025, as the affiliate moves to the next phase of growth, Cassar couldn’t sit for longer. Starting with an internal scorecard rating platforms’ key verticals, the team gradually developed the Trust and Data Index, which it now shares externally as an industry benchmark.
Visualised as a quadrant (below), the Index plots platforms by granularity and usability. The “gold standard” quadrant sits in the top-right corner, hosting platforms that offer structured, reliable and secure data, accessible via stable APIs and clear documentation. At the opposite end is the “black box”, including platforms that offer only minimal detail and restricted access.
Our aim is not to call anyone out but to raise standards across the board
“Our aim is not to call anyone out but to raise standards across the board,” he explains. “We are also starting to share these results with operators so they know which platforms help us perform and which ones slow us down.”
Cassar sees the Trust and Data Index as a “win-win-win” for everyone in the value chain. For affiliates, it brings much-needed clarity on which platforms enable efficient data-led decision-making. For operators, it reduces friction and improves outcomes by making conversations more transparent. And for platforms, it “gives clear direction on what matters most to their users”, highlighting the often overlooked core issues of data quality, structure and access.
There’s also a broader ethical dimension. Cassar stresses that player safety is a key part of Game Lounge’s initiative, noting that affiliates need “access to granular anonymised data not just to optimise performance but to understand patterns in user activity and to make sure no one is being exposed to harm”.
“What we see is anonymous player activity, not identities. This level of transparency allows us to monitor behavioural patterns, flag unusual activity and act responsibly,” he adds.
Transparency in data is no longer optional. It’s the foundation for trust, performance and player protection
What’s next
Game Lounge plans to update the Index twice a year, keeping pace with changes across affiliate platforms and creating momentum for them to improve. Cassar is also opening the door to more collaborations, inviting platforms and operators to have open discussions and build trust in the iGaming ecosystem.
Internally, the team is running initiatives to detect and counteract “data shaving”. Cassar is making sure the sales teams are part of this conversation too: “They’re being trained to understand how data quality affects delivery and they’re bringing it up in discussions with operator partners. This means the message is not just coming from tech or data. It’s reflected across the business.”
Looking ahead, Cassar believes a key area that needs more focus is real-time data. In this increasingly competitive space, affiliates “can’t afford to operate on a 24-hour delay”. He is calling on the industry to move towards “platforms that provide live or near-live data with stable APIs and predictable updates”.
“Without timely data, it’s impossible to optimise campaigns at the pace the business requires. We’ll keep advocating for this in every conversation we have with platforms and operators,” Cassar says.
“Transparency in data is no longer optional. It’s the foundation for trust, performance and player protection and we’re going to keep pushing for it.”
Keith Cassar will be speaking at "Tracking Transparency: Building Trust-Based Partnerships Backed by Data" on 3 July 2025 at iGB L!VE 2025.