Unmissable: Big Betty Partners on brand and growth

Having been around since 2021, last year’s iGBA Awards Best Newcomer, Big Betty Partners, entered a saturated space with many established affiliate programmes. According to the company’s head of affiliates, Bogdan T, the early days were tough, with the team having to build trust and market position from scratch.

“We started as a new affiliate program, so our strategic priority was clear positioning, a strong value proposition and differentiation from existing players,” Bogdan T recalls. “This strategy helped us establish a solid foundation of trust and build a distinct identity in the market.”

A key differentiator of the business is its unique visual identity. Having identified a gap for “unconventional design and a clear tone of voice” in a sea of boilerplate branding, the founders chose the fictional vintage poster girl Betty as the face of the company. Combined with personalised offers, this approach helped the programme gradually build its partnership network and rise to the top of the market.

Scaling on and offline

As the company moved beyond its launch phase, the focus shifted to growth, which Bogdan T says meant “not only acquiring new partners but also building an internal operational system capable of supporting higher volumes without compromising quality or performance metrics”. This meant standardising workflows, expanding the team and introducing analytics infrastructure. As a result, Big Betty Partners has grown to more than 5,000 active partners, while reducing inactive accounts.

Alongside internal development, the business also heavily invested in its external presence by becoming a regular at global trade shows. Rather than just buying stands, the team turned them into offline incarnations of its brand identity. At iGB Affiliate in Barcelona this last January, for example, stilt-walking performers dressed up as Betty greeted attendees and handed out leaflets (below).

The team also prepared a selection of branded gifts, from Dali-inspired hoodies to alcohol-free beer for hangover recovery, custom Lego sets and a mystery box for lucky draws to boost interactions. Bogdan T says that merch has become part of the company’s partner ecosystem, going beyond a marketing gimmick to “a tool for long-term brand recognition and engagement”.

Bogdan T explains: “Preparing for such events involves complex internal coordination, from planning to execution of the concept and cross-team alignment. 

“Today, we already see competitors replicating our activities and implementing similar stand solutions. The fact that others adopt these ideas confirms that our approach is both effective and practical.”

A validated win

Against this backdrop of structured growth, the Big Betty team decided to enter last year’s iGB Affiliate Awards, confident that its “solid foundation of processes, capabilities and measurable results could justify industry recognition”.

“We did not pursue participation to collect awards,” Bogdan T recalls. “For us, it is about alignment with our actual performance, not visibility for its own sake.”

When the company was announced as the Best Newcomer at London’s Troxy stage, the team felt “genuinely happy and grateful”. Bogdan T says the award validated the programme’s scaling strategy and long-term vision, and affirmed that its pace is “truly accelerating”.

Beyond the moment, Bogdan T sees the category as a morale boost for emerging companies. “For startups, such awards are especially important,” he says. “When a new company enters the market, it is not only launching a product but also building reputation, trust, and its position within the industry. Industry recognition confirms that the results are visible and competitive.”

He also points to the wider benefits across the iGaming ecosystem. By recognising high-performing newcomers, the category can raise the bar across the board, stimulate competition and encourage more sophisticated partnership models. Internally, it also serves as a motivator for teams navigating the uncertainty of early-stage growth.

Added confidence

When analysing public feedback and media coverage, the team identified instances where new partners cited the award as a reason for joining. Rather than triggering “a new transformational stage”, Bogdan T says the award represents “a logical reinforcement” of the brand’s existing development framework, with “additional opportunities to strengthen trust and expand partner network”.  

The recognition has also been integrated into Big Betty Partners’ communications strategy. By sharing the achievement across its own channels and external platforms and placing the trophy logo on the official site, the team has used it to maintain transparency and showcase results.

Looking ahead to this July, the team has already booked a stand at iGB L!VE and is once again gearing up for the iGB Affiliate Awards. But having established itself as an industry black horse, it is now positioning itself among the leading programmes.

“Our consistent growth strategy shows that we are already ready to compete for the Best Affiliate Program title,” Bogdan T says. “We will definitely participate this year, with systematic work and measurable results allowing us to demonstrate to the market that we have grown into a leader who sets the pace in our category.”