Scheme-based traffic — is traffic driven to gambling, betting or trading offers by promising a «guaranteed-win scheme». People are told that a casino or game has a vulnerability and that a scheme, bot or «signals» can help them beat the system and make money. Those who work with this type of traffic are called scheme promoters.
Types of schemes
Scheme-based traffic appears in several verticals, and each has its own version of a «scheme»:
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in casinos — a «secret strategy» or «vulnerability» in a specific slot that supposedly guarantees winnings;
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in crash games — a bot that supposedly predicts the exact moment to cash out a bet;
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in betting — «sure-win» match predictions from tipsters, who sell betting predictions;
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in trading and binary options — signals that supposedly predict exactly which direction the price will move.
In addition to their main earnings, scheme promoters often sell access to «VIP chats» and paid courses explaining their schemes.
How the funnel works
Scheme-based traffic goes through several steps:
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creative — a short video where the creator talks about their «scheme», shows winnings and a luxurious lifestyle;
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messenger channel or bot — this is where users are persuaded to take action: they're shown more winnings and testimonials and told how to register;
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offer — the person registers at a casino and makes a deposit to repeat the «scheme».
Why it's a scam
Casino winnings don't depend on any scheme, and the bot doesn't actually predict anything. Videos showing winnings are recorded in advance or filmed using demo accounts with fake balances. Most people who believe in the scheme simply lose their money.
How affiliate networks view scheme-based traffic
Most affiliate networks and advertisers view this type of traffic negatively. Players quickly realize that the scheme doesn't work, stop playing and making deposits, and the advertiser doesn't earn money from them. That's why scheme-based traffic can only be driven to offers where the advertiser explicitly allows it. Such affiliate networks exist, but there aren't many of them.
This type of traffic is also unprofitable for affiliate marketers working on a RevShare model. They receive a percentage of players' losses as long as those players continue gambling, but users attracted through schemes leave quickly. The result is a spike in initial deposits but low LTV.
Important: scheme-based traffic relies on misleading people, which is why it's considered a black-hat traffic generation method. In addition to bans and rejected leads, such campaign setups can also lead to legal problems.
