If you are thinking about joining an affiliate programme on a revenue share basis, the first question to settle is what is NGR. NGR, or net gaming revenue, is the figure your revenue share is calculated on. It is not the amount your referred players stake, and it is not the amount an operator earns before costs. It is a specific, defined number that operators report to us after a list of deductions. Understanding how it is built helps you read your dashboard, plan your content and set realistic expectations before you sign up. This guide walks through the definition used at YouBet Partners, the deductions that turn gross revenue into net revenue, how your rate is applied and what happens in a month when the figure is negative.
What is NGR? The definition in plain English
NGR starts from a simpler number: gross gaming revenue, or GGR. Under clause 1.10 of our Affiliate terms, GGR is the total amount staked by your players with an operator, less the winnings paid to them, for the relevant period, as reported by the operator.
NGR is what remains after the operator takes certain costs away from GGR. Clause 1.11 defines it as GGR less promotional costs, gambling taxes and levies, payment processing costs, chargebacks and reversed transactions, losses from fraud and bad debt, and any fees the operator deducts from us under its terms with us. Every one of these figures is reported by the operator for the players you referred.
In short:
- GGR = amounts staked by your players, less winnings paid to them
- NGR = GGR, less the deductions listed in clause 1.11
- Your RevShare = NGR of your Qualifying Players, multiplied by your RevShare rate
The key point is that your revenue share is never a percentage of stakes or deposits. It is always a percentage of the net figure, which is why the deductions matter so much.
From GGR to NGR: what the operator deducts
Each deduction in the definition reflects a real cost the operator carries. The table below sets out the categories exactly as they appear in clause 1.11 of the terms.
| Clause 1.11 | Deduction | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Promotional costs | Bonuses, free bets and other promotional costs the operator applies to your players |
| (b) | Gambling taxes and levies | Taxes and levies the operator pays on its gaming revenue |
| (c) | Payment costs | Payment processing costs, chargebacks and reversed transactions |
| (d) | Losses | Losses from fraud, bonus abuse and bad debt |
| (e) | Operator fees | Platform, licence, provider or other fees the operator deducts from us under its terms with us |
Two details are worth noting. First, these are the only deductions. Clause 3.4 confirms that YouBet Partners does not charge you any admin fee of its own; the deductions from GGR are only those listed in clause 1.11, applied by the operator. Second, the figures are the operator's, not ours. We do not estimate costs or add our own adjustments to NGR.
This is also why the same level of player activity can produce different NGR figures at different operators. Each licensed brand has its own costs, its own promotional approach and its own agreement with us. You can see the licensed operators we work with on our brands page.
How NGR decides your RevShare
Once NGR is known, the calculation itself is simple. Clause 3.3 sets it out for each month and each operator:
RevShare Commission = NGR of your Qualifying Players × your RevShare rate
Your rate
Rates are agreed with each operator and shown in your Commission Schedule. Our commission page lists revenue share of up to 40%. Under clause 3.2, the default RevShare rate is 70% of the RevShare rate that the operator pays us for the same players. The terms give an example: if an operator pays us 30% of NGR, your rate is 21% of NGR.
Only Qualifying Players count
The formula uses the NGR of your Qualifying Players, not every account opened through your link. Clause 3.6 sets out the conditions. Among them, the player must be new to the operator and have opened the account through your Tracking Link, must be located in South Africa, must not be an Excluded Person, must pass the operator's identity checks, and must be accepted by the operator as a qualifying player. A player referred in breach of the terms never qualifies.
Hybrid deals use NGR too
NGR is not only relevant to pure revenue share. Under the Hybrid model, you earn a smaller fixed amount for each Qualifying Player plus a smaller percentage of NGR. So even on a Hybrid deal, part of what you earn depends on the same net figure. The CPA model, by contrast, is a fixed one-time amount per Qualifying Player and does not depend on NGR.
How long RevShare lasts
Clause 3.7 explains that you earn RevShare on a Qualifying Player for as long as your agreement with us continues and the operator pays us for that player, unless your Commission Schedule states a shorter period. This is why the commission page describes revenue share as best suited to creators and communities building a long-term audience.
What happens when NGR is negative
Because NGR is a net figure, it can be negative in a given month. For example, deductions or the outcome of player activity can push the total below zero. The terms deal with this directly.
Under clause 3.5, if the NGR of your Qualifying Players for an operator is negative in a month, your RevShare Commission for that operator for that month is zero. The negative amount is not carried forward to reduce your commission in later months. This is what the commission page means by no negative carryover.
There are two exceptions:
- If the operator's terms allow it to carry forward losses against us, for example for high-value players or in general, the same carryover applies to your players and your commission.
- Negative amounts caused by fraud, bonus abuse or a breach of the terms may always be set off against any commission owed to you.
Note that the calculation is made per operator. A negative month at one operator does not reduce your RevShare at another operator in the same month.
Why the operator's figures decide
Your dashboard shows clicks and registrations, but NGR comes from the operator. Several clauses make this clear, and they are worth understanding before you start.
- Operator reports prevail. Clause 3.8 says commission is calculated using the operator's reports and our tracking platform records. If they differ, the operator's reports prevail, because that is what we are paid on. Click and registration figures in your dashboard are for information only.
- Fair division where needed. If an operator does not report NGR per promoter, clause 3.3 says we divide it fairly based on the player data the operator gives us.
- Pay-when-paid. Under clause 4.2, your commission for an operator becomes payable only after we receive the operator's payment covering your players, and only up to the amount the operator has paid us for them.
- Adjustments pass through. Under clause 4.4, if an operator reduces, withholds or reverses commission, claws money back or changes the rate it pays us, the same change applies to the commission for your players.
On the practical side, we publish a monthly statement in your dashboard by the 5th business day of each month. If you think a statement is wrong, you need to tell us in writing within 30 days of the statement date. Payment is made monthly on each operator's payment date once your total payable commission reaches R500, with smaller amounts rolling over until that minimum is reached.
None of this guarantees any particular result. What you earn depends on your audience, the operators you promote and the NGR they report. The terms state plainly that we do not promise you will earn any particular amount.
Summary
NGR, or net gaming revenue, is the number your revenue share is built on. It starts with GGR, the amount your players stake less winnings paid, and then subtracts the operator's promotional costs, gambling taxes and levies, payment costs, fraud and bad debt losses, and fees under its terms with us. YouBet Partners adds no admin fee of its own.
Your RevShare is the NGR of your Qualifying Players multiplied by your rate, which by default is 70% of the rate the operator pays us. If NGR is negative in a month, your RevShare for that operator is zero for that month and the loss is not carried forward, unless the operator carries losses over to us or the negative comes from fraud, bonus abuse or a breach of the terms. Throughout, the operator's reports decide the figures. For the full wording, read clauses 1.10, 1.11 and 3.5 in our Affiliate terms.
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