The Profitability Paradox of Crash Games: Insights from Makeberry Affiliates

Crash games have become one of the most talked-about formats in affiliate marketing. For affiliates, they promise scale: wide reach, fast conversions, and creatives that spread with ease. On the surface, they appear to be a profitable traffic source. Yet many advertisers are increasingly choosing to avoid this format.

At this year’s Sempro Conf, Valentyn Halchuk, Head of Business Development at Makeberry Affiliates, delivered a critical assessment of the crash games phenomenon. With more than 7 years of digital marketing experience, Valentyn now leads a team driving millions of dollars in traffic each month, with Facebook buying widely recognized as the best in the market.

What does viral crash traffic really deliver?

1. Chicken Road 🐔 

Emerging only a year ago, Chicken Road quickly built traction with Gen Z, a generation largely unfamiliar with traditional casino products. The acquisition strategy is built on “quick win” messaging, supported by clickbait creatives, bright animations, and aggressive welcome packs.

While this approach drives a rapid influx of players, the quality remains low. The average lifecycle is just 3-4 months, with many players dropping off as soon as the welcome offer expires. In comparison, slot players typically remain active for 6-12 months or longer.

2. Plinko

Plinko is the veteran of the crash segment, maintaining its popularity thanks to simple mechanics, an intuitive interface, and strong viral potential. Traffic quality is noticeably higher than with Chicken Road, and with precise targeting (25+), affiliates can even reach VIP-level players.

However, Plinko is almost entirely video-driven and designed to trigger emotions. As a result, most players treat it as quick entertainment, which translates into shorter lifecycles and weaker retention than slots.

3. Aviator ✈️

Planes and rockets are now established classics of the crash format. They attract a comparatively higher-quality audience, with average stakes above the segment norm. The format performs best across CIS markets and Tier 3 Asia, particularly India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

The main challenge is saturation. Keywords and creatives associated with Aviator are exhausted, and moderators move quickly to block lookalike campaigns. To stay profitable, affiliates must look for innovation within the vertical. One example is Avia Masters by BGaming, a recent release with distinctive mechanics that has already caught the attention of streamers.

Takeaway: Crash games may deliver impressive volume, but not lasting value. Player LTV is low, traffic burns out quickly, and performance is unpredictable, pushing affiliates to constantly search for new approaches.

Where should affiliates focus instead?

Valentyn outlined 7 creative segments that continue to deliver value, retention, and advertiser approval:

1. Classic and mainstream slots on Facebook

Reliable, high-stake performance, and well-received by advertisers. The main challenge is heavy competition, making optimization and differentiation essential.

2. Live slots

Formats with hosts and dynamic presentation engage players for longer and drive stronger retention. Current performance data shows particularly strong demand in India and Italy.

3. Brand spoofing 

Effective but high-risk. Mimicking recognizable brands in creatives can boost click-through and conversion, but it also brings a high probability of account bans and potential legal consequences.

4. News-style creatives

Storytelling with a time-sensitive trigger can deliver higher-quality players, but concepts rarely last longer than 2 weeks before being copied. Success depends on rapid scaling.

5. Social casino

Marketed as “games for fun”, this segment often attracts players with genuine gambling interest who can be gradually converted into real-money products. Retention is stronger and quality is higher than crash audiences, though still weaker than classic slots. The weak spot is vertical formats (Instagram Stories, Audience Network), where traffic quality lags behind Facebook and Instagram feeds.

6. Lotteries and scratch cards

A common entry point for players seeking an instant thrill. While early engagement is impulsive, these users can later be guided into classic casino funnels.

7. Celebrity creatives

Static ads or deepfake videos featuring well-known personalities can still be effective when executed carefully. Broad, straightforward CTAs such as “download the app and play” consistently outperform unrealistic jackpot promises.

For further insights into traffic segmentation, visit the Makeberry Affiliates Telegram channel.

About Makeberry Affiliates

Makeberry Affiliates is a fast-growing affiliate network offering more than 500 gambling and betting offers with global coverage, an advanced analytics system, access to in-house media buying, and flexible, transparent terms for both affiliates and advertisers. 

In 2025, Makeberry Affiliates became the official advertiser for 2 leading online casino brands: 

• WinSpirit casino has already received several prestigious industry awards, including World’s Best Online Casino 2023, Rising Star in Casino 2024, and Voice of the People 2024. Players have access to over 17,000 games, supported by a generous bonus system.
• RocketPlay casino offers more than 9,000 slots from leading providers, along with personalised promos, tournaments, and cashback offers. The brand has also strengthened its commitment to responsible gaming, earning certification from Chipy.com, Casino Guru, and AskGamblers.