The gaming industry has a unique online space wherein link building scams do not work. Publishers are traditional, rules are strict, and competition is ruthless. Yet, links continue to be one of the strongest rank indicators for casino sites trying to pierce through the noise.
This guide walks you through the reality of casino link building in 2025, talking about what actually works, where to find placements, and how to navigate the gray areas without drowning your domain authority.
What Is Casino Link Building?
Casino link building is the act of obtaining backlinks to your gaming, betting, or casino site from other sites. These links tell search engines that your website is reliable and authoritative, something that directly influences your rankings for topically competitive keywords such as “best online casino” or “sports betting sites.”
The hitch? Most serious sites wouldn’t touch gambling content with a ten-foot pole. Banks don’t link to you, lifestyle sites avoid you, and even some search optimization companies turn away casino clients because of perceived risk and complexity.
This leaves a supply-and-demand problem. Everyone in the casino niche needs good links, but finding the publishers who are inclined to provide them takes experience, contacts, and sometimes a willingness to work in the gray areas of an industry.
Why Link Building for Casinos Is Such a Challenge
If you’ve tried building links for a casino site, you’ve probably discovered your normal techniques don’t work. This is why the casino niche presents unique challenges:
1. Heavy Competition
The online gambling sector will surpass $100 billion in 2026. You’re competing with sites that have seven-figure budgets and five-year old credibility when there’s that kind of money at stake. Your competition is not bootstrapping startups—you’re competing with sites that are spending six figures a month in SEO alone.
2. Seven-Figure Budgets Needed
Speaking of budgets, link building for casinos ain’t cheap. You can pay $800-$2,000 for one DR60+ guest post for the online gambling niche. Need to rank for terms like “online slots”? You’re going to need dozens of authority links, which means you’re paying five-figure monthly subscriptions just to stay afloat.
3. Strict Laws and Regulations
Gambling advertising laws vary wildly from country to country and even across the different states. What is legal in Malta might be illegal in the US. Publishers know that, and therefore they make sure not to carry gambling content. One wrong link will land them in regulatory trouble.
4. Most Sites Do Not Link to Gambling Content
This is the mother lode. Even placement-paying sites will have their gambling, adult content, and pharma swept under a blanket ban. You’ll sell 100 sites and receive a rejection notice 95 times based solely on your category. You’ll require a niche network of publishers who will even consider taking casino sites–something few in-house teams can even get near.
5. The Need for Gray and Black Hat Methods
This is where we get practical. The reality is that the majority of successful casino sites use practices that exist in the gray area between white hat and black hat SEO. PBNs, parasite SEO, and aggressive anchor text strategies are common because purely white-hat strategies have a hard time at the pace the business demands.
Does this mean you should head out and create a shady PBN immediately? No. But realizing that these methods exist—and why the competition uses them—places you in a place to make informed decisions about your own strategy.
Common Tactics Used to Get Gambling and Casino Links
Let’s break down the most common link building methods in the casino niche. Some are riskier than others, yet they all have their time and place depending on your risk tolerance and goals.
Parasite SEO Link Building
Parasite SEO involves posting content on high-authority websites (look to Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, or niche forums) and linking back to your online casino site. These sites have established domain authority, and thus the content will rank quickly even in highly competitive niches.
The appeal: Quick return and relatively low expense compared to traditional guest blogging.
The threat: Google has been cracking down on parasite SEO tactics, especially when used too forcefully. Employ this tactic sparingly and ensure that your content really offers value to readers.
PBN Backlinks
Private Blog Networks consist of websites built expressly to pass link equity onto cash sites. In the casino niche, PBNs are common since they offer anchor text domination, placement timing, and link velocity control.
The benefit: Complete control and the ability to scale quickly.
The danger: If Google finds your PBN, you can be hit with a manual penalty that plunges your rankings overnight. PBNs require ongoing maintenance, quality hosting, and detailed footprinting. Not for the faint of heart.
Guest Posting
Inbound guest blogging means pitching associated sites and delivering excellent content in exchange for a relevant link. For casino sites, this means targeting gambling blogs, entertainment sites, and lifestyle titles that permit gambling content.
The appeal: When done well, guest posts are relatively risk-free and provide long-term value.
The dilemma: It is time-consuming to find publishers that are open to accepting casino material. That is why casinos websites typically work with professional link building agencies or use marketplaces such as the Search Royals marketplace where publishers have already been vetted and are open to gambling inserts.
Editorial Links
Editorial links are the holy grail—links that are inserted naturally because your content is actually worth linking to. Think data analyses, industry reports, or newsworthy announcements.
The appeal: They’re what Google values most and safest of all.
The reality: They’re extremely difficult to acquire in the gambling industry unless you’re a big brand or have the budget for top-level PR campaigns.
PR Link Building
Speaking of PR, this is all about being mentioned on online publications through press releases, expert view, or newsworthy articles. It is one of the more real ways to build authority within the casino niche.
Best suited for: Established brands with good stories to tell or figures to reveal.
Expired Domains and 301 Redirects
This tactic is to buy up expired domains that have mature backlink profiles and point them to your casino site. If done properly, you inherit the domain’s authority.
The appeal: Gain authority immediately without building links from scratch.
The risk: Google can detect manipulative redirects. Only works if the expired domain is actually gaming or entertainment relevant.
Tiered Link Building
Tiered link building is a method of creating links to your links. Your money site is linked by Tier 1 sites and then you build Tier 2 links to the Tier 1 pages in order to pass more authority.
Best for: Scaling link equity when direct links to your site are expensive or difficult to obtain.
Aggressive Anchor Text
Casino sites use exact-match anchor text more than any other industry. Terms like “top betting sites” or “best online casino” are used to excess throughout link profiles.
Balance: Too much exact-match anchor text appears unnatural. Have branded anchors, naked URLs, and generic words in your combination to make your profile look natural.
Domain Hacking
This consists of finding creative ways to place links on high-authority pages through loopholes—like user-submitted content zones, comment forums with dofollow links, or poorly moderated boards.
The appeal: Sites you couldn’t otherwise hit.
The sustainability: Low. These are quick-fix patched up.
Where Can I Get Relevant Links in a Casino Topic?
The hardest part of casino link building is discovering high-quality and relevant placements. These are the best categories to search:
- Gaming and entertainment blogs — Sites that cover video games, gaming, and entertainment often accept gambling content due to niche overlap.
- Affiliate review websites — Purpose-built to review and recommend casinos, these sites are competitive but excellent for topical relevance.
- Betting tip and strategy websites — Publishers focused on sports betting strategy, poker strategy, or casino game strategy are perfect for contextual linking.
- Lifestyle and men’s interest sites — Certain lifestyle publications accept gambling content, especially when framed as entertainment rather than promotion.
- Regional gambling news sites — Specialized publications covering gambling legislation, industry news, or local casino openings can provide valid links.
- Forums and communities — While forum links aren’t as strong as they once were, active gaming communities still generate referral traffic and contextual relevance.
The problem? Most people trying to create casino links by hand do not have connections with these publishers. They spend weeks pitching and getting ghosted. This is where working with a link building agency that operates in the gambling space can save you time and money. Agencies and marketplaces already have pre-verified networks of publishers, so you avoid the rejection phase entirely.
How to Create Casino Backlinks for Your Online Betting Website
Now let’s be real. Here is an end-to-end process to build a sustainable casino link profile:
1. Create High-Quality Informative Content
This might go without saying, but it’s worth repeating: your best hope at getting links is creating content that others actually want to link to. Think beyond skinny affiliate reviews. Consider creating:
Original data studies like “Which slot games have the highest RTP in 2025?” that provide real value through research and analysis.
Industry analysis articles such as “How gambling regulation changes are affecting European markets” that position you as a thought leader.
Interactive resources including betting calculators, odds converters, and bankroll management software that users will naturally want to reference and share.
If your content produces genuine value, outreach becomes easier because you’re offering publishers something their audience will appreciate.
2. Guest Post on Related Websites
Guest blogging remains effective if you can get in front of the appropriate publishers. The key lies in relevance—do not waste your time pitching tech sites or health sites. Target:
- Gaming and lifestyle websites that already feature gambling material
- Sports blogs that specialize in betting markets
- Gaming websites with casino or esports sections
Quality over quantity. A single backlink from a DR70 website with interested traffic is worth more than ten useless links from irrelevant DR30 websites.
When you’re just beginning, building those manually takes months. If you must scale quicker, you can buy backlinks from verified publishers through Search Royals’ marketplace that provide instant access to approved publishers accepting gambling content. No more guessing if your pitch even gets opened.
3. Form Link Partnership with Gaming and Entertainment Niche Sites
Strategic alliances can create regular link opportunities. Target complementary businesses in the gaming category:
Esports clubs and tournament organizers often have audiences that overlap with casino and betting demographics.
Game review sites frequently cover gambling-adjacent content and may be open to partnerships.
Streaming platforms that feature poker or casino content can provide valuable exposure and backlinks.
Sports analytics sites naturally align with sports betting content and can be ideal partners.
Give each other mutual value—co-created content, data sharing, or cross-promotion. These kinds of partnerships pay off in the long run and deliver links that Google sees as natural.
4. Get Casino and Gambling Links from Resource Pages
Resource pages are well-researched compilations of helpful links on a specific topic. They’re goldilocks link-building areas—easier to get than editorial links, but more substantial than directory lists.
Search operators to use for finding opportunities:
- “gambling resources” + “links”
- “casino guides” + “useful sites”
- “betting tools” + “resources”
When you do reach out, be clear on why your site should be included on their list. Be specific about the benefit you offer.
5. Use Social Media and Forums to Build Casino Backlinks
Social signals won’t help your rankings, but engaged communities can create natural link chances. Consider these platforms:
Reddit communities like r/gambling and r/sportsbook where genuine engagement can boost profile visibility and create organic linking opportunities.
Twitter/X remains valuable for professional networking and content exchange within the gambling industry.
Specialist forums such as TwoPlusTwo for poker or Covers for sportsbook discussions can establish your authority.
Your target isn’t spamming links—your target is credibility. Being seen as an expert community member means that link chances naturally come about.
Ready to Build Links to Your Casino Site the Right Way?
Building links to a casino site isn’t a simple task, and anyone guaranteeing overnight success is peddling snake oil. But with the right strategy—a blend of valid techniques and pragmatic methods that accept industry norms—you can construct a link profile that really makes a difference.
The biggest choice you will ever make is whether to do link building in-house or outsource it. Managing relationships with publishers, quality reviewing links, and managing outreach campaigns is a full-time job. For most casino sites, having experts who already have the networks of publishers is cheaper than going through months of doing it manually.
If you’re tired of getting rejected by publishers or aren’t sure which links are worth the investment, Search Royals offers full-service agency solutions or a self-serve marketplace where you can buy quality backlinks. Our quality-tested vetting process ensures you’re getting only placements that will actually boost your rankings—not wasting your budget on a link that’ll get deindexed in six months.
No matter if you go DIY or team up with experts, focus on building a diverse link profile that combines safe techniques with strategic aggression. That’s the way you thrive in the casino niche without ending up on Google’s naughty list.
