What Is a btag? btag Tracking in iGaming Affiliate Programs

A btag is a tracking parameter in casino and sportsbook affiliate links that identifies the referring affiliate, and often the campaign and creative too. The operator saves it on the player account at registration, so the first deposit and all later revenue from that player are credited to that affiliate. The parameter name and value format are set by the affiliate platform the operator runs.

This guide covers how btag tracking works, the formats you will see, how to add sub IDs without breaking attribution and the errors that lose players. If you are an operator comparing tracking setups, see how MassPartner approaches iGaming affiliate software with click IDs and S2S postbacks.

How btag tracking works#

The btag carries the affiliate reference from the click to the player account. A typical flow looks like this:

1. Click. A visitor clicks the affiliate's tracking link. The affiliate platform logs the click and redirects to the operator's site with the btag in the URL.
2. Landing. The operator's site reads the btag and keeps it, usually in a cookie or the session, while the visitor browses.
3. Registration. The sign-up form submits the btag with the new account, and the operator stores it on the player record.
4. Player activity. Deposits, the FTD and gaming revenue are linked to the player, and through the stored btag to the affiliate.
5. Commission. The platform calculates CPA, RevShare or hybrid commission from that activity for as long as the deal runs.

The key difference from retail affiliate tracking is step 3. Once the btag is on the player account, attribution no longer depends on a cookie. It lasts for the life of the account, subject to the program's terms, which is what makes lifetime RevShare deals possible.

You may also see the same job done by a parameter with another name, such as stag. Treat any such tag the same way: it is the operator platform's reference to you, not a value you design.

Typical btag formats#

Affiliate platforms generally don't publish their btag format, and you should treat the value as opaque: copy it from the program's link generator and never edit it by hand. Without a public specification, it helps to recognize the general shapes. The examples below are illustrative, not taken from a specific platform:

Composite token:  https://casino.example.com/?btag=a12345b678c90
Opaque string:    https://casino.example.com/?btag=7Kq2xP9mZt4LwA
Plain ID + param: https://casino.example.com/?btag=12345&campaign=welcome_de

In the composite form, segments may encode the affiliate, banner and campaign. In the opaque form, only the platform can decode it. Either way, the value has to arrive at registration exactly as issued.

Sub ID parameter names vary just as much across iGaming platforms, so most Income Access or MyAffiliates tracking questions come down to finding the right parameter. AnyTrack's integration guide says most programs on Income Access use c as the sub ID parameter, with BetMGM using tdpeh instead (AnyTrack). Voluum's MyAffiliates guide passes the tracker's click ID in a payload parameter (Voluum). Always confirm the parameter for each program with its affiliate manager or link generator.

Passing sub IDs alongside a btag#

The btag tells the operator who you are. A sub ID tells you which page, campaign or ad brought the player. Keep them separate:

• Add sub IDs in the parameter the platform supports, never inside the btag value.
• Use one slot for your tracker's click ID if you buy traffic, and keep the same slot across every program.
• Keep values short and URL-safe. Letters, digits, hyphens and underscores avoid encoding problems.

For media buyers running a tracker, the setup mirrors any S2S integration. Put the tracker's click ID token in the program's sub ID parameter, then give the program your tracker's postback URL with the platform's macro for that sub ID. Voluum's example for MyAffiliates looks like this:

Offer link:   https://record.example.com/_System_generated_token/1/?payload={clickid}
Postback URL: http://voluumdomain.com/postback?cid={payload}

The same guide notes that MyAffiliates postbacks must use HTTP rather than HTTPS and accept only a static payout value. Tracker-by-tracker macros are in our guide to sending affiliate postbacks to your tracker.

Common btag errors#

Most lost players come down to the btag not reaching the registration form. Check these first:

• Redirects drop the query string. Geo, language and mobile redirects, URL shorteners and consent walls can strip parameters before the landing page loads.
• Registration happens on another domain. The player lands on a promo domain but registers on the main site, a white-label skin or inside an app, and the btag isn't carried across.
• The btag lives only in a script-set cookie. In Safari, cookies created in JavaScript are deleted after seven days without interaction with the site, and capped at 24 hours on some decorated landings (WebKit). A player who registers on day 9 arrives untagged. Store the value server-side on the first request.
• Truncation and encoding. A database column shorter than the btag, or a form that encodes underscores, saves a value that no longer matches. Track360's integration guide for iGaming brands makes the stakes clear: missing tracking parameters can't be reconstructed later (Track360).
• Edited or mixed-up links. Affiliates who hand-edit a btag, or paste one program's btag into another brand's link, create clicks that can't be attributed.

Test each funnel end to end before launch, on every geo and device you send traffic from, and confirm the test registration appears under your account.

btag, click IDs and S2S postbacks#

A btag and a click ID solve related but different problems:

The two can coexist: a tag that marks the player for life, and server-side postbacks that report each event. Our postback URL guide explains the request format.

MassPartner does not issue or manage btags. Tracking runs on MassPartner's own click ID: the operator stores it at registration and returns it in S2S postbacks for events such as registrations and deposits. Operators moving from a btag-based platform should map old links to new ones, as described in our comparison of iGaming affiliate software.

A note on compliance#

Tracking data is also an audit trail. In Great Britain, licensees are responsible for the actions of third parties they contract with, and their contracts must allow them to end the relationship with affiliates that breach a relevant advertising code (Gambling Commission, LCCP 1.1.2). Knowing exactly which affiliate and campaign brought each player makes that oversight possible. Gambling is for adults only; promote responsible-gambling tools and never present betting as a way to earn money.

Track iGaming partners with click IDs#

MassPartner gives operators tracking links, S2S postbacks with an installation tester, fraud checks on every click and a conversion approval workflow. Learn more about MassPartner's iGaming affiliate software.