The Business Model of Cardmates: Core Values We Represent

In today’s competition between gambling affiliate sites, Cardmates UK confidently takes its place under the sun. Looking back, the early years were challenging, and we cut our teeth on personal ups and downs along the way. Now, we are a thriving portal that helps British players navigate the entertaining seas of iGaming with transparency, deep expertise and a responsible play course. Let us tell you more about who we are, our approach to work and the values that we simply will not compromise.

Cardmates is the ultimate destination for poker and casino enthusiasts from the UK. But this is not what the portal initially was. The whole story started back in 2018 with a tiny but inspiring idea, which first transformed into a poker review site with global coverage. As our team learned, gained experience and grew, the online casino vertical was added. Around the same time, the management decided to shift focus to the British market, and voila! Revamped UK gambling portal of CM entered the scene in 2024.

Although Cardmates has been through a variety of iterations, we remain true to our values and course. Our mission is to help one better understand the current landscape of iGaming and stay informed about its changes at all times. We keep an eye on the latest trends and technological innovations that shape and shake the realm to share them with our audience. 

Our experts make comparisons between dozens of online casinos and poker sites so that our readers understand every gambling site in a better way. We cater for UK-based players of all levels: from the greenest rookie to the expert. Since we’ve been involved in the business for over 10 years, we clearly understand what punters need and what is real trash. Our dedicated team works hard to provide our readers with the best bonus deals and affiliate offers out there.

Over the decade of presence in the industry, we were not idle – we worked and made a breakthrough. We’ve actually created a network of gambling portals, each targeting different markets (Brazil, Ukraine, Australia). But there will be another day for this particular story.

Let’s face it, numerous portals broadly do what we do out there. But what is it that makes us stand out? Why trust us? Allow us to take the stand in our defence with the following arguments:

A safe and enjoyable user experience is at the heart of all we do. While reviewing poker sites and online casinos, we always give our readers all the information as it is, as ungarnished and unbiased as possible. When something is good, we highlight that it is good and give the platform a better rank. If the operator is acting in bad faith, we are just as open about it and never hide the unpleasant truth. Addressing disadvantages and negative aspects is as important as pointing out brilliant ones. No site is perfect (we understand that), but where the brand crosses the line, we will not stay silent.

Of course, we have affiliate deals with some casino platforms and poker rooms. But we remain impartial when it comes to user experience, which is above all for us. If we do not collaborate with a specific brand, then we explain everything very transparently and offer the best alternative.

Our affiliate managers contact leading and safe poker & casino sites to negotiate exclusive bonuses and special offers. They are only available to punters who use our unique links, and many of the deals cannot be found elsewhere. Among them are free incentives (no deposit needed), better welcome packages with more player-friendly terms – all designed specifically for our community. We do not accept random or scam partnerships – we stand up for our users and their interests. There are strict conditions behind our partnerships with gambling brands. If we see that the discussed agreements are not carried out, we terminate the cooperation. Fortunately, these are not common cases for our gambling portal.

We do not use black magic to get rid of competitors and never talk badly about them. (Unless there is a clear sign that somebody is working shady, of course.) Instead of gossiping, we concentrate on our own work and what we do best: 

• inspect poker and casino sites from A to Z; 
• publish objective and expert reviews;
• create valuable guides for beginners;
• deliver the latest news in the UK and global industry;
• listen to our readers' feedback and are always ready to give a helping hand.

Engaging in negativity is not for us – we let others follow their path. As a UK gambling site for poker & casinos fans, our goal is to create quality and trustworthy content that benefits our community.

In the UK, online gambling is strictly controlled (as no other market!). There is a long list of regulations imposed by the UK Gambling Commission, and we count them while creating our content. Hence, we screen new sites carefully for the presence of the UKGC licence and specify if the brand does not own it or is shady. We stand against underage gambling – our content is designated solely for an audience aged 18+.

The foundational beliefs that our company stands for in work are:

• Trust of users. Our team are not just a random bunch of people – savvy iGaming experts are on the board. Within our ranks are true poker players and former casino employees with years of valuable experience. We closely monitor any changes and actualise details where necessary. Hence, our audience can always access verified, relevant and up-to-date info.
• Editorial independence. CM is a gambling review site with an expert team of independent editors. Viewpoints one can find in our reviews are based on personal experience, testing and research. No outside influence – just objectiveness and clear facts form our rankings. We do not write what our partnering brands tell us to write – it is solely the opinion of our editorial staff. 
• Priority for Responsible Gaming. We firmly believe that iGaming, while entertaining, must first be a safe activity for players, and we know no other way. Our work is built upon an unwavering commitment to responsible gambling. On our website, we tell our readers how they can make their play safer, outline warning signs of problem wagering and provide links to external resources and help services to get professional support. Our goal is to promote enjoyment and thrill without the risk of being harmed by them.

UK gambling portal Cardmates, which people can observe now, will not remain the same. We have lots of ideas and plans to make our services more valuable and exclusive for players, because improvement and evolution are in our DNA. At some point soon, there will be a new edition to the site. Namely, a comprehensive platform for sharing experiences within our community. We will not go into details, but it will be something bigger than just posting blogs. Check our website for updates so as not to miss out on sweet perks on the occasion of its launch. 

This article was written in cooperation with Cardmates CEO Maksym Baksheiev