How StatsDrone is solving the “revenue leak” in affiliate marketing

If you run an affiliate site in the real-money gaming space, chances are you’re losing money—and you probably don’t even know it. That’s the core problem John Wright, co-founder of StatsDrone, told The BettingStartups Podcast he set out to solve when he launched the company: revenue leak.

In the simplest terms, revenue leak happens when affiliates unknowingly send traffic to dead links, outdated offers, or underperforming campaigns. It’s a silent drain on the bottom line—often triggered by something as mundane as a closed casino or a missing email update about new tracking links. Wright knows the pain well, having been on every side of the industry: professional gambler, casino operator, VIP manager, and more.

Wright says there’s no centralized place where affiliates can easily view and digest this information, so he decided to attack the problem himself. “I knew that there was a lot of money being left on the table.” Wright said.

At its core, StatsDrone aggregates affiliate data from multiple programs into a single, live dashboard—turning scattered data into clear insights affiliates can act on. Over time, the product has evolved to include additional “layers” such as business intelligence and CRM, building a well-rounded offering for partners.

At the heart of it all is a simple mission: “how do we make affiliate marketing better?” It’s kept the team focused, even as bigger companies circle with acquisition offers or ideas to expand into full ad tech. For now, the goal is clear: fix what’s broken and help affiliates make more from what they’ve already got.

And it turns out operators want in, too. The same data that flags issues for affiliates also shows brands and managers where the high-value traffic is—and where money’s being left on the table. StatsDrone didn’t set out to be a research or BI tool for the whole market, but that’s where it’s heading.

If Wright’s thesis is correct, a lot less money will slip through the cracks. “I sincerely believe that billions of dollars could be unlocked in more revenue,” he said. “Mainly on the affiliate side, but that also translates to more revenue on the operator side.”

In an industry full of moving targets and missing links, the purple hats and shirts floating around industry conferences are getting harder to miss. StatsDrone may not fix every problem in affiliate marketing overnight, but for a growing list of partners, it’s a start.

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