1. Purpose
Vanilla Poker has developed the Ecology Revenue Share Program to reward affiliates who contribute to building a healthy, sustainable, and balanced Cash Game ecosystem.
Unlike traditional affiliate programs that reward affiliates primarily based on generated rake, the Vanilla Poker Ecology Revenue Share Program also evaluates the overall quality and long-term ecology of an affiliate’s player pool.
Affiliates who introduce recreational and balanced players have the opportunity to earn higher Revenue Share percentages, while affiliates whose player pools consistently generate excessive profits from the ecosystem will receive lower Revenue Share percentages.
To prevent large changes caused by a single month’s results and to reward affiliates who consistently bring quality traffic, the Ecology Revenue Share is determined using a rolling 90-day Ecology Ratio.
This policy applies exclusively to affiliates participating in the Vanilla Poker Partner Program.
2. Eligibility
To participate in the Ecology Revenue Share Program, an affiliate must meet both of the following requirements during the applicable rolling 90-day period:
- Minimum 5 active Cash Game players
- Minimum $2,000 Cash Game rake
Affiliates who do not meet both requirements will not automatically qualify for the standard Ecology Revenue Share calculation.
In such cases, Vanilla Poker reserves the right to determine the applicable Revenue Share percentage at its sole discretion.
Eligibility requirements are evaluated based on the affiliate’s activity during the relevant rolling 90-day period.
3. Eligible Games
Only Cash Game activity is included in the Ecology Revenue Share calculation.
The following game formats are excluded:
- MTTs
- Sit & Go
- Spin & Go / Jackpot Games
Promotional winnings generated in Cash Games are also excluded from the Ecology Ratio calculation, including but not limited to:
- Bad Beat Jackpot
- Monte Carlo Jackpot
- Network Promotions
- Leaderboards
- Any other promotional or bonus payouts
Only Cash Game Rake and Cash Game Win/Loss, excluding promotional winnings, are used when calculating the Ecology Ratio.
4. Rolling 90-Day Ecology Ratio
The Ecology Ratio measures the overall profitability and ecological impact of an affiliate’s player pool.
The Ecology Ratio is calculated using the combined Cash Game results generated during the current month and the two preceding full calendar months.
In other words, the Revenue Share for each month uses a rolling 90-day period that includes the current month.
Formula
Ecology Ratio = Total Cash Game Win/Loss (90 days) ÷ Total Cash Game Rake (90 days)
The calculation uses the combined results of all eligible players referred by the affiliate. Individual player Ecology Ratios are not averaged.
Example
If Revenue Share is being calculated for August, the calculation includes:
- June + July + August
If Revenue Share is being calculated for September:
- July + August + September
If Revenue Share is being calculated for October:
- August + September + October
This means that approximately the most recent 90 days of activity are considered in every monthly calculation.
5. How Revenue Share Is Determined
The Revenue Share for each month is determined based on the combined Ecology Ratio from that month and the two preceding months.
This means that the current month is included directly in the calculation. There is no time lag between the month’s results and the Revenue Share calculation.
Example
Suppose an affiliate has the following results:
| Month | Rake | Win/Loss |
|---|---|---|
| June | $15,000 | +$5,000 |
| July | $18,000 | +$12,000 |
| August | $22,000 | -$10,000 |
| Total | $55,000 | +$7,000 |
The August Ecology Ratio is:
+$7,000 ÷ $55,000 = +12.73%
According to the Revenue Share Schedule, +12.73% falls between:
- +10% → 25% Revenue Share
- +15% → 20% Revenue Share
Using proportional calculation, the applicable Revenue Share is approximately:
22.27% Revenue Share for August
Therefore, the August result of -$10,000 directly affects the August Revenue Share, while the results from June and July continue to have a significant impact on the final 90-day Ecology Ratio.
6. Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) & Revenue Share Calculation
Affiliate Revenue Share is calculated using Net Gaming Revenue (NGR).
NGR = Current Month Cash Game Rake − Standard Player Rakeback
For the purposes of this program, Vanilla Poker applies a standard 30% Player Rakeback before calculating Affiliate Revenue Share.
Formula
Affiliate Payment = Current Month NGR × Applicable Revenue Share
Where:
- Ecology Ratio = Total Cash Game Win/Loss for the rolling 90-day period ÷ Total Cash Game Rake for the rolling 90-day period
- Standard Player Rakeback = 30% of the current month’s Cash Game Rake
- Applicable Revenue Share = The percentage determined by the rolling 90-day Ecology Ratio that includes the current month.
Continuation of the Previous Example
- August Cash Game Rake: $22,000
- Player Rakeback: $22,000 × 30% = $6,600
- NGR: $22,000 − $6,600 = $15,400
- Applicable Revenue Share: 22.27%
- Affiliate Payment: $15,400 × 22.27% = $3,429.58
August Affiliate Payment: $3,429.58
7. Revenue Share Schedule
Affiliate Revenue Share is determined according to the affiliate’s rolling 90-day Ecology Ratio.
| Ecology Ratio | Revenue Share (% of NGR) |
|---|---|
| ≤ -40% | 70% |
| -35% | 65% |
| -30% | 60% |
| -25% | 58% |
| -20% | 56% |
| -15% | 53% |
| -10% | 50% |
| -5% | 45% |
| 0% | 40% |
| +5% | 30% |
| +10% | 25% |
| +15% | 20% |
| +20% | 17% |
| +25% | 15% |
| +30% | 13% |
| +35% | 11% |
| +40% | 9% |
| +45% | 7% |
| ≥ +50% | 5% |
Revenue Share is calculated proportionally between the published Ecology Ratio thresholds to ensure smooth and fair transitions without abrupt changes.
Because the program uses a rolling 90-day Ecology Ratio, Revenue Share may increase or decrease progressively as the quality of traffic changes.
To better understand how the Ecology Revenue Share Program differs from the previous affiliate model, affiliates are encouraged to review the accompanying Revenue Share Model Comparison (New vs Old), which contains detailed calculation examples across multiple Ecology Ratio scenarios.
8. Calculation Examples
Example A – Balanced Traffic
Suppose the rolling 90-day results for August are:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| June Rake | $15,000 |
| June Win/Loss | +$5,000 |
| July Rake | $18,000 |
| July Win/Loss | +$12,000 |
| August Rake | $22,000 |
| August Win/Loss | -$10,000 |
| Total 90-Day Rake | $55,000 |
| Total 90-Day Win/Loss | +$7,000 |
| Ecology Ratio | +12.73% |
| Revenue Share | 22.27% |
- August NGR: $22,000 − 30% = $15,400
- August Affiliate Payment: $15,400 × 22.27% = $3,429.58
Affiliate Payment: $3,429.58
9. Monthly Rolling 90-Day Calculation
The Ecology Revenue Share is calculated every month.
For each month, the calculation includes:
Current month + previous two months
Calculation Schedule
| Payment Month | Period Used for Ecology Ratio |
|---|---|
| August | June + July + August |
| September | July + August + September |
| October | August + September + October |
| November | September + October + November |
Each month, the oldest month is removed from the calculation and the newest month is added.
Important
There is no retroactive change to previous calculations.
The Revenue Share for a month is determined using the data available for that month’s rolling 90-day calculation.
However, the results from that month may continue to affect future calculations for as long as they remain within the rolling 90-day period.
For example, June’s results:
- affect August;
- do not affect September.
July’s results:
- affect August;
- affect September;
- do not affect October.
This provides a sufficiently large historical sample while continuously updating the assessment of traffic quality.
10. Combined Player Pool Calculation
The Ecology Ratio is calculated using the combined results of all eligible players referred by the affiliate.
The ratio is not calculated by averaging individual player Ecology Ratios.
Example
| Player | Rake | Win/Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Player A | $10,000 | +$2,000 |
| Player B | $5,000 | -$3,000 |
| Total | $15,000 | -$1,000 |
Calculation:
Ecology Ratio = -$1,000 ÷ $15,000 = -6.67%
Revenue Share is therefore determined using the combined Ecology Ratio of -6.67%, rather than by averaging the individual ratios.
This ensures that larger players have a proportionally greater impact on the affiliate’s overall result.
11. Protection Against Manipulation
The rolling 90-day model is designed to reduce the possibility of manipulating the Revenue Share system through short-term changes in the player pool.
Affiliates should not artificially improve their Ecology Ratio by temporarily removing, replacing, or redirecting winning players solely for the purpose of obtaining a higher Revenue Share.
Vanilla Poker may investigate significant or unusual changes in an affiliate’s player pool, including:
- sudden removal of highly profitable players;
- unusual changes in player pool composition;
- temporary traffic changes around calculation periods;
- artificial redistribution of players;
- coordinated activity intended to influence the Ecology Ratio.
Activity determined to have been intentionally structured to manipulate the Ecology Revenue Share calculation may be excluded from the calculation or otherwise addressed under this policy.
12. General Provisions
Vanilla Poker reserves the right to:
- Exclude fraudulent, collusive, or abusive accounts from Ecology calculations.
- Investigate unusual or suspicious player activity.
- Exclude activity determined to have been artificially generated or intended to manipulate the Ecology Revenue Share calculation.
- Adjust the Ecology Revenue Share thresholds when necessary to maintain a healthy and sustainable poker ecosystem.
- Suspend or terminate affiliate agreements in cases of fraud, abuse, or violations of Vanilla Poker or Network policies.
Vanilla Poker may also review historical traffic patterns where there are reasonable grounds to believe that player acquisition or activity has been intentionally structured to manipulate the Ecology Revenue Share system.
13. Program Philosophy
Vanilla Poker believes that long-term success depends on maintaining a balanced and sustainable poker ecosystem.
The Ecology Revenue Share Program is designed to reward affiliates who:
- attract and retain recreational players;
- support healthy Cash Game liquidity;
- contribute to the long-term growth of Vanilla Poker;
- contribute to the sustainability of the entire WePlay Poker Network ecosystem.
The rolling 90-day period is designed to reward consistent traffic quality, rather than short-term changes or temporary results in an affiliate’s player pool.
A good or bad result in a single month can influence that month’s Revenue Share, but it cannot independently determine the affiliate’s tier. The final result depends on the combined performance of the current month and the two preceding months.
Revenue Share reductions applied under this policy are not retained as additional profit by Vanilla Poker. Instead, the corresponding difference is allocated to the WePlay Ecology Fund, which is intended to support the long-term health and sustainability of the poker ecosystem.
The WePlay Ecology Fund may be used to finance ecosystem initiatives, including but not limited to:
- Ecology Rewards;
- Recreational Player Promotions;
- Surprise Cash Drops;
- Ecology Freerolls;
- Community Events;
- Liquidity Incentive Programs;
- Welcome Promotions;
- Cashback or Loyalty Campaigns.
By reinvesting these funds back into the ecosystem, Vanilla Poker aims to create a healthier, more enjoyable, and more sustainable environment for both players and affiliates.