In August, I posted on LinkedIn about the about the price of iGaming content, or in other words, how much a gambling writer can earn. Now, I want to follow up on that with an update.
My Pricing History
If you didn’t see the original LinkedIn post, here’s a recap:
The Beginning
When I started writing gambling content, inspired by a 2008 trip to Dublin, I was paid $5 for a 300 word Premier League match report.
I quickly found regular work as a casino writer with a client that paid $0.05 per word. We worked together for around four years.
Part Two
In early 2013, I dropped that side hustle, as my gambling industry career had really taken off. I wouldn’t take any more paid work as an iGaming writer until 2020, when COVID-19 made me reassess my life.
The aim was to start writing again with a comically low rate and build a fresh portfolio, securing reviews that I could use to gain more work. If I got back to $0.05 per word, I’d be happy.
Here’s a timeline of how my rates progressed:
- July 2020 – $0.01 p/w
- January 2021 – $0.03 p/w
- July 2021 – $0.05 p/w
Mission accomplished in just one year. I was back to square one and in a position to quit my job and pivot to freelance writing.
Growing My iGaming Writing Business
I had no idea what other gambling writers were charging at this point. I was just happy to have met my short-term goals.
The next challenge was to grow the business of writing casino, sportsbook and poker content, and really make it pay.
Here’s how it panned out over the next three years:
- July 2022 – $0.08 p/w
- July 2023 – $0.10 p/w
- July 2024 – $0.12 p/w
My first six months of freelancing were surprisingly easy. You know when you think it’s all going too well and it’s bound to come crashing down? Yeah, that.
Regardless, I kept inching my rates up, but the clients kept coming, no matter what the cost. I was starting to believe that I was very good – why else did the work feel easy and the five-star reviews keep rolling in?
That gave me the confidence to keep increasing. Every time a project wrapped up, I’d put a penny on the rate of my Fiverr and Upwork gigs.
Reaching a Plateau
I kept doing this until 2023. By July of that year, I’d plateaued at $0.12 per word.
I experimented with $0.14 a few times, but couldn’t get any bites. The closest I got was by accident – an existing $0.12 client added a penny on himself to secure priority work.
October 2024 – a Breakthrough
Having realised that I haven’t increased my prices at all for 18 months – coupled with the rising costs of literally everything – I figured it was time for another crack at $0.14 per word.
There’s one client in particular that supplies me with a lot of work. It’s an agency and they have plenty of resources behind them. I’ve had nothing but glowing feedback from them for the six months we’ve worked together, so I chanced my arm and asked for a raise. I got it.
With the new benchmark secured, I’ve also increased my rates on freelancing platforms accordingly – though in fairness, I’ve almost completely moved away from them now. I get the odd bits and pieces through Fiverr, while Upwork can go fuck itself.
So, How Much Can a Gambling Writer Make?
It remains to be seen whether this particular gambling writer can consistently maintain $0.14 per word.
Obviously, I’d like to think I can. I know I’m one of the best around, as I’m constantly told so. But I have to imagine this is pretty close to the ceiling for this kind of content.
Regardless, by sharing my own pricing journey, I hope to help aspiring betting, poker and casino writers. It certainly can’t hurt to have a clear idea of what you should be getting paid.
I wish I’d had this information to hand earlier in my freelancing journey. If I had, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d have earned better rates much more quickly than I did.