What started as a quiet loophole in Google’s algorithm has now turned into one of the most dominant SEO tactics in the global iGaming industry. Across multiple markets – from Sweden and the UK to Canada and India – high-performing casino affiliate sites are increasingly being built not on new domains, but on the digital remains of once-powerful, expired websites.
These sites, often with prestigious backlink profiles from major institutions or media outlets, are repurposed overnight to target high-value search terms like “best casinos,” “casino bonus,” or “online casinos with license.”
The result: almost instant top rankings, regardless of whether the new content has any legitimate connection to the domain’s original purpose.
The Swedish Example: From Blockchain Logistics to Casino Lists
A striking recent case is the domain Tradelens.com, formerly the home of TradeLens – a global blockchain logistics platform founded by IBM and Maersk to digitize maritime shipping. After the project’s shutdown in 2023, the domain changed hands.
By mid-2025, Tradelens.com had quietly transformed into a casino affiliate site targeting the Swedish market.
Today, it ranks for search terms like:
- “svenska casinon” (Swedish casinos)
- “bästa casinon” (best casinos)
- “casino i Sverige” (casino in Sweden)
According to Ahrefs data, the site now attracts more than 10,000 monthly organic visits, almost all from Swedish casino-related queries.
What makes this transformation possible? The answer lies in the domain’s inherited trust.
Before its repurposing, Tradelens.com had backlinks from IBM, MIT, Bloomberg, and the World Bank – a link profile that would take a legitimate casino affiliate years to build.
Today, that authority is being redirected toward lists of “best Swedish casinos,” with newly built subdomains such as:
- casino.tradelens.com
- tradelens.com/se
- kasino.tradelens.com
Despite the complete shift in subject matter, Google continues to reward the site’s rankings — at least for now.
Authority Abuse Goes Mainstream
The use of expired domains in the “casino without license” segment has been widespread for years, particularly in grey markets. But 2025 marks a shift: the same authority hijacking techniques are now being used in licensed casino markets as well.
By purchasing or reviving expired domains with strong backlink profiles, SEO operators can effectively “inherit” the domain’s authority, repurpose its content toward gambling, and see results within weeks.
What’s more striking is how ineffective Google has been at detecting it.
Even when a site transitions from blockchain logistics or academic publishing to gambling content, its authority score and rankings often remain intact for months.
A Global Trend, Localized by Market
While Tradelens.com is one of the most visible examples in Sweden, similar patterns are emerging worldwide:
- In the UK, multiple “Best Casino” pages are hosted on expired domains that once belonged to corporate finance sites.
- In Canada, several high-ranking affiliates are operating under rebranded media sites with university backlinks.
- In India, expired news portals have been repurposed into casino review sites almost overnight.
In each case, the formula is the same:
- Acquire an expired domain with high DR (Domain Rating) and clean backlink profile.
- Rebuild it with gambling-related content.
- Add regional SEO layers (localized pages, bonus comparisons, license references).
- Monetize with affiliate links before Google catches on.
It’s a rinse-and-repeat model – and it’s working.
Why Google Can’t Stop It
The root of the problem lies in how Google’s algorithm values domain-level authority.
The system still gives heavy weight to backlink history and trust signals accumulated over time — but it doesn’t evaluate whether that trust is still relevant to the site’s new purpose.
In other words:
If a domain once linked by IBM or MIT starts publishing casino reviews, Google initially assumes the site remains credible. And that assumption has become the most exploitable weakness in iGaming SEO today.
The Ethical and Competitive Implications
For legitimate affiliates building their sites organically, this trend poses a serious challenge. Competing with expired domains means competing with years of pre-acquired authority they can never match.
From a regulatory standpoint, it also blurs the line between licensed and unlicensed marketing.
When a site presenting “Best Licensed Casinos” originates from a repurposed corporate domain with no compliance oversight, players can easily be misled into thinking they’re viewing trusted information.
As one SEO strategist put it, “You can’t outwrite a 90 DR domain – even if it used to be about cargo ships.”
What This Means for the Future of iGaming SEO
The rise of expired domains and authority hijacking signals a broader truth: Google’s link-based ranking model is being gamed at industrial scale.
Until the algorithm learns to differentiate between historical authority and current topical relevance, this will remain one of the most profitable – and controversial – tactics in iGaming SEO.
What we’re witnessing is not just clever optimization. It’s a structural flaw in how digital authority is measured – and it’s reshaping the competitive landscape of casino affiliates worldwide.
Key Takeaways
| Trend | Observation |
|---|---|
| Tactic | Repurposing expired domains with strong backlink profiles |
| Goal | Fast ranking for casino and betting keywords |
| Impact | Instant SEO authority, high organic traffic, minimal oversight |
| Problem | Google cannot yet distinguish legacy trust from new, unrelated content |
