Your words are true for the honest referrals, that`s why i don`t say that it is my income - just bonus i get time to time. But the referrers with hidden links(like review sites) has a huge quantity of referrals and even part of them that gamble in one month give a big profit. And they continue get referrals every day and get more chances for income.
I saw the monthly profit from such referrer - it was really big and it can be called every month income.
Loyal referrals are super rare to find. I am fortunate to have a few that wagers alot which helps pay off my bills.
But if you're an influencer or those gambling streamer, pretty sure they get to survive off referral income.