I might be wrong but those shady casinos pay those influencers directly to get some kind of promotion, and they also offer them earning in the form of referrals, and that's why those influencers post the links of those scam sites because they are getting paid both ways, and they don't mind if the site turns out to be a scam because they already have plans to brainwash their followers when these casinos turn out to be scams.
You are not wrong at all. If you are looking for a legit casino then forget about what all those influencers promote. They are being paid to do do and they probably don't mind promoting a scam. Look for legit review website which will never ask you to sign under they affiliate link. If they want to promote their affiliate link they will tel you: this is an affiliate link.. This is a direct link.. and it's up to you to choose whether to support them or not.