GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 10 - Sept 2009

42 GPWA Times :: better. We have an enormous group of fiercely loyal customers that have stood by us, and we intend to make sure their loyalty is rewarded. And hey, if nothing else, the new domain meansa lot less typing... What changes can Bodog casino and poker players expect to see to their experience over the next few months? We’reworking hard to improve the user experience, reduce barriers to entry and add in more forms of digital entertainment. We expect to be starting to benefit from digital entertainment that ismanufacturedbyour franchisepartners in other jurisdictions and this is a great reason to want to be a part of the edgy Bodogbrand family. WhenitcomestoBodogCasinospecifically, there are plans in place to refresh and update the casino lobby itself,whileat the same time adding new, exciting games, andoffering awide array of tournaments, contests and promos, giving players even more opportunity to win great bonuses andprizes. What are the key challenges MMGG faces as it moves forward? Why do youbelieveMMGG iswell-positioned tohelpgrow theBodogbrand? Great question, but my answer might surprise you. I think our group’s most significant challenge over thenext 12 to 18months is going tobegrowthmanagement. Now, be honest...Even though Calvin is supposed to be “retired,” how muchdoeshebugyouaboutMMGG’s operations? Have you ever visited CalvinathisSanJosecompound?How about his Antigua compound? And if so,what’s that like?Are theparties withCalvinall they’re rumored tobe? Come on, share some Calvin dirt!! To be honest, I was bugging him for months after thedeal!Heprobably justwantedme to losehisnumber. Therewasnoescaping the fact thatCalvinbuilt thebrandand that business and team in away that, literally, noone else couldhave. Iwouldhave been a fool to have let that kind of industry expertise just slip throughmy fingers. In thebrand licensedeal, Ihadnegotiated for him to continue todo somemediaandPR for thebrand foraperiodafter theMMGG assumed control, mostly because I knew he would be almost irreplaceable in that role, but my ulterior motive was to keep him involved so thatwe coulddo asmuch knowledge transfer as possible while we had access to him. He’d already told me he’d be retiring from the online gaming space at that stage, though, and I had a prettygood ideaof his timeline. I hear all the time thatCalvinmust still be running thingsbehind the scenes–maybe it’s because I’m just much lower profile and Iput suchapremiumonmyprivacy. I keepexpectinghimtopopoutfromacloset or something... Candidly, though–Calvin hasnever evenbeen to theMMGGoffices. The onlyminimal contact I havewithhim is in his role as one of the stakeholders in the brand licensing organization in Antigua, or if I reach out to him to talk about something specific.Other than that, for goodor for ill, thebuck stopshere. Have I been to Calvin’s places? Yes, certainly. I stayedat theBodog compound in Antigua when the initial negotiations around the brand licensing were taking place. It’s beautiful – right on a private beach and with the Bodog boat moored fifteen feet from the door. His place is beautiful and the beaches are obviously fantastic, but it’s probably a lot less ostentatious thanpeoplemight expect. The Costa Rican compound, on the other hand, isawholedifferent story.A spectac- ular set-up – the physical embodiment of theBodogethic. Ionceoverheardsomeone say that theBodogcompound inCRmakes the Playboy Mansion look like a Tupper- wareparty. I’dhave to say that’snot faroff the mark. And the parties? Well, I think one of the unwritten rules of the parties is that if youwant to be invited back, you don’t talkabout them... it’s like FightClub in that respect.Amazing, though. As faras“Calvindirt”goes, Idon’t think I’ll beofmuchuse, I’mafraid. You see,what a lot of people don’t fully appreciate is that the Calvin that was in front of the camera was not Calvin “the executive.” When the cameras shut off, he took off the brand ambassador hat and became a serious, dedicated and at times very demanding executive. He wanted his team to be the industry elite and Bodog customers to simply lovetheentireexperience,andthere was a zero-tolerance policy onmediocrity. Youwere thebest or youweregone. That’s the Calvin that I know, and that’s the cultureandattitudewe try to inspirehere. A lot of theBodogbrand is about liv- ing the good life.What do you do to live thegood life? I think the “good life” isdifferent for everyone. For somepeople, it’s about income or prestige. For others, it’s the freedom to travel or spend time with your family. As terrible as the eco- nomic crisis has been, the one good thing that I think it has done is recalibrate how people thinkabout “thegood life.”Forme, the good life is wanting to leap out of bed everyday tohelpbuild something remark- able, something that entertains people. Of course Iwant toprovide formy familyand tocreateabusinesswheremy staff cande- velopandprovide for their familiesaswell. That’s thegood life tome, and I’m living it. What can affiliate marketers expect out of Bodog in the comingmonths? The cut over to the new structure with MMGG running everything is done, and now we are focusing on increasing conversion rates, improvinguponpeople’s ability toeasilyaccessandenjoy theBodog experience, and revitalizing the Bodog brand in theUnitedStates. Affiliates are an incredibly important part of Bodog’s business.With this inmind, we knowthetopitemoneveryaffiliatepartner’s wish list ishighconversionrates,andwefeel theresurrectionofBodog.comwillgoa long way in leveraging the Bodog brand on an international scale, givingnew and existing affiliate partners a huge opportunity to convert new streams of traffic into solid revenue growth. Along with the increased global visibility of the Bodog brand, there are numerous other advancements Bodog affiliatepartners can look forward to in the comingmonths, including:newmeasuresto improveanewplayer’sabilitytosuccessfully deposit and convert, raised awareness and presence of the Bodog brand both on and offline, anexpandedplayermarketing team focused solely on marketing to new and existing players, and a reinvigorated sales teamfocusedonacquisitionsand improving theonboardingprocess. It is going tobe amomentous year for the Bodogbrandon theglobal stageandwe’re veryhappy tobeapart of it. And finally, what are three things nobodyknowsaboutyou? I loveJamesBondmovies. Iwas the smallest guy onmy team–by about 1 foot -when I started canoeing. Mygolf handicap is reallyabout 16. 1. 2. 3. Bodog shooting for the stars