GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 10 - Sept 2009

64 GPWA Times :: KazaKcomes fromalong lineof Cossacks Mostofyoursitesarededicated topoker. Why did you decide to go in this direc- tion? Poker is a game that requires great skill, despite the fact that the rulesofpoker areelementary. Inorder tobe successful at poker not only do you have to spend a lot of time playing, but you also need to have determination as well as mathematical, psychological andstrategicskills. When Iwasstartingout, I thought that this was themost “honest” game, though I un- derstood that all the games played against the house have their own positives and drawbacks. What prompted you to join the online gambling industry?Whydidyoubecome anaffiliate?Whatwereyoudoingbefore youbecameanonlinegamblingaffiliate? I played a lot of Starcraft and even won some local championships inAktay and in Rostov. Ialsomanaged topStarcraft teams inRussiaandEurope. I came across a banner ad for a poker site on one of the Starcraft portals. I became a newsmaker on that site and once I had enoughmoney Ibecameanaffiliate. Who is the smiling dude in your avatar? My avatar is “BloodyHarry” from a Japa- nese cartoon calledGunGrave. I chose that avatarbecausethatcharacter isalwayshap- py, focused and has accomplished all that hewanted to in life. I considermyself tobe thesameway. How did you choose your GPWA screen name? My father’s and grandfather’s an- cestors were Cossacks from Rostov-on- Don.My screennamehas a lot ofmeaning tomebecauseof that. You are the moderator for the Russian- language forum in the GPWA. Have you enjoyed that experience? What have you learnedso far fromdoing it?Whatareyour duties inthatcapacity? I’mproud that I’ma moderatorandapartofGPWA. I try tohelp affiliates that are just starting out and I al- ways recommendGPWA as a great way to meetpeopleandgetvaluable information. There are a lot of player forums out there; however, thereareonlyafewreallygoodaf- filiate forums.WhatIconsidermy foremost responsibilitiesaremaintainingagreat en- vironment where people can interact and getting rid of spammers. On our forum people act in a civil and politemanner so my job iseasy. For me personally GPWA is not only a source of information, but also a source of networking and invaluable experience. I hope the community and our Russian fo- rumkeepgrowing. What is unique about how Russian-lan- guage speakers and affiliates approach affiliate marketing vs. the rest of the world? In the Russian pokermarket, gray rakeback schemesworkwell, becauseRus- sians are pretty greedy. In thismarket the slogan “The more you play the more we pay” simplydoesn’twork, so to get any re- sultsyouneed tocompletelydedicateyour- self toonlinegaming. How long was it before your sites start- ed earning money? It depends on what is meant by “earning,” but I was earning $100-200 in theveryfirstmonth. What prompted you to join the GPWA? Hasmembershiphelpedyou inanyway? If so,how? Iwascuriousas towhatGPWA was andwhy somanywebmasters trust it. WhenItookacloser look itturnedouttobe agreat community. AfterIgotmyGPWASealofApproval, Ire- alized that it isveryprestigious.TheGPWA Seal of Approval draws a lot of players be- cause theygenerallydon’t like to take risks outside thecasino. What influence, if any, does feedback fromGPWAmembershaveonyouasyou developandfine-tuneyour sites? GPWA members have direct influence, because their suggestions are very good. You have to be a fool not to take advantage of the experience and expertise of such excellent webmasters. Do you like to gamble? If so, what are your favorite games at a live casino, and what are your favorites online? I play poker with friends and also online tour- naments. I’m not a fan of casinos because I enjoy competition and interaction with other people. I don’t like to getmoney “for nothing.” We know you’re a fan of the APCW . . . What do you think of their Web site? APCW is an interesting project, but my English is limitedsosometimes thatgets in theway. Idoenjoywatching thevideosand reading the posts. It’s toobad that there is noRussianversionof theAPCW,orat least translationsof themost interestingarticles from them. What’s your favorite vacation spot? Why? It doesn’tmatterwhere, somuchas withwhom. It’s always great to be around friends– that’swhen you can reallyhave a good time. What does your family think about your workasanaffiliate? At thebeginning they didn’t like it. They thought I was a player, but after I explained and showed them what I do they were OKwith it. Mymom was very worried when the government tookawaypoker’sstatusasasport. You recentlyposted thatyou’re intrigued by forexaffiliatemarketing.Whyareyou intrigued?Anyplans tobecome involved in forex? Forex is interesting. I’ve spent some time exploring it, but without much success. The thing I like most about it is that it rewards those with knowledge and information. Aleksey Batishev | KazaK INTERVIEWWITH GPWA Affiliate Interview Series