GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 10 - Sept 2009

78 GPWA Times :: How longhaveyoubeen intheon- line gambling industry?Why did youdecide toenter thefield? I’ve been in the online gambling in- dustry since 2001-2002, so it has been at least seven years. I didn’t so much find the industry as the industry found me. Being a geek with someHTML/CSSknowledge but no experience, I was hired as an SEO apprentice, and have en- joyednot onlypersonallygrowing in the industry but also watching the industryevolve. Whatdoes itmean thatVegasRegal Casino isoneof thefirstonlinecasi- nos owned by share- holders?What’sthehis- torybehindthecasino? Well, we understand that all companies, whether public or pri- vate, have sharehold- ers. But what makes Vegas Regal Casino different in this aspect from everyone else is the fact that we are the first private iGaming companylaunchtohave ashareofferingopen to the wordwide public. We are the first online casino tobe fundedand launchedbyplayersand affiliates. Youalsoofferaunique commission payment option which allows affiliates to invest their earningstoownapiece ofthecasino.Howdoes thatwork? Here at Ve- gas Regal Casino we believe that giving em- ployees, affiliates and customers the option to own a part of our businesswill not only create added benefit to the people whomake us who we are, but it will also ensure wereceivestronger inputanddirec- tion from the right sources, since people who have a vested interest inour companywill domore toen- sure its ongoing success. This pay- mentmethodhas toberequestedof your affiliatemanager, andwhile I can’t give exact figures as to how many people have requested this method, it is safe to say that it has sparked some interest in an industry that seems jaded to vir- tuallyall thebusinessmodels that canbeapplied. Why did Regal Affiliates join the GPWA? We joined theGPWA be- cause we want to be close to our affiliates. The forum and commu- nity that theGPWArepresentsnot onlyallowus toenjoyawonderful medium of communication, but also provide us with a spotlight for affiliates who didn’t know of our offerings to become familiar and eventually profit from a rela- tionshipwithRegal Affiliates. Vegas Regal Casino is also fairly new.Howdoyoumarket yourself against much more established onlinecasinos?Whatdistinguish- es your affiliate program from other affiliate programs? Our casino was designed with input from affiliates, players and indus- try veterans. This has allowed us to first and foremost provide our affiliateswithanoffering thatcon- verts at dramaticallyhigh rates. And while we understand that highconversionsandplayervalue areofutmost importance toanaf- filiate’s bottom line, we have also chosen to complement this with personalized service. This choice is reflected in our two affiliate managers. Youhavemadepostsnot onlyon theGPWA forumsbutalsoatAGD. How important is it to remain active on these forums? We con- sider it very important. As I stat- ed in my last reply, personalized service is one of our objectives. So many times companies set aside large budgets for advertis- ing to affiliates in places affiliates aren’t interested in hearing from the company, yet ignore affiliates who are requesting assistance in a forum. We want to be there for the iGaming affiliate community, whether they are one of our affili- atesornot. Besides trust, what are the keys to building successful relation- ships between affiliates and af- filiateprograms? Communication and working together in an hon- est andopen fashion tomaximize traffic profitability. Again, this is only valuable if done on a consis- tent basis. Ifyouwishyou’dknownonething about the industrybeforeyouen- tered it,whatwould it be? I wish I’d known howmuch this indus- try was going to grow, and keep growing. I remember back when PayPal pulled out of the market. People thought the industry was going to come to an end. I actu- ally believed that the legislative challenges were insurmountable. I now know otherwise, but not having known this earlier made my involvement in the industry less passionate than it is today. I remember missing out on some good domains I could have regis- teredaswell as somegoodoppor- tunities I passedupon. Ifyoucouldhavedinnerwiththree other people, livingor dead,who would theybeandwhy? Number one would be Thomas Jefferson, because I consider his political ideas inspirational. Twowouldbe Warren Buffett, because not only do I admire his financial prowess but I also admire his humbleness in spite of his amazing success. And the last one would be Ange- lina Jolie because I have a crush onher. “Webelieve that givingemployees, affiliatesand customers the option toown apartofour businesswill ensurewereceive stronger inputand direction from the rightsources, since peoplewhohave avested interest inourcompany willdomore to ensure itsongoing success.” NICOLAS JOHNSON | RegalAffiliates AffiliateManager Interview Series