GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 12 - April 2010

Boris Chaykin | OffsideBet He got into online gaming by accident – and that was almost 10 years ago. Say hello toBorisChaykin, whoover thepast decade has playedamajor role inmaking Offsidebet.com intooneofEasternEurope’smostpopularall-in-onegamingplatforms. Offsidebet is currently revamping their sportsbook segment, which is expected to becomea top10product over thenext fewweeks. Readall about it! Due to space constraints,we couldnot print the interview in its entirety.The complete text will bepostedatgpwa.org. MEET THE AFFILIATE MANAGER Offsidebet, which traditionally focuses on the Eastern European market, has decided to take on a more global focus. Why did you decide toexpand? We are a com- panywhich startedas a tradition- al brick-and-mortar bookmaker in Eastern Europe (CISmarkets) 10 years ago. Until the summer of 2009,we successfullyoperated over 150 betting shops inRussia, Ukraine and other CIS markets. In 2008 Offside was taken over bysomeof thebestonlinegaming executives in the indus- try – people with vast executive-level experi- ence in companies such as Sportingbet, PartyG- aming, Gamebookers, etc. As a part of our ongoing development, Offsidebet.com was developed as our on- line betting platform. A fewmonths later we addedpokerandcasino products and turned our Web site into a re- ally competitive all-in- one gaming platform. Hence, ourmore global focus is in linewithour management views.We have theability tomake a difference in the in- dustry and gradually apply that acrossdifferentmarkets. How is theEasternEuropeanmar- ketdifferent fromothermarkets? While the markets in Eastern Europe are not as overpopulated as traditional Western European online-gaming markets, Eastern Europe is a place with very high overall gaming standards and demands. Business in that part of the world is mainly done on a personal level with media com- panies, partners and affiliates. We’ve teamed up with some fine local executives in eachmarket – people who have both global and local gaming experience andwho know eachmarket’s specifics. What’s the history behind Off- sidebet? Please tell us the story behind the unique name of the brand. While new to the online market, Offsidebet.com stemmed off a CIS-operating bookmaker with 10 years of experience. We inherited the name from Offside and since we believed it is a fine match for sports fans, we created Offsidebet.com. We are also the only betting company where you can literally “playat offside.” Offsidebet offers a sportsbook, poker room, casino and a games section. Which is most popular among your players right now? At Offsidebet, we believe product superiority, fastandaccuratepay- ments, as well as happy affiliates pave our way up. We have a top- of-the-breedselectionofproducts (Playtech poker, Net Entertain- ment casinoandanLVS-powered sportsbook) which easily cross- sell each other. Adding a fine se- lection of bonuses, as well as a variety of payments, really keeps all our products rolling nicely. Logically, players have slightly different preferences in different markets; however, I can say all our products are developing very well in all markets we operate. Spring 2010will be amajor step- ping-stone for our sportsbook as we’re in theprocess of revamping our sports betting platform and ready to become a top 10 prod- uct within the comingweeks.We expect our already strong offer to match the top-of-line business by April of this year. What prompted you to offer a games platform?Whodeveloped Soccer Shot and Roll Up? I know I spent some time playing those games.Howmuch time have you spentplaying thosegames –pos- siblywhenyou shouldhavebeen doing something else??!! LOL! Games are a natural extension for casino lovers, as well as peo- plewho simplywant to idle away a few minutes waiting for their game to finish. The product was developed by the market-leader CTXM as we yet again needed to show a sheer top-of-the-line product. As this is a public inter- view, I can only say my penalty shootout skills are now a lot bet- ter,without revealing the amount of time spent onpracticing. : ) What are three things everyone needs toknowaboutOffsidebet? Three is quite limited and still we need tomention: Our huge 10+ years of experi- ence and dedication to players, partners andaffiliates. We’re committed to providing players with a top-line gaming experience across all our prod- ucts – from the initialWeb site visit, to the last penny with- drawn in theblinkof an eye. 1. 2. “A successful affiliatemanager needs tohave a thorough knowledgeof his product, bevery friendlyand – last but not least–havea terrificbusiness personality.” 60 AffiliateManager Interview Series