GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 13 - June 2010

Mark | KasinoKing Senseand Sensibility –andSEO Four wild, wacky webmasters who party down at least three or four times a week? Not this time. These interviewees are a sensible bunch and have many fine traits in common, most no- tably their top-notch organiza- tional skills, appreciation for the importance of SEO and highly disciplined approach to deal- ingwith e-mail! As usual, theyareageographi- cally diversegroup, taking time out from their busy lives in the U.K., USA, Italy and the Neth- erlands to share their observa- tions and insights with us. We’re sure you’ll enjoy meet- ing this quality quartet, and we guarantee you’ll also learn a thing or two about how to sur- viveand thrive in onlinegaming as you read their stories. InHastings, doingyour homework is halfthebattle! How longhaveyoubeenworking in the industry?What first drewyou to it? I’ve worked in the industry for four years. As a player, I couldn’t find any sites which gave the information I personally want- ed to see, so I createdmyown. What do you like about it ? What don’t you like? I likeworking fromhomewith totally flexible hours, andbeingmy own boss. Idon’t like roguecasinosandaffili- ateprograms rippingpeopleoff. What surprised youmost about the in- dustry? Microgamingwithdrawing from the USA and not finding a way to work around it. Which of your five sites is the biggest moneyearner? www.KasinoKing.co.uk . Towhatdoyouattribute this? It’smuch bigger andhasmore info than theothers – therefore it getsLOADSmorevisitors. Are you a full-time online gambling af- filiate,or doyouholddownanother job aswell? Iwas onlypart-time for the first twoyears (hadan8-5day job), butwhen mydaughterwasborn in2008 I became a “house husband” and “full-time” affili- atewhilemywife still goes towork. We keep hearing that economic condi- tions are improving and player traffic is increasing. How do your earnings for thefirst quarter of 2010 compare to the samequarter ayear agoand to thefinal quarterof2009? 2010Q1was 16percent down compared to2009Q1, but 36per- cent up from2009Q4. How do your family and friends feel about how you make your living? De- lightedandprobablyabit jealous! Youposted recently that you like togam- ble online and that Ladbrokes is your casino of choice.What is it that you like about Ladbrokes? The best thing about LadbrokesWAS theirverygenerousDaily, Weekly and Monthly +EV bonuses from which I won literally £1,000s over the last 2+years. I sayWASbecause in recent months they havemade the wagering on their bonuses much worse for the player andmanyareno longerworthdoing. What exactly is a “Bonus Bandit” and why do you characterize yourself as one? Just seemed like agoodalternative name to Bonus Hunter! I enjoy taking themoregenerousbonusesand trying to beat the casinobymakingadecent prof- it. Nearly all ofmy deposits aremade to claimabonus. You have strong feelings about pro- grams that have negative carryover. Why do you feel affiliates should stay away from programs with NCO? I can understand the casino’s point of view and why they have NCO, but why would anyone want to work with that millstone round their neckwhen about 95 percent of programs don’t have it? I have had several programs where I earned nothing for six, nine, 12 and even 18months straight despite player activity, just because one player had a lucky big win. It may be okay for the big affiliates who bring in hundreds of players – but it’s a nightmare for small ones likemyself. Whatdidyoudobeforeyou joined the onlinegaming industry?And just how different is what you’re doing right now? I was always an “office pleb” do- ing the 8-5, sitting at a desk in an of- fice. Started as a Draughtsman, then Purchasing, Materials Control, Pur- chasing again and finally Production Control. I still sit at a desk in front of a PC– but now I’m doing what I want and really enjoy doing rather than what someone else tellsme to do. How long do you give yourself for re- sponding to e-mail? And what e-mail management tips can you offer? If a player contacts me I usually reply im- mediately – within 24 hours max. For *Due tospaceconstraints,wecouldnotprint the interviews in theirentirety.Thecomplete textwillbe postedatgpwa.org. GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES