GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 14 - October 2010

ates leave a program because the program has done something that negatively affects the affiliates, the company may not notice. But when a hundred leave and some of those are the company’s biggest affiliates they tend to sit up and take notice. What one thing would you change about the online gambling industry? I love the industry; it’s fast paced and great fun. I think I would like to see more regulation. Wouldn’t it be nice if all of the casinos were licensed in British Gambling Commission Whitelisted regions, or if all adhered to a set standard and were all independently audited by a reputable third party? Other than that, I am struggling to come up with anything to complain about. We get to go to great events, get comped for all sorts of things, get paid well and have a lot of fun. There are some guys out there selling ball bearings for a living and stuck in traffic jams. You posted recently that you have a dif- ference of opinion with several program managers as to how to distinguish good conversion rates from not-so-good rates. How do you decide which casinos should get more exposure and which should get less? I look at a number of factors when deciding to increase or decrease a casino’s exposure on our sites. These include: The casino’s current conversion rate. If there is an affiliate promotion I par- ticularly like or that will increase my earnings above what I would normally earn from that affiliate group. What percentage commission we earn with that casino. How long a player generally stays a member at that casino (based on the information I have available) and what the average player value is to me. You correctly picked Spain to win the World Cup earlier this year. Are you a big football fan? I cannot really take credit for picking Spain, although we got the prize money (thank you, SlotoCash). I e-mailed Adam and asked who he thought would win as I had no idea. He said he had no idea either but the favorite with the book- ies was Spain, so that is who we picked. I’m not a big football fan at all, I only watch the 1. 2. 3. 4. World Cup games and even then usually only the Eng- land games (although I did watch all the Spain games too this year). When I was a kid I sup- ported Manchester United, because when we moved to the south of England (when I was 10) in my first lesson I was sat next to a boy whose first question to me was, “So what football team do you support?” At the time I didn’t support any team but saw he had a Man. U. pencil case so figured I would say Man. U. just to make a friend. He then proceeded to talk about Old Trafford and a whole bunch of other related stuff. I had no idea what he was go- ing on about, but I had made a friend. If a magic genie gave you the choice be- tween being the best poker player ever, the best cricket player ever and the best foot- ball player ever, which would you choose? Football player, because it would mean I would be in very good shape, plus money and women. Need I say more? What’s your favorite vacation spot? If I just want to chill out and relax I would say Kurumba in the Maldives. It really is para- dise. You can walk round the entire island in 15 minutes, have massages every day, go snorkeling and scuba diving and chill out in lovely surroundings. But most of the time my first choice would be the west coast of Cornwall. It’s safe to surf (no sharks), Wa- tergate Bay is my favorite beach, I amhappy body boarding all day long, and the land- scape is breathtaking. I love the ruggedness of it all and could very happily spend every evening just watching the waves crashing on the rocks. Plus you can get excellent fish- and-chips! What’s your favorite movie? Any of the “Rocky” movies. It’s a great story that fits well with my philosophy of life — if you stick at something and give it 110 percent you will come out on top in the end. I also like the sound track; it inspires me to get myself to the gym. If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you would definitely take them to see? I would try to choose something the visitor would enjoy. It would defi- nitely include a good meal out, and if my wife Lara had her way we would take them to the Shuttleworth Collection to see the aircraft. If you could visit any five places in the world, what would they be? Australia – I would love to see the op- era house in Sydney and see what life is like in other parts of Australia, too. China – I want to tour the country and see everything from the Great Wall to the Terracotta Army. The Great Pyramid – just so I could say I have seen it. I’d like to go inside it, too. Dublin – to sample real Irish Guinness. South Africa – to go on safari, see the sights and meet up with my Referback buddies, who have promised me a brai (a South African barbecue) when I go. Last but not least, what are three things that nobody knows about you? I originally trained as a sports therapist. If I ever have to wait for anything I have a habit of counting things, usually how many ceiling tiles there are, and then wall tiles and lights in a room. I played bass guitar in a rock band when I first met my wife. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. ContinueD from page 47 Andy and a Playboy Bunny at Hugh Hefner’s Sky Villa in The Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas. 48 GPWA Affiliate Interview Series