GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 16 - May 2011

Communication, friendship, trust — that’s what it’s all about JAMIE Players Luck - Jamie Jamie (left) with his aunt and his cousin Toa. AGE: 24 HOMETOWN: Wellington Living in: New Zealand FAVORITEFOOD: Marmite on Toast MUSTREAD BOOK: Titanic: Echo of the Dying Confession by Troy Veenstra SITES: playersluck.com nodepositcasinosreview.com You’ve been in online gambling for five years. How did you get started in the in- dustry,andwhen did you launch your own site? It started through watching my part- ner and also having an interest in gambling online myself. I used to gamble online all the time and then realized I could make a living off promoting online casinos, poker and bingo sites. I made an attempt as a learning curve with a couple of old sites, then I opened Players Luck and more re- cently No Deposit Casinos Review. How long was it before you started mak- ing money? I would have to say it was al- most four to six months before I started seeing figures I wanted to see, although I would say I am not earning anywhere near what some are, but I only do this as a part-time hobby at this stage. According to your profile, you are just 24 years old. Is this your first “job”? Or have you worked in other industries, as well? I have had a few jobs, mainly in the hospi- tality industry. More recently I have been studying to further my career in youth mental health disabilities. I am also fo- cused on helping offending youth to point their lives in a more acceptable direction. What are your goals for the Players Luck site? To be like the GPWA, of course . . . lol “kidding.” I don’t think any other site could be as good as the GPWA, but I’m aiming for a site that’s similar and infor- mative. I love meeting new people and having a site of my own. I have made a lot of new friends in this industry. When did you start your other site,No De- posit Casinos Review? Why did you focus on no-deposit bonuses? What differenti- ates it from Players Luck? I only started this around a month or so ago. I really don’t know why I focused on no-deposit bonuses. At the time I thought it would be good for Google and SEO. While we feature no-deposit offers we do try to fo- cus on other match offers as well. If you attract the right kind of people and not bonus hunters, no-deposit bonuses can work, but overall they do cost both the ca- sino and affiliate. Your two sites share a community forum. What have you learned about operating a forum? Do you have any advice for af- filiates who are considering adding a fo- rum to their site? I am just starting the forum, to be honest, and trying to build up a really good community. The main reason I want a forum is so I can interact with my players and make new friends. It also builds up trust with the players and makes them feel they have a place where they can communicate. Much like affili- ate forums it’s really good to hear player feedback on casinos they play at. I would advise anyone starting up a forum to do it carefully; it’s very hard to build a forum and maintain it. How much time does it take to keep your sites up to date? Well, because I foster children I work from home, I am on my sites nearly four to eight hours a day, learning ways to improve them and read- ing at the GPWA! Tell us about your interest in cars. Do you race them? Collect them? I drive them! I love seeing modified cars and the things people such as boy racers do to modify their rides. I love watching them at race- tracks and would love to try racing one day. Holden cars RULE!!! You and your life partner are foster par- ents. How did you become involved in thatprogram? Unexpectedly, actually.We had my 13-year-old cousin come to live with us when his parents passed away. We then went on to helping three other teen- agers whose families had kicked them out on the street. It’s a very challenging task and you get no thanks for helping these troubled kids. At times we have had fami- lies threaten us, but that’s what makes us more determined to help these kids. All of children we foster suffer from serious mental-health issues such as ADHD and Serious Conduct Disorder. One child we foster at the moment has a serious drug GPWA Affiliate Interview Series