GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 18 - October 2011

You have two English-language sites and a Romanian-language site.Who is the target audience for the English-language sites? I have many more sites! My target audience is all European potential gamblers. What is the Romanian online gambling market like, and how does it differ from the rest of Europe, and the rest of the world? The Romanian market is unique. Romanians love gambling, but you have to offer them the best promotions. They are dedicated bonus hunters – but they are very strong players. Last year you posted that you wanted to sell one of your sites, PokerArena.net. Is it still up for sale? What were/are your reasons for wanting to sell it? I am a busi- nessman! Anything is for sale for the right price. I have a lot projects and I don’t have time to develop all of them. This is the mo- tivation for selling PokerArena. Earlier this year you launchedanother site, GamblingArena.net. How has that been working out for you? GamblingArena.net is one of my preferred projects. It’s an all- around portal for gamblers. And it’s work- ing very well for me. Not much traffic, but great conversions. You have a site that offers free links to all webmasters, with no back link required. What kind of response has your offer received? I offer free links on http:// gamblerdir.com. Gamblerdir is a free re- source for gambling webmasters. I think that it’s a nice little success. How long have you been working in the industry? What drew you to the business? Let me think… I’ve been in this business since 2007, so it’s about four years. I am here because I like this business, not for the money. Are you a full-time online gambling affili- ate, or do you hold down another job as well? Oh no. I am not a full-time affiliate. My main occupation is web developer and SEO. What do you like about the industry? Dynamism. This industry is extremely dy- namic. Always something new. What don’t you like about the industry? Competition. Being nice is very difficult, and competitors are not always honest. What surprised you the most about the industry? I was very surprised by the col- lapse of the giant Full Tilt Poker. Nobody expected this. What did you do before you joined the online gaming industry? Like I said, I am not a full-time affiliate. I was and I am a web developer. I am running sites in mul- tiple niches. How do you use social media in promot- ing your sites? Which social media work best for you? Usually I don’t use social media to promote my sites. I prefer to write premium content for my readers. This is the best way to promote your sites. And of course SEO. What types of content do you believe generate the most traffic on your sites – site reviews, or news items? And which types of content tend to get players to sign up at the sites? I think my visitors are attracted to the entire content of my sites. I try to offer the best possible re- views, and also try as much as time al- lows me to offer visitors the latest indus- try news. How long do you give yourself for re- sponding to e-mail? And what e-mail tips can you offer? I spend almost 15 hours a day online. My reaction time is very fast. How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out? I usually don’t use any special software. On my WordPress sites I use FeedBurner. It does all the hard work! How much time does it take to keep your sites updated? If the day were 25 hours long, I would probably use them all. It is extremely difficult to keep sites updated every day, especially when you own more than 10 sites. What prompted you to join the GPWA and how has it helped you so far? The GPWA is the main meeting place for webmasters in this niche. I have learned many things that are imperative in the gambling niche, and for that I am thankful. Time management is one of the biggest issues facing affiliates. What time man- agement tips can you offer your fellow webmasters? Oh God, I don’t know what advice I can give about this. For me, time is always insufficient. Please describe your favorite vacation. Favorite holiday? Hard . . . probably best would be in the mountains, somewhere far from civilization. You’ve described Romania as “a little heaven on earth.” Please tell us some- thing about your country. If a GPWAmem- ber who had never been to Romania be- fore came to visit you, what would you be most excited to show them? Yes, indeed, Romania is a small corner of paradise. What would I show a GPWA member? First I would show them the beauty of na- ture, landscapes untouched by civilization. Then I would probably go to Dracula’s castle, and I would also take them to Casa Poporului, the largest building in the world after the Pentagon. If you could have dinner with any five people, living or dead, who would they be, and why? Yuri Gagarin, because he was the first man in space. Robert de Niro, because he’s my favorite Hollywood star. Michelle Pfeiffer, because I think she’s one of most beautiful women alive. Julius Caesar, one of the most powerful men on earth. And Daniel Negreanu, the most charismatic and probably one of best poker players. When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go? If time allows me, I go with my wife and child to the mountains, away from the madness of Bucharest. How do your family and friends feel about how you make your living? The fam- ily accepts and supports me in what I do; friends do not know exactly what I do! GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES ROBERT robyroy If he could, he’d work 25/7! GPWA Affiliate Interview Series