GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 18 - October 2011

Stefanie Johnson Gould and the rest of the man- agement team at BetCroc Affiliates bring some- thing unique to online gaming: solid background in the brick-and-mortar side of our industry, ac- quired at several major Las Vegas casinos. The transition has taught Stefanie one thing: the core desires of players at land-based and online venues are fundamentally the same, but the way the gaming experience is delivered is different. The challenge for her and her colleagues? Ramp up fast and engage their players without the big budgets and sup- port mechanisms they had in Las Vegas – and so far things are looking pretty good! WhendidBetCroclaunchitscasino and affiliate program? What kind of feedback have you received from players and affiliates so far? We have just recently launched. Players are very happy with the betcroc.com gaming experience, service and offerings and affili- ates love the support they get. We have personal relationships with our affiliates; we con- sider them part of the BetCroc family. Our re- lationships are not just online, but we are also connected through Sky- pe regularly and some of our affiliates have even visited BetCroc in Costa Rica. One of BetCroc’s sell- ing points is that your management, includ- ing your president, Rory Hascall, have a background in brick- and-mortar casinos in Las Vegas. How does that experience trans- late to an online casino envi- ronment? At BetCroc we have a true understanding of what the gambler wants in a gaming ex- perience. Because we’ve been re- sponsible for millions of dollars in revenues at all the best casinos, such as MGM Resorts, Harrah’s Entertainment and Station Casi- nos, we quite simply know what works. We have a different ap- proach to rewarding our players, celebrating their winnings and developing personal relationships – all critical to our success. What prompted you, and other members of the BetCroc team, to decide to take the leap from the brick-and-mortar to the on- line business? And why Costa Rica? Las Vegas and its pri- marily U.S. player base was an amazing career location for ev- ery senior member of the Bet- Croc team. With other projects slated soon in Costa Rica, the global gaming arena seemed a natural next step. With iGam- ing on the rise, we decided it was time to join this worldwide winning industry. You’ve been with BetCroc for only a few months. How would you compare this experience thus far to your time with Harrah’s, New York - New York and the Station Casinos? It has been a learning experience at every turn and I am loving it. While there are fundamentally the same core desires of the players, the delivery of the gam- ing experience is different. Sup- pliers, recruiting and the me- dium itself by which we engage the players have all had to be relearned in some cases. I have had to ramp up very quickly in a new industry, build relation- ships and deliver results with- out the massive budgets and support mechanisms of the big boys in Las Vegas. How did the events of “Black Fri- day” affect BetCroc’s plans? Had you ever planned on accepting U.S. players? Really they have only helped BetCroc. We have never had a desire to attract the U.S. market and still do not. Af- filiates and players have appreci- ated this by flocking to BetCroc, knowing that we are legitimate and will not risk our integrity, their deposits, winnings and/or commissions and will be here for the long haul. BetCroc Affiliates offer a 30 per- cent revenue share plan with no negative carryover. What were the factors that went into the de- cision to only do revenue share deals with affiliates? At the end of the day, we want to keep things simple and transparent and not cloud “true” commission percent- ages with chargebacks, deduc- tions and marketing expenses that are variable in nature, which is why we are offering the 30 per- cent as an initial offering to give affiliates the ability to try the sim- ple approach as a Croc Affiliate. Affiliates will quickly be able to see what they are really earning, comparing it side by side to other MEET THE AFFILIATE MANAGER MEET THE AFFILIATE MANAGER STEFANIE JOHNSON GOULD BetCroc Affiliates “We love to hear from everyone, implementing suggestions and great thinking all the time. We do not pretend to have all the answers, and we listen well.” Affiliate Manager Interview Series