GPWA Times - Issue 21 - May 2012

How did you become involved in this industry? I was formerly a VIP player manager in Budapest for a casino group that was sold in 2006; I had taken the job based on my informal experience in establishing cash poker tournaments in the city. That was my first taste of the online gambling industry, and after the sale I decided to strike out on my own as an entrepreneur. You launched your first site, LiveCasinoDirect.com, over five years ago. When did you launch your other sites? About two years after the launch of LiveCasinoDirect, we introduced the slot-specific sister site LiveSlotsDirect.com based on the ex- perience gleaned from working the first site. Since then, we’ve launched quite a few other sites. Your most-visited site seems to be LiveCasinoDirect.com. Why do you think it’s so popular? Also, why did you de- cide to create the more targeted Live Casino Direct UK and German-languageCasinoDirekt sites? LiveCasinoDirect.com is in fact our most popular site. Obviously, we’ve put the most work into this site and the fact that it’s established goes a long way in terms of popularity. With the creation of country- specific sites, we’re hoping to get more direct with players in those markets. What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program? First and foremost, someone who knows more about the business than I do – so I can learn things. And that has happened: I’ve learned so much essential stuff from the managers I’ve worked with. In an affiliate pro- gram, transparency in terms of reporting is a must and a long, issue-free history is a serious plus. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry? “My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?” What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you? Like just about everyone else in the organization, we joined the GPWA for the networking opportunities. The GPWA has helped us by providing these opportunities through shows and the online forums – I read that thing non-stop. Last fall youwarnedGPWA members about someone who was pretending to work for LiveCasinoDirect and contacting various casino groups trying to make deals on your behalf. Were you able to track this person down before he could do any signifi- cant damage to your operation? I’m glad you mentioned that because we hoped to show that we cared about the community. We didn’t want anyone to get hurt or lose money. I know this has happened to other groups as well. Ultimately, we were able to find his Skype and deactivate his account. There isn’t much chance of finding this guy but we did the best we could in dam- age control. You’ve been a member of the GPWA for five years now, but only have 18 posts. How often do you visit the forums? As one of our many lurkers, what do you get out of your time on the forums? And what prompts you to make the rare post? I only post when absolutely necessary and I’ve found sometimes that it’s best not to get involved with specific dis- putes among members and operators. However, as stated previ- ously, I do read the forums basically every day to stay on top of current events in the industry. What do you like about the industry? Sex, drugs and power. What don’t you like about the industry? The stigma attached to gambling online in the minds of much of society. It’s often lumped with porn and Viagra pushers, which is totally unfair. What surprised you most about the industry? In the early days we of course were surprised by the UIGEA; this really lim- ited the ease of work and expansion opportunities and left us scrambling for a while, but in the end made us stronger. How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer? I honestly try to answer as quickly as possible, especially the ones from Nigeria regarding the transfer of millions of euros into my bank account – I’ve just got a good heart and want to help those people so much. How do you manage “to do” lists? I don’t have “to do” lists, really. I just come into the office and know what to do. GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES PAUL MARTON nor thern Age 41 Hometown Vancouver, B.C., Canada Living in Budapest Favorite Food Magyar Must Read Book Ball Four, by Jim Bouton Sites livecasinodirect.com liveslotsdirect.com Who needs Einstein when you’ve got Walter Sobchak? GPWA Affiliate Interview Series