GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 22 - October 2012

rooms, both in terms of the player’s ex- perience and what you offer affiliates? William Hill is obviously most famous for offering one of the best sportsbooks, taking bets on almost anything. With 80 years’ experience in the industry com- bined with modern and exciting technolo- gy, we offer a secure and safe place to play – and we always put the customer first. The revenue share model at Affiliates United is skewed toward getting new players each month, with affiliates who bring in new players each month earning higher revenue share percent- ages than those who don’t bring in new players but still have previous active players. Some affiliates don’t like these types of clauses requiring new players. Why did Affiliates United decide to use this model to determine commissions? What’s offered in our terms and conditions is a standard agree- ment. We are very flexible and happy to make tailor-made deals and contracts with affiliates. But yes, if you choose the basic standard deal, the revenue share will be based on your monthly perfor- mance. Affiliates can discuss special deals with their account manager. Describe what it is like to work at William Hill. If there were a fly on the wall, what are some of the topics of conversation it’d hear about at the wa- ter cooler? It is really nice working in William Hill Online. There is a good vibe in the air and people always have high spirits. We are proud of working for the number-one online operator, and you can feel that everywhere. Topics go from in- dustry news, to last night’s football match, to the hot weather. What do you know about the industry now that you wish you’d known when you first started? I am not sure there is something I wish I’d known when I start- ed, but what I know now and what still surprises me is how ever changing and sophisticated it is to run an online gaming operation, on our level. How do you ensure that payments are sent out on time? And when do your payments go out? We realize the im- portance of affiliates being paid on time and we have a big finance department dedicated to payments. Payments are processed between the 6th and the 10th every month. Should there be any issues or delays, we as the affiliate manager are always available to assist. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? For sure there will be changes and challenges, with more regu- lated markets. We see the mobile prod- ucts growing rapidly and I predict this platform to be of massive importance five years from now. You grew up in Buenos Aires, and also went to university there, graduating with a degree in psychology. Does your degree help you understand gamblers and what it takes to successfully pro- mote the online gambling industry? Yes, I feel I have a better understanding of human behavior. These studies gave me a way to listen more and better understand the needs of my affiliates. You’re now living in Tel Aviv. When did you move there? And how does it com- pare to Buenos Aires? I moved here al- most 10 years ago. The two cities are so similar and so different at the same time. Buenos Aires is a huge city, with a big cul- tural offering, while Tel Aviv is more cos- mopolitan. Both cities share a desire to be trendy and to have more new restaurants, and a very active nightlife. If someone from out of town were to visit you, where is the one place you would have to take them? Nobody should miss the new port of Tel Aviv, with its shops, restaurants and prom- enade. I would also recommend a visit to the ancient city of Jaffa and a great dinner at the Cordelia Restaurant there. I love their ambience and can- delabra and chandelier. Do you get back to Argentina to visit often? Do you still have family there? Not as often as I would like. It takes about 24 to 30 hours to get there. My brother and his family live there, so I do try to visit when I can. What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? And did you read it on an e-reader? Or do you need to have a copy of the physical book in your hand? I am always reading several books at the same time. Right now I am in the middle of Toys , by James Patterson. Last week I finished Roses Are Red , also by James Patterson. As you can see I am a big fan of his books. Even though I knew a few things about this book (because I had read several that were from the same saga but were written later), I imagine I would still have been interested until the last page. Also, I am about to finish The Kingdom , by Clive Cussler. I used to like his boo ks a lot, but the last ones have been rath er predictable. I want a book that surpris es me. I only read print books, not e-books . What is your favorite movie? I have se v- eral favorite movies, not just one. Amé lie is one of them, and also Pulp Fiction , A Clockwork Orange and any movie fro m Hitchcock. From Argentina: El hijo de la novia (Son of the bride), El secreto de s us ojos (The secret in their eyes) and 9 rein as (Nine queens). If you had a theme song, what would it be? Probably one of the Spanish song s I sing to my baby daughter every day – th ey are really catchy. If you could go anywhere on vacatio n, where would you go? I would like to go to Bora-Bora and the Seychelles, and al so to travel around China. What’s the best movie food? Well, i f I go to the cinema, the one and only opti on is popcorn. If I watch a film at home, nu ts and dried fruit. If you could have dinner with thr ee other people, living or dead, wh o would they be? For sure they wou ld be Jean d’Ormesson, one of my favor ite writers; Frida Kahlo, one of my favor ite artist/painters; and Salvador Dali. All of them didn’t just create beautiful objec ts, paintings or books, they influenced pe o- ple for generations. It would be an inte r- esting dinner. What would you do if you just inhe r- ited a pizzeria from your uncle? If m y uncle was wise enough to make mon ey from it and to not have debts, I would i n- vite my best friends to have dinner a nd then I would see. I love and enjoy my j ob and I don’t see myself working in a diffe r- ent industry. What are three things that no o ne knows about you? One, if people re ad this interview up to here, they alrea dy know I am a psychologist. Two, I love ph o- tography; it is one of my passions. Three , I also love to cook. 6 7 Affiliate Manager Interview Series