GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 33 - October 2015

J une, July and August are typically slow times for most industries, as people look to enjoy the summer weather (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) and take time off to travel, spend time with their families and recharge their engines. This year, summer was anything but slow in the online gambling industry. As Dan Podheiser reports in our cover story, the industry is undergoing a period of rapid consolidation. Smaller operators are being acquired by larger ones, while several of the top 10 sites in terms of market share are merging, creating huge publicly traded juggernauts. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement informed affiliates they need to stop promoting offshore sites that allow New Jersey players if they ever want to apply for a license to promote regulated operators in the state. There’s no doubt all these changes will impact affiliates, and many are wondering what they should do. In this issue, we offer a comprehensive look at strategies affiliates can employ to maximize their time and resources in 2016 and beyond. While the industry continues to evolve, so does the GPWA. We’re proud to announce GPWAtimes.org , a new site featuring all the content from our magazine, from the first issue in May 2007 to today. This issue will be distributed in Berlin at the European iGaming Congress & Expo and at the Berlin Affiliate Conference in October. If you’re at either of these shows, be sure to stop by the GPWA booth and say hello! And just a reminder — a subscription to our magazine is free! Just visit GPWAtimes.org/subscribe to sign up to receive your copy in the mail today. Sincerely, Michael A. Corfman GPWA Executive Director LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR GPWA Executive Director: Michael Corfman Program Director: Anthony Telesca Program Manager: Jim Keith Membership Manager: Nancy Troy Member Services: Loriann Sheridan Marketing Director: Andrea Mullaney GPWA TIMES MAGAZINE Managing Editor: Aaron Todd Editor: Dan Podheiser Copy Chief: Clare Fitzgerald Designer: George Choi SUBSCRIPTIONS For a FREE subscription to the GPWA Times Magazine, visit GPWAtimes.org ADVERTISING To advertise in the GPWA Times Magazine, please e-mail: sales@gpwa.org ISSN 1941-9872 DEPARTMENTS 6 Quotables 7 Webmaster News 8 By the Numbers 24 Event Calendar 30 From the Forums 38 Photo Gallery 48 Affiliate Interview Series 61 GPWA Sponsors 64 Affiliate Manager Interview Series 74 APCW Wall of Shame ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 14 Sailing the seas of change: Preparing your affiliate business for 2016 and beyond 26 New Jersey affiliates can no longer have it both ways 72 Daily fantasy sports’ catch-22 ntona 10 Building links with reusable, reskinnable content on a budget Greyheart Media’s Mike Litson outlines some nontraditional methods for bringing traffic to your affiliate website. 18 COVER STORY: Mergers and acquisitions: How affiliates fit into the online gambling industry’s ‘new normal’ Dan Podheiser provides an in-depth look at how and why the online gambling industry is consolidating, with analysis by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants’ Warren Bartlett. 46 Player retention: It’s not just for operators anymore Aaron Todd uncovers the latest trends in customer relationship management and explains why affiliates need to worry about more than just acquisition.