GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 34 - February 2016

I t’s hard to believe we’re already one month into 2016. If there was one constant in our industry in 2015, it was change, and there’s no doubt 2016 will bring more of the same. In our 34 th issue the GPWA Times Magazine , we delve into some of the ways you can best prepare for the challenges the new year will bring. Gary Trask presents a case for marketing to millennials in our cover story, something both affiliates and operators should be considering as the newest generation of potential casino players matures; Mike Litson gives some tips on how to get your site’s SEO as fit as a fiddle in 2016; and Stefanie Stich provides an inside look at the numbers from the 2015 Women’s World Cup at bet-at-home.com, providing a blueprint for affiliate success in promoting betting opportunities for women’s sporting events. Following up on our cover story from the last issue, Lorien Pilling tries to decipher whether all the mergers and acquisitions occurring actually solve the underlying issues facing the industry. In addition to these features, be sure to check out the interviews in this issue. The five affiliate interviews are informative and entertaining, and we also talked to Rachel Morgan of Affvantage and James Boran of mFortune Partners, two of our newest Platinum Sponsors. Here’s to a great year in 2016! If you make it to any of the major industry conferences this year, please be sure to stop by the GPWA booth to say hello. And most importantly, don’t be a stranger on the GPWA forums! 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 Editors: Aaron Todd, Gary Trask 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: Daily Fantasy Sports Update 8 By the Numbers 16 From the Forums 22 Photo Gallery 42 Affiliate Interview Series 61 Event Calendar 62 GPWA Sponsors 66 Affiliate Manager Interview Series 74 APCW Wall of Shame 10 SEO resolutions for 2016 Greyheart Media’s Mike Litson provides a to-do list for affiliates looking to improve their SEO strategies this year. 14 Place your bets on the future of women’s sports Stefanie Stich, an affiliate manager for bet-at-home.com, takes a close look at betting data from the Women’s World Cup and outlines some strategies affiliates can take to get a foothold in this growing sector of the sports betting market. 30 COVER STORY: Doubling down on millennials The GPWA’s Gary Trask looks at what brick- and-mortar casinos are doing to attract what will soon be the world’s largest market segment, and what online casinos need to do to compete in a crowded gaming market. 38 A problem merged is a problem halved? Global Betting and Gaming Consultants’ Lorien Pilling explains the reasoning behind the rash of mergers and acquisitions in the online gambling industry, but wonders if consolidation will actually solve the fundamental problems operators in the market face.