GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 34 - February 2016

One of the keys to success for online poker is liquidity. Do you think we’ll ever get back to the good old days, when there was a global marketplace and players weren’t ring-fenced by national borders? Unfortunately, no. I kind of touched on this point earlier by saying we need worldwide regulation. The big sites seem to be unwill- ing to push for strict regulation so I doubt we’ll ever see this overturned and get back to the old days. It’s really a shame what’s happened to the online poker world, and I’d love more than anything for it to be like the old days. I’m sure the borders issue wouldn’t be a problem if they worked with governments and paid their fair share of taxes. We all know the big poker sites love to be off- shore, and for what? They keep on this way and I think we are going to see a further decline and eventual closures. This should actually be the opposite, seeing how there is a positive birth rate globally. Before Black Friday, what percentage of your players were American? Are you encouraged by the recent movement to regulate online gambling in some parts of the United States? In all honesty, not many, although today it would be more. I’ve always promoted USA sites and be- lieve that this is one of the only remaining profitable markets. The USA needs to get a grip and legalize online gambling; it’s 2016 and this has been going on for too long now. Some states have legalized cannabis, yet betting $20 in an online casino is illegal! You’ve decided not to comply with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s demand that affiliates not market offshore online properties if they ever wish to get a license to operate as an affiliate in the state. Can you walk us through your thought process in making that decision? No comment, only joking! It’s an easy decision to make; if they want me to stop then they can ask me nicely. Unlike casino or sportsbook players, who can generate a lot of revenue for affiliates in a short amount of time, poker play- ers need to play a high volume of hands to generate high revenues for affiliates. What is the average player value for pok- er? Is there enough volume to make it a worthwhile gaming vertical for new af- filiates? The average value really depends upon the type of player, but overall if you do manage to find a few people that play $1/$2 blinds then I believe it can be more profitable than sports. I would say that on average, with swings and roundabouts it’s around $10 to $20 per player per month. All this means is you need a few more than sports. There is a worthwhile market for new af- filiates in poker; however, if I were to cre- ate another site I would definitely promote sportsbooks and casinos. What types of promotions do poker play- ers find the most attractive? Do deposit bonuses matter? Free tournament tick- ets? Do satellites to the World Series of Poker still draw interest? Deposit bonuses are a concern, but I believe that players are always looking for something extra than the site itself offers. This could be extra re- load codes or slightly higher rakeback per- centage. Let’s face it, if you have the exact same offer as the site itself, then what is the point of an end user using your site? If you can work a deal with a big site to get an extra tournament ticket or two, then this will definitely attract a good player. Satellites have never really been a great pro- motion tool, or at least I have never found them to be. It’s too much of a crapshoot for any good player to consider signing up just for a satellite ticket: You offer them $5 or a satellite, and they are taking the $5. One of the sites you work on (Rakeback4.me ) is a rakeback site. How important is rakeback to players? Do you think it’s a sustainable business model for opera- tors? Rakeback is essential for all players. Receiving a little back each month or week is a great incentive and can pay for extra tickets, etc. As a sustainable business model, I really couldn’t say. Some sites can cope and oth- ers cannot; pricing rakeback too high will definitely cause operators problems, but without it you will lose grinders. What are your thoughts on PokerStars’ decision to retroactively change its terms and conditions from a lifetime revenue share to a two-year sunset for affiliate earnings? I think PokerStars is a massive sellout waste of space! They actually cut off affiliates that don’t bring them players, and a two-year suns**t just shows how greedy they are. It’s a disgrace to the industry and one of the reasons I have decided to move away from them for good. You know their whole thing was “no casino or sports” and just look at what they have become, terrible. Do you have any plans to branch out to new jurisdictions or to launch your sites in other languages? In all honesty, I am so busy I don’t have the time. In the future, possibly, but for now there is nothing in the pipelines. What are some of your sites’ unique sell- ing points? How do you stand out from the crowd? Well apart from my old pok- ersponsor2-0 site, I guess you could say that USA rooms are the only unique selling point I really have. There are so many af- filiate sites, it’s hard today to have a truly unique selling point. The best thing is to have useful content for the end users. What do you think is a better strategy for affiliates? To launch numerous sites, or to be laser-focused on creating great content for a small number of sites? Small number, in my opinion: Too many sites is too much work, and the cost of optimizing each one is also an issue. Unless you are a team of five people or more, then I sug- gest you only work on making a couple of sites and make great content for those sites. It will pay off more in the end. Are you a one-man operation? If not, how many employees work for your company? Outside of the people you work with, how often do you get to see and interact with other people in the industry? Do you at- tend any industry conferences? I current- ly have five people who are self-employed that work with my Web design company. GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES GPWA Affiliate Interview Series