GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 37 - February 2017

Acce In September 2016, the online gaming industry received some sur- prising newswhen payment provider PaysafeGroup announced it had acquired affiliate technologyfirmIncomeAccess for £23million. The agreement came less than a year after Paysafe Group, for- merly Optimal Payments and which also operates NETELLER, bought Skrill for €1.1 billion. The GPWA Times sat down with IncomeAccess’ new vice presi- dent of business development andmarketing, Lee-Ann Johnstone, to discuss the reasons behind the transaction, how it affects affil- iates andwhat the future holds. And since Johnstone has almost two decades’ experience in digital marketing in a range of sectors while also working for Paysafe, Centrebet and PartyGaming, we picked her brain about the industry as a whole and asked what key trends affiliates should be attuned to in 2017.  Lee-Ann, you’ve had a longstanding role at Paysafe and have now transitioned to VP of business development and marketing at Income Access. Can you describe the evolution of your positions at the two companies? I’ve worked in dig- ital marketing for a number of years and during this time built several successful affiliate programs using the Income Access software. Over the past six years working at Paysafe, I’ve been responsible for building both affiliate and merchant marketing programs within the company’s Digital Wallets division. Following Paysafe’s acquisition of IncomeAccess, I transitioned into my newrole. The acquisition enhances the services Paysafe provides to existing operators, making our overall offering stickier for our clients. It also helps expand our business into new markets and verticals through symbiotic relationship-building and strengthens Paysafe’s positioning, providing uswith a competitive advantage. My new position within Paysafe’s affiliate business focuses on adding value to the larger group, as I have in-depth knowledge of digital payments, digital marketing and affiliate marketing. It made sense that I would therefore help lead the integration of the Income Access business into Paysafe’s Digital Wallets division. My background and expertise are a good fit to help enhance the development of cross-business and company-wide synergies to expand revenue opportunities across the divisions. What motivated Paysafe’s acquisition of Income Access in September 2016? Why is it a good fit for both organizations? Quite simply, there is great synergy between our payment ser- vices and the ecosystem of money movement that takes place in the remuneration model that occurs between operators and affiliates. We saw the acquisition as a strong opportunity to embed our relationship with both merchants and affiliates, and offer this channel a better value proposition. It also reinforces our position as a preferred payment provider that is invested in the growth of affiliate marketing. This allows us to drive collaboration and synergies across both businesses that will increase acquisition globally for our clients. Income Access is a fundamentally important partner to many iGaming operators that use affiliate marketing as a key player acquisition channel. It therefore made sense for us to acquire this technology for our group, as we provide secure payment processing to a similar cohort of clients. Paysafe has maintained a longstanding relationship with af- filiates with the growth of the NETELLER and Skrill affiliate programs. We have invested heavily in affiliate education and thought leadership as well as in-depth business coaching – such as the annual AffiliateFEST in the U.K. – to build this success. Q&A Income Access VP of Business Development & Marketing Lee-Ann Johnstone breaks down Paysafe’s acquisition of Income Access and explains its impact on the industry Income Access: Lee-Ann Johnstone w w w . g p w a t i m e s . o r g 31