GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 39 - November 2017

and foremost, I am very satisfied to see that good casinos are still on top and that the ones that use unethical practices are being blacklisted by the broader casino community. We are also witnessing the industry gravitate toward bitcoin, in ac- cordance with global tendencies. I would, however, like to see some changes, most- ly in regards to new types of games that should be introduced in next few years. For example, although slot games are tra- ditionally popular among both players and casinos, we expect some minor changes that would bring them up to higher levels of gamification. Also, we could use the enormous potential of VR that is being wrongfully neglected. Where do you think the industry will be in five years? Bitcoin players will account for a majority of all online play- ers, haha. Jokes aside, although bitcoin is bringing some positive changes into several aspects of the industry, we will definitely have to face some challenging ongoing trends. The most challenging is certainly the stricter and all-round regu- lation of gambling that a lot of countries have enacted recently or are just about to enact. The other challenge, although not so difficult, is the ubiquitous transition to iOS and Android apps, which will possi- bly prevail over other types of gaming. If you could go anywhere on vaca- tion, where would you go? I would always choose someplace with sunny beaches, definitely somewhere on the Mediterranean. However, I would also really like to visit Japan, because I have always imagined it as a kind of glimpse into the future.   What was the last book you read? Do you prefer using an e-reader or a physical book? I am very old-school when it comes to books. Maybe it’s be- cause I am working online all the time, so it’s refreshing to use paper for a change. I just recently finished A History of the World in 6 Glasses , by Tom Standage. It offers a really interesting view on history through the beverages that were domi- nant in different times. I recommend it Have you attended any affiliate confer- ences? I just got back from Amsterdam! BitStarz affiliate teammembers generally attend most of the iGB conferences – and others, as well – and we find them very useful. You meet your partners there, and sometimes it’s faster and easier to make a deal when you have face-to-face contact. I believe the most productive one is the London Affiliate Conference, since it is the biggest, but I personally prefer Berlin, because I like the city’s vibe. What would you change about the in- dustry, if anything? I see that the industry is changing for the better every year. First that we do not communicate and hang out with each other, only that we do it on Skype or Slack. Most of us move a l ot, every three months or so. I also con- sider myself a kind of a digital nomad. The advantage of having a team that is spread over four continents, like we do at BitStarz, is definitely that you are able to have a lot of different insights and you never get bored with people you work with – who are all, by the way, really friendly and helpful. In addition to that, we have team-buildings in exotic loca- tions, so I would say that it’s a perfect mixture of individual and team work in perfectly selected locations. AFFILIATE MANAGER INTERVIEW SERIES The statistics undoubtedly show that fiat affiliates who introduced bitcoin significantly increased their commissions, because they attracted the players who wanted to use bitcoin but had not been able to do so. W W W . G P W A T I M E S . O R G 66