GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 41 - July 2018

How did you find your way to the iGaming industry? How has your experience in other industries helped you as an affiliate manager? With over 30 years of expe- rience in the field and then in retail betting, it was a bold but exciting move to cross over into online betting. I guess you can say it was a natural evolution of the love of sports that has led me here. Having also been involved in the hospitality business for many years, I have learned the importance of customer service, which is a great fit for this business. You worked as a betting trader at Mintbet for three years before you became Head of Marketing. What are the biggest differences between the two positions? I love marketing as it has so many facets, and I take great satisfaction in watching the growth of the Mintbet brand and seeing it appear on different online platforms and communities. I love seeing cus- tomer conversion ahead of the personalized experience they get when they sign up and engage with our brand. Knowing you have played a crucial role in the business development is a wonderful feeling. Betting trading is exciting and you need to be focused, but it doesn’t have the same diversity. Marrying the two skills actually gives us a unique advantage over larger brands because we have a deep understanding of how the front-end and back-end operations join together, which impacts our customers’ experience. What makes Mintbet Partners stand out from other affiliate programs? We believe in our brand and the product we offer, and customers are buying into this. Our 45% revenue share introductory offer is up there with the best, we offer great customer service, and our odds are among the most competitive around. We pride ourselves on our innovative array of sports promotions, like multi-sport ACCA, and our relationships with affiliates are going from strength to strength even though we have only been around a little over a year. We say what we do and we do what we say . We know who we are, and therefore we know how to engage and work with affiliates to help them get the best of our program. That we are a new brand is great for affiliates, as we are new to their customer base and convert well because we know how to provide experienced and informed customer service and provide great loyalty benefits. What are some of the challenges in competing as a new player in a fairly saturated market? Getting noticed is the biggest challenge for new entrants, and gaining the trust of customers and affiliates takes time – you just can’t ThomasMcBride Head ofMarketing -Mintbet AFFILIATE MANAGER INTERVIEW SERIES W W W . G P W A T I M E S . O R G 70