GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 46 - February 2020

gig, while running an iGaming affiliate site on the side for extra income) what would you tell them if they asked for advice? I’d probably advise them against it. I think themarket has changed considerably since then and “Lone Ranger” affiliates are in competition with some serious organiza- tions with lots of staff and huge advertising budgets. I’d suggest trying to network with other like-minded individuals who share a common strategy, but also have something unique to add to a very crowdedmarketplace. What has your wife, friends and kids thought about this journey for you over the last 10 years? They’ve all been interested. Friends are always curious to know the mechanics of how it works, and are always slightly incredulous when I explain! My wife has been there all the way through, from when it looked impossible, to when it took off, to where we are now. The kids have grown up with it, so they know that now and again a “casino bonus” means we can treat them to stuff or take them on holiday. To them, it’s just a part of what I do. You told us in our previous interview that one of the reasons you got into the industry is because you liked to gamble yourself. Do you still gamble? I still gamble online, but only a few tens of pounds and just for entertainment. Mainly blackjack and baccarat, never slots! I’m also part of a poker group with five or six friends and we get together whenever we can, though it’s not often enough. Again, it’s far more about the entertainment – no one ever loses more than a few tens of pounds, but we have plenty of beer, pizza and laughs. Always great fun into the early hours. You have mentioned that you some- times struggle with the “morality” of making a living that depends on other people losing money and that’s a common thought process for a lot of affiliates. How do you cope with these thoughts? Does it get any eas- ier the longer you are in the busi- ness? If I’m honest, it’s always bothered me and hasn’t really eased over time. The rev-share model gives the potential for huge monthly wins (and losses!), but there’s al- ways that nagging sense that someone has lost it. I accept the argument that they’d probably have lost it anyway and at least they were playing at a regulated casino, with much tighter controls than playing FOBTs for cash in a high street bookmakers. But I’d still prefer a model where we got paid a percentage of deposits, rather than losses. I understand that people have different views about the best way to monetize this industry, but I haven’t found a way that makes me totally comfortable. On a GPWA thread I made the point that we were just encouraging gambling as a form of enter- tainment, but someone rightly said that we need those huge losers to really make anything out of this. If I left online gam- bling, I’d miss the income, but I think my conscience would be a little clearer. What were you like in high school and what did you want to do as a profession as you were growing up? Quite boring, to be honest! I didn’t really enjoy school, but saw it as a means to an end so just put my head down for five years, did what I could and got through it. about A little bit more AndrewF. He is 55 years old His site is www.fortunepalace.co.uk He is living in his hometown of St Helens, U.K. His favorite food is French His favorite book is Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay St Helens photo by Steve McWilli am/Shutterstock; French food photo by Maksim Toome/Shutterstock 51 G P W A t i m e s . o r g Andrew F. | Fortune Palace