GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 48 - December 2020

As we went to print with our last GPWA Times Magazine back in June, the global pandemic was still relatively new. There was a great deal of confusion and uncertainty for all of us – both personally and professionally – and it seemed as if every day there was a new twist or turn, for the better or (most often) for the worse. As we steam through Q4 of 2020 and present the 48 th issue of the GPWA Times Magazine , the turmoil continues. More than six months after COVID-19 began wreaking havoc all over the planet, living amidst the pandemic continues to be an exercise in ambiguity. One thing we do know for sure is that it’s not going to disappear like magic any time soon, even with the current optimism around vaccine development. The best action we can take – again, both personally and profession- ally – is to adapt and overcome. We should be thinking about how we can transition our businesses, rather than simply trying to predict when the pandemic will end. To that end, our cover story takes a close look at the new industry concept of “virtual” events, a topic our friend Lee-Ann Johnstone from AffiliateINSIDER knows well after hosting a series of online networking events. We also have articles that look ahead to what life will look like after lockdown, and reasons why all of us in the iGaming industry should be ready to capitalize on what we hope will be a prosperous 2021 in the wake of the pandemic. As for our regular departments, for the first time you won’t see a bunch of smiling faces from the most recent iGaming conference floor, since we haven’t had any of those events in some time. We do, however, present another series of affiliate and affiliate manager inter- views, some timely and relevant new rankings from iGamingDirectory.com, and another very deserving inductee to the esteemed APCW Wall of Shame. Here’s hoping that when you open the next issue of the GPWA Times Magazine in early 2021, medical breakthroughs will enable me to write about how much we are looking forward to seeing you again at a “live” event. Until then, stay safe and healthy! Michael Corfman Image by Telnov Oleksii/Shutterstock SUBSCRIPTIONS For a FREE subscription to the GPWA Times Magazine , visit GPWAtimes.org ADVERTISING To advertise in the GPWA Times Magazine , please e-mail: sales@gpwa.org Executive Director: Michael Corfman Program Director: Anthony Telesca Program Manager: Maria Florides Member Services: Richard Bard Marketing Director: Andrea Mullaney Managing Editor: Gary Trask Associate Editor: Dan Ippolito Designers: George Choi, Zoran Maksimovic´ LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR “An exercise in ambiguity” 4