GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 48 - December 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS Departments 4 Letter from the Director • 8 By the Numbers • 10 Quotables • 12 GPWA Poll 14 From the Forums • 20 iGaming Directory Rankings • 48 Affiliate Interview Series 60 Sponsors • 62 Affiliate Manager Interview Series • 70 Wall of Shame Virtual Events: The New Reality COVID-19 turned 2020 upside down, including in the iGaming industry where live conferences were forced to go virtual. Lee-Ann Johnstone of AffiliateINSIDER examines the “new normal” for industry events and how you can get the most out of them. 22 The Affiliate Race: A sense of belonging Maria Tsnompilantze from PlayAttack explains why the affiliate marketing industry is experiencing a “belongingness deficit” due to the abundance of choice and its inherent focus on numbers. 44 Customers, COVID, commission and change The global pandemic raised many questions across the globe and within the gaming industry. With more obstacles for affiliates and operators, Christina Thakor-Rankin takes a look at what life may be like after we return to a sense of normalcy. 28 Forecasting 2021 As we all look forward to pressing the reset button and turning the page to 2021, Ron Mendelson from Fast Offshore says there’s good reason for optimism for the iGaming industry. 32 The art of link building and content marketing It is more important than ever for affiliates to put their brand message in front of the right audience. In order to do that, Emily Garner of Blueclaw Media emphasizes the need for strategic marketing and link building strategies. 38 G P W A t i m e s . o r g 6