Affiliate Interview Series | Blazej Bulski - Blasco

[GPWA Dan]

Age: 38
Hometown: Warsaw, Poland
Living in: Torun, Poland
Favorite Food: Beef steak
Must-Read Book: Winnetou, by Karl Friedrich May

Sites:
www.e-play.pl
www.e-play.eu

Your sites are both Polish-language sites. Can you tell us a little bit about the scope of your sites and who your targeted audience is?

Our main page, www.e-play.pl, is the most recognizable for Polish readers because it is the oldest one. There we write about gambling mainly for readers who have known us for many years, and they know they can find fresh news about things they are interested in. E-play.eu is focused mainly on players. The site offers information about gambling online — casino reviews and ranks, promotions and bonuses. A few months ago we started a mobile application — E-PLAY ONLINE — in which we offer all the best things from all of our sites, also in English. This year we also launched a few new sites; www.e-playkasyno.com, focuses mainly on casinos, www.e-playbet.com on sportsbook and www.e-playslot.com on slots.

What are some of your sites' unique selling points? How do you stand out from the crowd?

We are the oldest and biggest gambling information website in Poland. We have unique content taken directly from serious sources. We are widely quoted by the largest Polish media outlets as specialists in the gambling industry. There are many websites about casinos, sportsbook and poker in Polish, but only E-PLAY writes for players as well as for gambling suppliers.

What types of content do you find draw the most traffic?

The two most important types of content on our sites are gambling industry news and interesting news for players, like promotions and bonuses.

Since both your sites are Polish-language sites, why have both a .pl and .eu site? Is there much crossover in terms of content on the two sites? Do the sites perform differently in search results?

E-PLAY was launched in 2003, when we started with www.e-play.pl and targeted readers interested in gambling and the gambling industry in Poland. In those early years we wrote about casinos, AWPs (amusement with prizes), lotteries, and games like billiards and darts. At the end of 2007, we started to publish a printed monthly gambling magazine, E-PLAY. We had to shut down this project when the Gambling Act in Poland was amended to prohibit all gambling advertisement activity in the country at the end of 2009. All advertisements disappeared from the website as well, but we continued running it because we still had readers and we hoped for a change in the law.

In 2014 we moved our business to the U.K. so we could start our full activity anew with a new website, www.e-play.eu, mainly focused on online gambling. On this site we write about online casinos, bookmakers and poker rooms; bonuses; promotions; and other news of interest to new players. We built our casino rankings with full reviews. This page is in Polish and English — for foreign readers interested in the Polish market.

What advice would you give to someone looking to branch out into the Polish market?

First advice — start it with E-PLAY. The second — don't be sly and find a good translator, not Google Translate. There are many foreign online casinos trying to start in Poland, but if you could see their "Polish" . . . they can spend a lot of money on advertising, but since they write their webpages in "Google Polish," they won't succeed in my country.

What else? Polish players love free money and free spins, but I guess that's not unique to Poland.

You've worked in the industry for nearly two decades, so you've seen your share of ups and downs in the Polish market over that time. Can you describe what the regulatory environment in Poland was like when you first started? How have things changed over the last 10 years? How would you describe the environment today?

I have worked in the gambling industry for nearly 18 years. In the late 1990s I worked with AWPs, later with the Polish lotto, and then I was invited by my brother Iwo to run E-PLAY. When I started in the gambling business it was a nice time; the gambling law passed in 1992 was much friendlier for that kind of activity. In 2003 we had the first huge amendment, and it was the best time for private gambling companies in Poland. The worst time started in 2009, as the law practically killed AWPs and arcades in Poland. Now we have another amendment, which allows us to promote business online but only for companies with state licenses. The license is available only for companies that have brick-and-mortar properties in Poland. But — as you may know — online bookies and casinos have Polish websites for Polish players and they can run their business with their domestic, U.K. or Maltese licenses. So on the one side we have Polish law, on the other, European. And players play.

Describe your organization. How many employees does E-PLAY have? And what's your role within that organization?

We are not more than 10 people, with editors, graphic designers and IT specialists. I am one of three partners; the other two are my brothers — Iwo and Bartek. Iwo Bulski is founder and CEO of E-PLAY Consulting Ltd, the owner of all E-PLAY brands and projects. I am responsible for marketing matters and site content.

You live in Poland, but your company's headquarters are in London. Are you the only employee that works remotely? How often do you get to see your coworkers?

The nature of our work is to work remotely; there are too many places where something our sites cover happens. We watch everything remotely and have meetings a few times a month.

Outside of people who work for your company, how often do you get to see and interact with other people in the industry?

There aren't that many people working in the gambling industry in Poland, but I have met many of them. We meet in Poland and, strangely enough, more often abroad at industry events. But the nature of this business means we mostly meet online.

Your LinkedIn profile lists a Master's in archaeology from the University of Warsaw. How did you go from that line of study to the online gambling affiliate industry?

You know, the most important decisions in a man's life are made when he is young and foolish. I started to study archaeology because I wanted to be another Indiana Jones, but after a few years I realized that it is very interesting life, but only when you have Bill Gates as an uncle. Archaeology is a wonderful hobby, but in Poland, only a hobby. When you have to earn money, it's better to do something else.

What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager?

An affiliate manager should know that the easier it is for me to work, the more profits he can achieve. That's all. What makes my work easy? Quick reactions from affiliate managers to my requests. Fortunately I work only with the best managers.

What’s your preferred method of communication with affiliate managers?

I work mainly with Skype. It is enough to work properly.

What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you?

I applied for the GPWA Seal of Approval because I was wondering if we could get it. We worked hard on our sites, so we wanted to see if our work was good enough. It was many years ago and I am still proud to be part of the GPWA community. I met many interesting contacts through the GPWA.

You've been a member for nearly nine years, but are one of our many "lurkers." What prompts you to join in a forum discussion in the rare case that you do?

I am not a fan of forums and talking in public. I found many nice guys on the site, but we continued our discussions on Skype. I am sure the forum is the best in the industry, but I work differently.

What do you like about the industry?

Two things. Your success depends only on your ideas and hard work. And you can do it wherever you are, with your PC or other mobile device, all day long.

What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate?

For my friends it is a "closed book," strange and dangerous, but I work with my family members, so everyone in my family is used to me walking everywhere with my notebook and earning money virtually.

Do you gamble online? If so, what do you play?

Sometimes I play online poker freerolls for fun. Online gambling can be very dangerous.

How do you manage your to-do lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?

I just have paper notebook and pencil. I am an archaeologist, you remember . . .

How much time do you devote to SEO and social networking to drive more traffic to your sites?

E-PLAY has fan pages and profiles on social media, and we publish many posts on them every day. One of them is my responsibility, and I devote about one hour to it daily.

What's the most difficult thing about running your sites?

I don't think there's anything difficult about running our sites. Of course when you don't see hard work as difficulty . . .

What's the best thing about running your sites?

Argumentative comments in our news and new depositing players.

What do you do to stay in shape – both physically and mentally?

Physically — I live on the fourth floor and there's no elevator in my building. Mentally — my woman, my kids, my family.

What do you do with your spare time?

What spare time?

What did you dream of doing, both professional and personally, when you were a kid?

When I was 10 I dreamed of being a football player, and I even played football until I had to go to high school. Then I dreamed of being an archaeologist for the next few years . . . you know the rest.

You grew up in Warsaw, but are now living in Torun, correct? When did you move? And did it take long to adjust to living in a city about 1/10^th the size of Warsaw?

I grew up in Warsaw and studied in Warsaw, but since then I have moved very often, living for a few years in many different cities. Why Torun? A few years ago I met a woman I wanted to live with and she is from Torun. Torun is one of the prettiest cities in Poland.

If someone from out of town were visiting you, what's the one place you'd definitely take them to see?

Only one? The Old Town and the Vistula panorama of Torun is named one of the seven Polish wonders. And it is.

When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go?

My family has a small countryside estate where sometimes there is no Internet nor phone signal. It is the best place to hide away from work.

What's your all-time favorite movie?

Le Grand Bleu.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?

Diego Maradona and the guys from Depeche Mode.

Name three things that people reading this magazine don't know about you.

1. In high school I was a drummer in a punk rock band.
2. When I was returning from excavations in Israel, I smuggled a rifle cartridge in my luggage.
3. I cook really well.

[FruityJelena]

How do you manage your to-do lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?

I just have paper notebook and pencil. I am an archaeologist, you remember . . .


Haha, thumbs up for this old school method, I do the same. The best way to write everything down, irreplaceable!

Awesome interview, very pleasurable and fun to read!!

[Miles_FTA]

Pen and paper cant be beat .. with you there yey to old school

[ocreditor]

Nice interview, great read !

[universal4]

Great interview

I am an archaeologist, you remember . . .

So you're the one that dug up that dinosaur that attacked JT?

At least now we know who to blame.

Rick
Universal4

[Eplay]

dinos are dug by paleontologists not archaeologists

Thanx guys for nice words!