1 Attachment(s)
Affiliate Interview Series: Daniel - betapuestas
Attachment 2756
AGE: 34
HOMETOWN: Ferrol (La Coruña), Galicia, Spain
LIVING IN: La Coruña
FAVORITE FOOD: Pasta
MUST READ BOOK: The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
SITES
apuesta10.com
poker10.com
apuesta10friki.com
apuesta10caballos.com
apuesta10basket.com
apuesta10tenis.com
ligas10.com
cuotas10.com
apuesta10futbolsala.com
You operate nine sites, eight of which offer sports betting – either exclusively or along with poker and/or casino games – and one that is dedicated to poker. The site that appears to be drawing the most traffic is Apuesta10.com, which offers sportsbook, casino games and poker. Why do you think this is your most popular site?
Our company is divided by sectors and countries. In Portugal, we mainly operate with www.pokerpt.com (poker) and Xpunter.com (betting). In Spain the betting sector is my responsibility. Poker is also very important to the business.
The site that has the most traffic is the poker site, closely followed by the betting network.
In addition to our own betting network, we also deliver third-party content management systems for sports betting. For example, we manage the school's betting website www.solobasket.com. (apuestas.solobasket.com).
We have two very strong projects which will be released in the coming days. The first will be to manage the betting network of www.as.com, which is one of the sites with the highest volume of traffic on a global scale. Likewise we plan to do something similar with the Fanscup network, www.fanscup.com.
In answer to your question, our poker network is the most popular (one of the reasons is that it has been the Web pioneer of poker in Spain and has been running for more than seven years). The betting network was set up three years ago and has experienced significant growth.
It is estimated that in Spain there are more people betting on poker than actually playing the game.
When did you launch your sites?
Poker10.com (first www.texasholdemplus.com, then pokerpoquer.com) was launched in 2004 and was the first site dedicated exclusively to online poker.
Apuesta10 started to take shape toward the end of 2009 and launched in December 2009. Initially the site was under the alias of www.betapuestas.com and in 2010 this changed to its current corporate name of apuesta10.com.
For those of us not living in Spain, please explain what “friki” means, as in Apuesta 10 friki.” Is that site targeting “freaky” bettors?
Indeed, our tipsters placed many “special” bets – betting, for example, on the Oscars or who would be evicted from Big Brother. These particular bets had a large following, so we decided to create a dedicated site.
We keep hearing that horse racing around the world is in decline. How is Apuesta10Caballos doing right now, compared to a year ago or five years ago?
This section has gone through several ups and downs. It became our second most visited website but then dropped down to one of the last positions. It was actually due mainly to internal problems in managing the site rather than lack of interest. We are currently doubling our efforts to provide quality content but I could not tell you if there is a widespread decline.
How did you become involved in the industry?
The founder of the company www.hastoplay.com, who is also a friend, offered me the opportunity to become his business partner and take control of the betting aspect. The reason for this was that he was unable to dedicate sufficient time to both the poker and the betting. Given that the company was already established and in the market it was not difficult to adapt.
How long did it take for you to start earning money?
We started to see income approximately six months after the launch of the site. Since then we have been reinvesting every year in order to have a strong and solid structure.
How much time and financial resources do you devote to SEO and social networking in order to drive more traffic to your sites?
Our strength is not attracting clients or devoting resources to SEO. What we do have is a great community and we are very loyal to our users. There are companies that are very strong in SEO in Spain and we have decided not to compete with these companies, which spend 90 percent percent of their resources in this area. Our growth is around 10 percent percent per month, but almost 100 percent percent of our users stay loyal to us.
Being content managers to third-party companies has helped to gain more traffic, even if not 100 percentpercent for us.
What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program?
In an affiliate manager it is paramount to know the sector. You have to be flexible when assessing the traffic and singularities of each site. There are many affiliate managers who are only interested in value players without assessing other circumstances that can add value to their brand – for example, loyalty to a client in a sportsbook or trying to extend a user’s life to keep him or her as long as possible.
I prefer the affiliate programs that are clear and user-friendly.
What advice would you offer someone just starting out in the industry?
Don’t just look for the easy way to make money. Try to create an innovative product that is attractive to the user as this will help to reap the benefits.
What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you?
I think that being associated with the GPWA is important. Problems always occur, and being within the GPWA is a guarantee that solutions are never far away. The GPWA helps its members get valuable information from third parties and is also good for creating strong synergies.
Most of your sites carry the GPWA "Portal Approved" seal. Why was it important to you to qualify those sites for the seal?
Because having the GPWA seal guarantees our users a certain level of quality and seriousness in the gambling world.
What do you like about the industry?
It is an industry that is relatively young and very dynamic. It is ever changing, so you have to adapt to the day-to-day situations in order to keep up. This is a major challenge as you cannot take your eye off the ball.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
I would like to see more control within the companies that form the industry. I see a lot of companies slip through the net who are not conducting business honestly or in a serious manner.
What surprised you most about the industry?
The sheer volume of business and deals that are done.
How long do you give yourself for answering e-mail? What e-mail tips can you offer?
Approximately 70 percent of my working day is occupied with answering e-mail. I am sent a lot of different offers, mainly from companies that wish to advertise with us.
How do you manage your “to-do” lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?
At the moment, no. I know I probably should use special software but currently I rely mainly on my iPad and smartphone to manage my to-do lists.
How much time does it take to keep your sites updated?
Some eight hours per day.
If someone were visiting you, what’s the one place you’d definitely take them to see?
Orzan Beach in the middle of the city as it is very beautiful.
What’s your favorite vacation spot?
I cannot possibly name one single place as I love variety.
If you could have one “superpower,” what would it be?
Being able to fly would be interesting.
What’s your all-time favorite movie?
One of my favorite movies is Pulp Fiction. I am a big fan of Tarantino. I also really like The Sting, with Robert Redford and Paul Newman.
If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Steve Jobs, Marilyn Monroe and Adriana Lima. Each of those personalities has something that draws my attention.
What are three things that nobody knows about you?
If I told you, they would no longer be a secret!
