Affiliate Interview Series - Darren Moore - betfinder

[GPWA Abby]

Age: 45
Hometown: Swinton, South Yorkshire, England, U.K.
Living in: Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
Favorite Food: Thai
Must-Read Book: I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan by Alan Partridge

Sites:
BetFinder.co.uk
MyTipsters.com
SportBettingContent.com
Edinburgh247.com

(This interview was originally published in the October 2016 issue of the GPWA Times Magazine.)

You used to work as a betting shop manager for Ladbrokes. Tell us a bit about that gig — how did you get into it? Did it influence your work as an affiliate?
I have always had a keen interest in horse racing and betting, which I inherited from my father, and I used money from various paper rounds to bet 5p round robins and 50p placepot bets on the Saturday TV racing. My very first job was in the Ladbrokes head office, and I also worked as a cashier in the betting shops on evenings and weekends. I then progressed to become a full-time betting shop manager for Ladbrokes in London's West End.

I wouldn't say it has influenced me that much in my current role as an affiliate, but it has certainly motivated me to work hard so I don't have to go back to working in betting shops! Although a busman's holiday at the time, I wouldn't want to work in one these days, with it all being about the dreaded FOBTs. Working from home is much more my cup of tea.

What made you want to become an iGaming affiliate? How did you get your start in this part of the betting industry?
Back in the very early days of the Internet I started dabbling with Web design, and eventually decided to try to build a betting website as an experiment to see if I could make any money out of my hobby. That's the key to happiness – getting paid for doing something you love, or something you would do in your spare time anyway.

BetFinder.co.uk launched in 2005. How long did it take you to plan and build the site? When did you get your first payment from it?
I already had a rough plan in mind when I purchased the domain, so it didn't take very long at all for me to set it up. Initially it only displayed odds on the main sporting events, and I actually updated all the betting odds by hand at first. It probably took around six months before I started seeing some regular commissions coming from it. It's been through a few transformations over the years and will always be a work in progress.

Sports betting can be a difficult sector, especially when players are doing well. How volatile are your revenues from month to month?
They can indeed be very sporadic and random, but I have managed to catch a few "whales" over the years, which is always a nice bonus. Sadly, I've also had times where all I've been working for is to wipe out my negative carryover. I guess it all just adds to the excitement. A bit like gambling itself.

You correctly called that the major betting sites were wrong about Britain voting to leave the EU. What do you think of the usefulness of political betting in predicting political outcomes?
The bookies often get it wrong with political betting, so it can sometimes pay to back the underdog, however unlikely it may seem. They made the same mistake in the 2015 General Election when going 1/16 about a "hung Parliament." Their steadfast belief in opinion polls is a common pitfall.

However, "betting sentiment" matters, and it has got it right a lot recently – as SNP's annihilation of Labour in GE 2015, Donald Trump's Republican candidacy, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership triumph, and the conservative wins in both the 2015 and 1992 U.K. General Elections will testify.

What are some of your sites' unique selling points?
Whereas a lot of sites focus mainly on football and "lad culture," we try to cater to the more discerning sport punters on BetFinder.co.uk, with well-researched articles from experienced gamblers on a wide range of betting events, all backed up by solid stats and reasoning. We are all punters ourselves, too. I'm also starting to look to produce more video content and build up a YouTube channel.

Do you have employees or freelancers, or are you a one-affiliate operation?
I am a one-man operation, but have built up a diverse team of talented writers and freelancers around me. I also work closely with some "super affiliates," helping them out with their own content, data entry and social media jobs. So if any readers need help with any gambling-related content or updating their websites, they should get in touch.

How frequently do you bet on sports yourself? What are your favorite sports to bet on?
I love betting on sports and do so most days. It makes watching sports much more entertaining. My favorites are football, darts, snooker and the NFL.

How often do you get to see and interact with other people in the industry?
Not very often day-to-day, but I have enjoyed attending a lot of the conferences. I learn a lot, and they provide me with a chance to build up my contacts. I always come back from them with renewed enthusiasm.

What traits do you look for in an affiliate manager? How about in an affiliate program?
Not too pushy and with a willingness to help out with things to save me valuable time, as well as offering advice on how best to promote their products and offers.

What's your preferred method of communication with affiliate managers?
Definitely e-mail. But if it's something important like getting paid, then telephone.

What prompted you to join the GPWA? How has it helped you?
I saw the logo on a site years ago and wanted the seal of approval on my site too. Reading the articles and forums whenever I get time gives me different ideas and a chance to team up with other webmasters.

What do you like about the industry?
I enjoy it. It appeals to the entrepreneur in me and got me out of the 9-to-5 rat race.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?
Bookmakers closing punters' accounts after just a few winning bets or restricting their bets to silly amounts. If they advertise a price, they should be prepared to take a decent bet on it.

What do your family and friends think of your work as an affiliate?
A lot don't really fully understand how affiliate marketing works, and I get asked a lot how I actually make money. After I explain, they tend to think it's a pretty cool way to make a living and seem genuinely fascinated.

How do you manage your to-do lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?
I bought a self-help book once for dealing with procrastination, but I still haven't got around to reading it yet! True story. So yes, I do struggle sometimes with managing my heavy workload and tend to just work on the most pressing things first and work my way through, even if that means working all through the night, which I've done on many occasions.

How much time do you devote social networking for your sites?
About an hour or so each day. More and more traffic is coming via social media, so I do spend a fair chunk of time using it and trying to build up my social media profiles. It's a never-ending job, but it's something I will be looking to work even more on in the future.

What's the most difficult thing about running your sites?
Trying to get everything done. There are always so many day-to-day things that need to be attended to. Just answering e-mails can be a full-time job sometimes. Added to that is that I seem to get two new ideas to add to the to-do list for every one that I cross off it!

What's the best thing about running your sites?
The freedom and flexibility it can give you. You can work on them at any time and from anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection. It can also be fun, and it is very rewarding to be in charge of your own destiny.

What do you do to stay in shape – both physically and mentally?
I like to cycle, and I go to the gym a few times a week. I would like to go more, but work often dictates when I can squeeze in a session. Running on the treadmill is also a good time to think over things and clear the head of mental clutter, allowing me to go back to work feeling rejuvenated and sharp. I also get a lot of good ideas while I am running.

What do you do with your spare time?
Watch sports and bet! I also enjoy traveling, eating out, going to shows and attending various events. I run a nongambling website at Edinburgh247.com, which is a city guide and directory for the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, so I get invites to launch nights and things, which is a very nice perk.

What did you dream of doing, both professionally and personally, when you were a kid?
Bizarrely, I was quite keen on becoming a lorry driver as a kid. Probably the wanderlust in me. Personally I wouldn't have minded being a professional sportsman, such as a footballer or a snooker player, but sadly I wasn't good enough.

If someone from out of town were visiting you, what's the one place you'd definitely take them to see?
A day out in Edinburgh during the Edinburgh Festival. It's the largest arts festival in the world and takes place every August. The city just comes alive, and there are endless things to see and do. Last year there were over 3,314 shows!

When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go?
I head for the hills! In my case that is the Scottish wilderness, especially the area of Glencoe, which I love. A bit of camping and hill-walking is good for the soul, and the silence is tangible!

What’s your all-time favorite movie?
The Big Lebowski.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
Billy Connolly, Alex Higgins, Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais and Carl Sagan.

Name three things that people reading this magazine don't know about you.
1. I was in a local movie called The Happy Lands as an extra, and I somehow ended up on the DVD cover and now have a profile on iMDB.com as an actor.
2. Went to Germany for the 2006 World Cup in my VW Campervan, where we were filmed for a Japanese TV show.
3. A few years ago I ran the London Marathon for multiple sclerosis.

[Soplica]

Great interview !

[sweetbet]

I enjoyed reading the interview. Ricky Gervais would make a very interesting and entertaining dinner guest.

[agsgroup]

Great Interview...thanks for sharing, I really enjoy reading about other affiliates thoughts, views, experience and so on.. see what differs from my own.

[Miles_FTA]

Life's always good when you can do this ...Seems like you have a good business and good manner about you so enjoy all your success


What do you like about the industry?
I enjoy it. It appeals to the entrepreneur in me and got me out of the 9-to-5 rat race

[betfinder]

Thank you for your kind comments guys

[tipstersgottalent]

Top interview, great read. I would like to get in touch for some sport content if possible?

[IGT Partners]

nice interview!

[Planet Mark]

Nice interview... I just finished 'Nomad' by the mighty AP, some laugh out loud moments!