Affiliate Interview Series - David A.

[GPWA Daniel]

(This interview was originally published in the October 2025 issue of the GPWA Times Magazine.)

You’ve managed to survive and thrive in this fast-changing industry for more than 35 years. What’s been the key to your staying power?
I have always had a huge interest in gambling from a very early age. The industry has changed and evolved enormously since 1989 when I first got involved professionally after acquiring a chain of U.K. betting shops. Being successful encourages you to work hard. There are some real rewards available if you can get to the top of your particular niche.

When you think back to 2014 when we interviewed you last (GPWA Times Magazine, Issue 29, July 2014), how different is the iGaming affiliate landscape today compared to then?
It's more difficult now as operators are facing increasing regulation across all GEOs. That, and the tax increases, slows down growth in many markets. Compliance is at the heart of what we do and there are no short cuts to success, particularly with SEO, which has always been our main focus. The shift to AI platforms and changes in search behavior and user behavior have subsequently made the market become less predictable.

What has been the single biggest change in the industry since you started your affiliate business in 2010?
The increase in regulation and compliance requirements. This covers everything from website to social media, advertising, influencers, etc. and differs from region to region.

You’ve launched several new sites since our last interview, including Spin Wizard, Which Bookie, and MonkeyBet. How do you decide when a new niche is worth pursuing?
My main interest has always been sports betting, so acquiring the WhichBookie site in 2019 was a dream move for me. However, many of our customers also love casino games and it is a natural complement to what we do. We launched SpinWizard in Q3 of 2024 and it was an instant hit. We have been encouraged by that to develop a further niche site with Monkeybet.co.uk .

Both verticals are massive, so by focusing on sports betting and casino we are addressing the two biggest gambling sectors in the U.K. and hoping to keep growing in the coming years.

With such a wide range of sites — from sports betting to casino games to poker — how do you balance your time and resources across them all?
Great question. Casino does take up a lot of our time and we have been very busy recruiting this year with new hires in CRM, finance, marketing, and paid acquisition. So, we are scaling up somewhat to take advantage of the opportunities in the marketplace.

Back in 2014, you said you were starting to push bingo and casino more aggressively. How has that side of the business evolved for you?
Well, I sold freebets.com in 2015 so that particular push into casino and bingo didn't last too long! However, we are now seeing more scope for further progress in casino, in particular in the U.K. via WhichBookie and SpinWizard and that is now our main focus.

There are so many ways to get traffic now with SEO, paid ads, influencer content, social media. Which channels are you finding most effective today?
We have always focused on SEO and dabbled into some of the other channels. That remains the focus today. However, we have strong social media channels for WhichBookie and have continued to increase our investment into PPC, which is incredibly competitive.

The regulatory environment in the U.K. has tightened considerably over the past decade. How has that affected the way you run your sites?
We just pay a lot of attention to the regulatory updates and changes and ensure everything on our websites and social is always compliant. We work closely with many operators and react quickly to their requirements and offer updates. There is no doubt that this is central to being an affiliate nowadays.

In your first interview, you mentioned working from home and having close links to day-to-day operations. Is that still the case, or have you shifted to a different setup?
The whole team works from home and we meet up at least once per month in a central location. The team is now spread across the U.K. and it would be quite limiting to only employ staff from a certain geographic area. It works well, although there are plenty ways we can improve and optimize our procedures and processes.

What’s your proudest business moment since our last chat in 2014?
I think managing the steady growth in the WhichBookie business since 2019 has been very satisfying, as well as being able to build a strong team around that growth and future potential.

You’ve always been passionate about betting. Do you still bet yourself, and has your betting style changed over the years?
Hardly ever bet nowadays, apart from the odd value bet on golf or when attending an event such as racing or football.

What does your family think about your business?
Somewhat intrigued, but even now I am not sure they fully understand it, nor would want to!

You’ve been a Sunderland supporter for life. How often does football still play into your work?
Sunderland regaining their Premier League status for this season has been a massive sporting boost and I will hopefully get to attend quite a few games home and away, as well as following other games on TV. In the past, I have done some sponsorship work with the club but in this era it is way too pricey. Having a passion for football and sport is a big help in this industry.

Aside from following Sunderland, how do you unwind when you are not working? Still golf, gym, and plenty of holidays?
Holidays don't really happen in the traditional sense because I work wherever I go. But there’s still plenty of travel and, yes, golf, gym, and eating out.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting as an affiliate in 2025, what would it be?
You really need to love what you do. Be prepared to make some sacrifices to be successful. Often, it can be very difficult to establish yourself so you need to be prepared to play the long game. It works best if you can become an expert in some part of the business, whether it be content creation or marketing.

Finally, if we sit down again in another 10 years, what do you hope your business — and the industry — will look like?
Firstly, I hope I am still around in 10 years. If so, the business should be super affiliate status with customers from regulated markets around the globe. And I really hope the industry is going strong with sound professional standards from both affiliates and operators.

[betprotips]

Inspiring! Thanks

[Pokerface]

Great article, thoroughly enjoyed!

[NoDepositCasinos]

Thanks for sharing the interview. With so many years in the industry, he’s seen its ups and downs, and I find it interesting that he sounds hopeful about the future.