Affiliate Interview Series - Robert A.

[GPWA Daniel]

(This interview was originally published in the February 2023 issue of the GPWA Times Magazine.)

How long have you been involved in the iGaming affiliate business?
I have worked in iGaming as an affiliate since 2019. Prior to that I dabbled as an affiliate with some social media accounts, but started my own site back in 2019. I knew very little about SEO and website building when I started out, and learned as I went along.

I've held many jobs previously, and looking back, I am glad I have experience in working in many different industries. I have worked in finance, car sales, direct marketing, tele-sales and many more.

Are you a full-time affiliate or is this a side gig?
It feels like a full-time job; however, I do have a regular 9-5 job in finance. During a typical week, I can be working anywhere between five and 35 hours on my websites. I work on the majority of the sites on my own and have one other person who helps out.

I also have other affiliate websites, which are outside of the iGaming sector and also help generate some additional streams of income.

You have more than 20 different sites up and running. How do you manage so many sites on a regular basis? What are some of your daily challenges?
Yes, I have created a problem of my own making. I love finding expired domains, using my creativity in developing a new site, like the website I recently launched: bookies.live.

However, I need to remember I am just one person, with a full-time job and family! Right now, I have around 20 iGaming websites, but this is really challenging on a daily basis, as you only have a certain amount of time. I try and prioritize my workload in my diary, with most important issues being picked up first, if something needs to be done, I don’t mind putting 10 hours in front of the computer to get it completed.

In the future, if I could secure a full-time job in the iGaming industry that would be great, as I love the industry and I’m a huge fan of sports betting, casino and poker. I believe this is what has helped me stay motivated when, for example, I have to work long hours or when I have to resolve an issue.

One of your sites — RakeBackBible.com — is dedicated to poker. Do you have a history as a pro or amateur poker player?
I’m very passionate about poker. I started playing a few years ago and I'm mainly an online player. My preference is to play tournaments, but often find myself playing cash games as it is a struggle to dedicate so much time to playing in a tournament with a young family. I plan on continuing playing, and I still study poker away from the tables to help improve my game.

I did manage to satellite into the largest online tournament I have ever played a few months ago, the Venom, with a $2,650 entry fee. Unfortunately, I didn’t cash in that tournament, but you have got to be in it to win it!

How does the online poker market vertical compare to the casino games vertical these days?
I do find poker players a lot easier to convert than casino. I believe this comes down to poker players’ willingness to test out new sites in an attempt to find good games, whereas casino players may not complete the conversion, due to the hassle of registering a new account, and stick with one of the major casino/sportsbooks sites they’re already signed up to.

As a poker affiliate, I would say that I am looking for serious poker players, who play volume and can add value to operators that I am affiliated with. These players, I find, are generally not overly interested in casino or slots, but rather all things poker and poker books/training websites.

You also have a site — PlayIndia.Casino — that's dedicated to the market in India? How did you choose India as a geo to focus on?
I purchased the site from a GPWA member in 2021. I decided to back this geo due to online gambling being in its infancy in India, with massive future potential.

Today, India is one of the top five mobile gaming markets in the world with a population of 1.4 billion and an average age of 28. More and more people in India have access to 4G Networks and low-cost smartphones to gamble on, so it has a very exciting future. However, with this growth will no doubt come more legislation.

Your New-Slots.net site has its own YouTube channel and on your GamblingGeek.co.uk site you have a pop-up box with an opt-in form for a newsletter. Please tell us how effective the YouTube channel and newsletter are for you as far as attracted traffic and converting players.
YouTube has a really positive impact on converting, I find, particularly with my poker YouTube channel. 2022 has been my best year yet for poker referrals sign ups with a lot being attributed to this. It can act as a great source of quality traffic, which can be easily linked into your portal sites.

In terms of newsletters, I have done some market research with other operators, and to me they came across as automated and very spammy. I was getting hit with offers via email and text every other day. I’m cautious about using these, and some of the casino sites I advertise insist not to be promoted this way.

Going forward, I am reluctant about using newsletters for my portal sites. If they can add value to the customer then I will continue to use them, as they are still a valuable way to keep in touch with a customer base, but only in a responsible manner.

You also publish a lot of slot game reviews on many of your sites. Who writes the bulk of these reviews?
For my portal sites I write the reviews; however, due to the ever-growing catalogue of online slots, I may have to hire a freelancer to carry these out for me. I do find that building a large catalogue of slot and casino games data and reviews really helps with getting traction for keywords.

What is your approach to SEO? How much time do you specifically spend on SEO for your sites on weekly basis?
My approach is continual learning on SEO. When I started my first website in 2019, I knew nothing about SEO or keywords. I have reached out to several GPWA members since being a member and they have really helped build my knowledge, as well as doing some self-study.

Like many affiliates, my strategy is to publish good quality content, and build up backlinks, but this takes time.
Time spent on SEO can vary week-by-week, but on average at least a few hours a week. SEO is something I am super focused on.

Please tell us the story behind or the significance of your GPWA username "AVC-Invest.”
AVC is an abbreviation for “Amat Victoria Curam,” which is Latin for “Victory Loves Preparation.” I, like many others, have been ill prepared and have failed on some things at some point in life. So, with this motto, if you are going to do something, make sure you have prepared well, and consider variables that could go wrong, and you will be best placed for success.

If a 25-year-old friend of yours told you he or she was going to try and become a full-time iGaming affiliate, what would your reaction and advice be?
I would ask for a copy of their business plan. I would want to know their USP and what their strategy is on generating traffic/customers. I would review the details and my reaction would purely be based on the quality of the plan and their enthusiasm for being an iGaming affiliate. But my best advice would be to register with GPWA!

How do you decide on which affiliate programs to work with? What have you learned over the years about picking and choosing the right affiliate programs for your sites?
I like to work with as many reputable operators as possible. When I initially started out as an affiliate, one of the main programs I promoted was BGO Entertainment, promoting four of their brands/sites. However, with them closing in October 2021, I lost all those lifetime customers and revenue. Reflecting upon this, I should have registered with more programs initially.
Although it may be time consuming, working with many operators and programs is a sound strategy.

When you were growing up, what profession did you dream about getting into?
I played a lot of sports when I was young. The first sport I fell in love with was golf. I often dreamt about being the next Nick Faldo, but alas, I had the desire but not the talent or temperament.

What else takes up your time when you are not working?
I enjoy spending time with my family and travelling, as well as listening to my audio books. I’m a huge sports fan. I like UFC, boxing, golf and I watch a lot of football – I am a long-suffering Manchester United fan! As I touched on earlier, I play poker online.

If someone were visiting you for 24 hours and had never been to Glasgow where you live, where would you bring them and why?
Most likely I would take them to Loch Lomond. It is a well-known beauty spot in Scotland close to my hometown, where you can go hill walking, camping, etc. and would let them see the area at its best.

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be?
There are a lot of people I would like to invite, but in no particular order: William Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Julius Cesar and Albert Einstein.

Name three things that people reading this magazine don't know about you.
1. I was on a TV commercial many years ago as an extra (this is my claim to fame).
2. Cape Town is my home-away-from-home since I have a South African wife. It is a beautiful place, and I really love a good braai.
3. I’ve never had a pet before, but we now have a Cocker Spaniel Puppy called Mylo . . . these are challenging times!

[chaumi]

That's a magic interview, Robert. I have no idea how you've managed to do all that with the other responsibilities in the background. Clearly great time management, commitment, and attention skills and attributes must play a part. Maybe you can offer training

Perhaps you can post a photo of Mylo at some point.

[golfbettingsystem]

Faldo was an inspiration for me too, I remember watching him win The Open at St Andrews when I was a teenager, made par on all 18 holes in an incredible day!

[ocreditor]

Good read!

[TheJoker]

That was a very nice read, thank you! I'm also very interested in learning SEO and website building but I don't even know where or how to start.

[NoDepositCasinos]

I am really enjoying these interviews. They give me perspective on my own efforts and results.

I was surprised that one person manages so many websites (with some help) while having a full-time job. I also found the YouTube channel approach interesting; simple but effective approach.

[Pokerface]

Very interesting article with many points that we can relate to. Well done Robert!

[0spiel]

Intresting read TA!