Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    GPWA Daniel is offline GPWA Associate Editor
    Join Date
    June 2018
    Posts
    140
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 373 Times in 106 Posts

    Default Affiliate Manager Interview Series - Chris Butler

    Name:  AMIS_chris_butler.jpg
Views: 371
Size:  20.2 KB

    (This interview was originally published in the March 2022 issue of the GPWA Times Magazine.)

    You were born and raised in Las Vegas and still live there today. Tell us what it’s like growing up in the gambling capital of the world. Do you think it’s a reason why you ended up working in the industry?

    Growing up in Las Vegas never felt very spectacular to me. I didn’t even put any thought into it until the first time I travelled across the country and realized that everyone I talked to was so amazed that I lived here. They all had outlandish assumptions about what life in Las Vegas must be like.

    My favorite question that I got asked a lot was, “What casino do you live in?” Haha. What they don’t realize is, the city of Las Vegas is huge. It’s 136 square miles of residential, commercial and industrial areas while the Strip, where all the casinos are, is one street that stretches four lineal miles. Then you have Downtown Vegas, which is a few small blocks where the older casinos are, and that’s it.

    Being born here is not uncommon. However, being a fourth generation Las Vegas native is something you don’t find every day. I can proudly make that claim thanks to my Great Grandma’s decision to give up on prospecting at her silver mine and take a chance at starting fresh in the brand new and fabulous Las Vegas.

    It’s safe to assume that the casino lifestyle runs in my blood. But is it the reason I ended up working in the industry? Ironically, I would have to say no. If it were, I’d be dealing cards or working the pit in some big resort like so many of my friends and family members have done over the years. Given my history and family involvement in the Las Vegas casino industry dating back to the very first casinos, one would expect my origin story to be an amazing tale full of bright lights and long nights.

    Well, the long nights were real, but even so, my story is far less glamorous and happened in a dimly lit garage converted into my makeshift office.

    What has it been like living in the U.S. over the last few years as the iGaming and sports betting market has exploded?

    It’s been an exciting thing to witness. The regulatory changes and overall acceptance of iGaming, especially the sports betting industries, across the U.S. was long overdue. We have to give some of the credit to the very savvy esports gambling startups that lobbied for regulatory oversight and inclusion in the legal betting markets.

    Their win was also a major win for our entire industry because it created a new precedent for lawmakers to reference regarding sports betting across the whole country.

    In addition to your role at BC.Game Affiliates, you are also CEO and founder of URAllowance and owner of ShineBright Content. Please tell us more about these business ventures and how you got involved?

    Sure. URAllowance, LLC is a project that I hold very close to my heart. It was forced to the back burner in late 2018 due to the uncertainty of how the U.S. was going to regulate cryptocurrency powered projects. URAllowance is an app that my brother, Michael, and I developed. Its main function is to be the facilitator of smart contracts between parents and their kids, teachers and students, masters and apprentices, etc. It is the bridge that brings these relationships closer together in such a way that all parties would always be accountable and no human emotions could interfere with the terms of the contracts. The major focus was kids doing their chores and their allowances being paid only for completed work. The project was a few years ahead of its time, so the technology patiently waits in its repository... For now.

    Shine Bright Content, LLC is the media/online content company that my wife, Lori, and I own. We are licensed in Nevada but our clients are worldwide. We write and distribute press releases across all the major syndicated news desks. During our first year in business we offered copywriting and ghostwriting services, too. Being the crazy serial entrepreneurs that we are, we have always had multiple businesses running, but there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything we want. So we decided that Shine Bright’s output should be in the form of press releases. They are short, fast and follow a specific format so there is always enough time to pump a few out if necessary.

    Needless to say, it is not my main focus. Lately, it’s been more like an ace up my sleeve that I can use to entice new partners and sweeten deals during negotiations. Massively distributed PRs are not cheap. But thanks to our very close, long standing relationship with Newswire and a few Jedi level negotiations that my wife closed with them over the years, we are sitting on a healthy stack of pre-paid PR distribution credits. I like to use them as my personal bargaining chips or sometimes I will gift them to affiliates that are just starting out, but have shown that they mean business.

    BC.Game is a crypto casino, which is something you have been working with before anyone really knew what “bitcoin” or “cryptocurrency” was. Tell us how you were so far ahead of the curve when it came to crypto gambling?

    Blockchains are amazing. There is no denying that. Their uses are so versatile that once you become acquainted with the technology, it becomes very easy to apply it to other industries. All of the original crypto casino owners were at first, Bitcoin and blockchain enthusiasts.

    Realizing there were a few issues regarding transparency in online casinos, they figured out how to remedy them using the same cryptographic hash functions that are used to secure the blockchain networks, albeit on a much simpler scale. In other words, falling in love with blockchain and cryptocurrency is what put us ahead of the curve.

    For those that are still flirting with the idea, I’d like to tell them that we are still approaching the proverbial curve so it’s not too late to make that same love connection, for lack of a better term, and get ahead of it as well.

    What does the future – both near term and long term – hold for crypto gambling?

    There is so much potential in this still-nascent industry, we have barely even scratched the surface. I predict we will soon begin to see more awareness and adoption of the most overlooked and underappreciated part of crypto casinos. It’s not just the fact that you can use cryptocurrency to place a bet on your favorite game.

    That is definitely a requirement, but even more important are the algorithms that we use to generate game results. They are the very foundation that all of the crypto casinos were built on. I’m referring, of course, to provably fair technology. We use it in our original games such as Crash, Classic Dice, Plinko, Hi-Lo, The Wheel, Blackjack and many other titles. In the near future, I’d like to see more game developers and providers using it as their preferred RNG (random number generator).

    Yes, the random number generation being used now is good and serves its purpose, but it is built on a system that requires blind trust. Soon, the rest of the industry will realize that it is the penultimate technology and its days are numbered. In the long term, crypto gambling and traditional gambling will be one in the same.

    What do you know now that you wish you knew when you got started in the iGaming industry?

    Aside from knowing every winning set of lottery numbers over the past five years, I wouldn’t change a single thing about how I got to this exact moment in time. Learning is an important part of growing.

    Tell us about BC.Game and how the original games it offers makes it unique to the industry. What should affiliates know in order to help them best promote the brand?

    There is no other casino quite like BC.Game. Our lineup of original games are truly transparent and provably fair. We publish our entire RNG code to an open source repository and provide human readable explanations of how each game generates its results. On top of that, every single bet that is made can be verified for fairness at any time without having to involve support, the casino or other third parties. All the information is available to everyone.

    Another thing that is unique to BC.Game and helps us to stand out from the crowd is the majority of our in house games have the option to run both casino provided or custom auto betting scripts also known as “dice bots.” Just mentioning running a betting script at other casinos will get you banned, so take advantage of this feature offered by BC.Game. This creates a fully customizable dynamic that you can’t get anywhere else. There are even community created Discords and a few forum threads where players share their dice bot scripts and results with one another.

    We have a lot of hooks to grab the attention of new players but don’t mistake any of them as clickbait. The functionality, variety, personalization and transparency of our products are perfectly complemented by our wide array of bonuses, giveaways and our extremely generous VIP rewards system. It pays to stay and play. Once a new player sees this, it doesn’t make sense for them to play anywhere else. First time depositors are more likely than not to become long time depositors.

    I should also mention the insanely high multipliers that our original titles offer. After hitting a 10,000x multiplier on one of our games you will find it difficult to be excited about that 1,200x jackpot that is nearly impossible to hit at a physical casino. Some of our games have multipliers that can theoretically go to infinity but the highest I’ve seen is just over 13,000,000x. I could go on about this topic forever but I will stop there.

    The most important thing our affiliate partners should know is that we are here to help. Communication is key so if there is anything that we can do for you to increase the success of your campaigns, just reach out and let us know. If your needs change or you want to make adjustments to the available media or commission structures or anything at all, seriously, we are just a chat message away. If you want to offer your traffic exclusive bonuses, just say the word. Custom branded banners that match your size and style requirements? No problem. Let’s do this together. If you promote BC.Game, you are our partner.

    My philosophy that I live by when dealing with affiliate partners of any size is:

    “Building a strong relationship with our partners is not about explaining the details of our systems and policies so they can adhere to us. It’s about finding out what works for them and then customizing our offers and policies specifically to suit their individual needs.”

    This holds true whether they have 10 visitors or 10 million visitors.

    BC.Game also has a very active forum. Please tell us what players like most about this and how much you think building a community helps with acquiring and retaining players.

    I’m pretty sure if you asked any player this question, they would say they like the free bonuses and promotions that they can find on the forum every day of the week. We also use our forum to share important updates, gather feedback from the players, host giveaways and promotions, special events and general communication and entertainment. There is a thread that players can use to freely and openly unleash any anger or frustration built up from a bad run as long as it is directed at us and not at each other.

    Community building is important for any business. That is why we offer multiple forms of communication and ways to stay connected with our players and partners. Aside from the forum, another method is our multiple casino chat rooms that can be made visible and used at any time without interrupting gameplay.

    Our staff is present there in real time all day, every day. We provide entertainment and support to many different cultures and languages. Right now there are 13 different chat rooms for 12 different languages and one global chat room for everyone from everywhere. Each chat room will always have a BC.Game staff member that is local to that region and available to answer questions and moderate for spam. We have 24/7 live support and various social media channels too.

    You say in your bio that you have worked in nearly every vertical in the industry. Which vertical do you think has the brightest future in the iGaming industry?

    This is a tough one to answer because iGaming provides so many lucrative opportunities for all that are willing to work for it. Owning a casino or two will always provide the brightest future. Just make sure the affiliates you partner with are basking in light that is equally bright.

    BC.Game has a wide selection of Live Casino Games. How popular has this concept become over the last five years and what do you see for the future?

    The live dealers and live games are becoming more popular as time goes on. It’s easy to tell which direction these types of games will be heading. There have been major advancements in AR and VR recently.

    It is already possible to visit a casino in VR but the technology is still very clunky and not user friendly enough to be anything more than a novelty at this time. Within the next five years, we will be seeing a lot more live games hosted in virtual space and through augmented reality devices. Soon after that we will have interactive holographic projections that will allow anyone to turn any room of their house into a casino.

    What do you like most about working in this industry?

    The freedom. I can work all the time, 24/7 if I choose and nobody can stop me or tell me to go home. Most of the time, I am already home. I work with people from all over the world so every minute of every day holds the potential to get something done.

    Please tell us about your typical work day. How do you best deal with the time difference of working in the U.S.?

    There is nothing typical about my work days; they don’t begin and they don’t end. I sleep only because at some point my brain decides that I no longer have any choice in the matter. In order to efficiently work with my colleagues from all over the world I have abandoned the concepts of time zones and work schedules completely. To me, 3 a.m. is no different than 15 p.m.

    If I must stay awake for a few more hours than I wanted to so I can attend a virtual meeting in Europe or South Africa then that’s what I’ll do. When I am setting up meetings for any purpose and I am asked what time zone I am in and what would be a comfortable time for me, I simply reply “I’ll pick the day, you choose the time and I’ll be there.” I was never a fan of 9-to-5 or schedules to begin with, so this works out perfectly for me.

    What would your advice be to a person just jumping into the iGaming affiliate business?

    This is the same advice I would give to every entrepreneur from any industry or to anyone steering away from the beaten path to blaze their own trail through life and take charge of their careers.

    This road is not for everyone.

    It requires more than just hard work, ambition, intelligence, adaptability and a strong business acumen. All those characteristics help, of course, but they are not enough.

    Most people can withstand a few hardships and handle when things don’t go exactly as they had expected. But after enduring it for several months even the strongest willed individuals are susceptible to listening to that little voice in their head telling them to quit. Don’t listen to it. It’s just fear in one of its many clever disguises. Fear is never on your team.

    Prepare to be told no. Be willing to fail. Most of all, be ready for your strongest supporters to turn into your biggest naysayers. Before you know it you will find yourself carrying doubt on your back like a wet blanket that is constantly being saturated by the world raining negativity down on you. These are the moments that define you. These are the moments I advise you to look forward to because your success (or failure) will also be defined in these moments.

    Perseverance is the single most important quality you must have to succeed. Don’t quit.

    How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you both professionally and personally?

    I wasn’t expecting any political questions, but here we go. Professionally, I have not been affected too much as I was already working from home for a few years before the majority of the world went completely bonkers.

    Personally, I haven’t really been affected too much either. I get kicked out of businesses a little more often than I used to. I also have my groceries delivered now, which is kind of cool if the delivery person cares about selecting good produce. I am just living my life as I always have.

    What are your hobbies? What do you do when you are not working?

    My favorite thing to do when I’m not working is to find an excuse to work. Other hobbies on my list include cooking, ping pong (I accept all challengers), bowling (please do not challenge me), hanging out doing all of the above with my family. I am also an avid and moderately skilled gamer.

    Do you gamble online or at land-based casinos?

    I am an unusually lucky person. I once found a patch of four leaf clovers. I still have several of them pressed inside the pages of a novel so I am not opposed to gambling a little from time to time. Just know if I am playing at a physical machine that I am doing it for fun only and do not expect to win anything substantial.

    At an online casino I would still be playing for fun but I would play specific games and always have that potential for a huge payout. I like online slots. The creativity that is coming out of these game studios is amazing. The entertainment value is massive with the variety of game modes and bonuses paired with the frequency of new titles being released. Even every day gamblers are kept at the edge of their seats.

    The multipliers some game providers are offering these days are growing too. But, If I were to decide I wanted to play for a chance to win really big, then I would choose to play Crypto Dice, Limbo, Mines or Hi-Lo. These games offer the lowest risk with the biggest rewards. Where else can you bet less than a penny and win a few thousand dollars?

    If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?

    My wife, my son and my dog. All three are living, FYI. I know I’m supposed to choose some celebrity or famous person from history, but when I think about it, this is the most honest answer I can give and I’m lucky enough to live it.

    Speaking of eating, what are your three favorite restaurants in Las Vegas?

    Cafe Rio for southwestern and Mexican fusion, Cafe Zupas for amazing soups, salads and sandwiches made with ingredients purchased daily from local farmers and third would be Chick-fil-A. It’s not the healthiest, but it is definitely delicious. There isn’t a restaurant in existence that can outcook me in my backyard in front of my grill, though.

    If someone were visiting you in Las Vegas for 24 hours, what would the itinerary include?

    I would save them a ton of money by directing them away from tourist traps, but I would do it in a way that they could still enjoy their experience here as a tourist. I’d take them to see some of the oldest shows on the Strip that are still going strong.

    For example, The Knights of The Round Table at The Excalibur is a must. Then we’d hit up the Bellagio and check out the water feature from the sidewalk on the Strip. Next would be the Neon Museum, otherwise known as the Neon Graveyard or Neon Boneyard not only to see some history, but also to show that it is not in the middle of the desert like every Hollywood movie would have you believe. It’s actually right in the middle of town in a rundown neighborhood surrounded by Section 8 housing and liquor stores.

    Then, depending on the person I would gladly give a tour of the surrounding areas and unique geological formations you can find just outside of the city. Or maybe we could go to Area 51 and take selfies with aliens. The possibilities are endless so we will need way more than 24 hours.

    Fun fact… I was the Assistant Superintendent during the construction of the Neon Museum’s lobby and I oversaw the reconstruction of the La Concha hotel that was used as the Museum’s roof. Fun fact number 2... The sign to my Great Grandmother’s motel, The Del Rey, is actually there at the museum. I didn’t know when I found it there.

    Name one thing that people reading this magazine don't know about you.

    I once had all of Las Vegas shut down for around eight hours. The affected areas were the entire Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas and every school and government building for five miles in every direction.

    The reason for this was I thwarted a suspected bomb threat on Mayor Oscar Goodman on the day he was scheduled to visit the Neon Museum’s groundbreaking ceremony. The suspicious package I found was placed at the entrance to the site but in a way that just didn’t feel right. It was a brand new duffle bag.

    To understand why this seemed so out of place you would have to understand the area we were in. I’ll attempt to put it into perspective. The day before this happened I was picking up trash around the perimeter of the fenced in job site and wanted to get a drink so I left my broom and trash bag next to the fence while I ran into the trailer to grab some water. Less than two minutes had passed but in that time frame someone had spotted my trash bag and broom and had them loaded up in their shopping cart and was walking down the street with them.

    This was a common occurrence. I couldn’t leave actual trash outside because it would be stolen. So to see a shiny new bag shoved precariously into the only nook right by the entrance an hour before the Mayor is scheduled to appear. I was a little suspicious so I called the Mayor’s assistant to ask what I should do.

    First the squad car police came out. They didn’t want to go near it. Then the sergeants, captains and detectives came. They wouldn’t touch it either. With each higher ranking official that came out to handle this situation the threat level escalated higher as well. Kids all over the city weren’t even allowed to leave school after the school day was over. Las Vegas Blvd was completely closed to traffic in both directions. It was madness.

    When the bomb squad arrived they wanted only to talk to me since I was the person that found it. They let me hang out in the bomb squad truck all day drinking coffee and watching their robot’s POV cameras investigate this package on the monitors. They eventually got this bag unzipped and slowly opened it up. It was very hard to make out any details but two things were very clear.

    There was a small nest of wires and flat shiny metal plates. I thought for sure the next step was to have the robots or some expert diffuse this thing but nope. The bomb squad’s solution….. Was to blow it up. So that is exactly what they did. I guess it’s ok to blow up bombs as long as it’s their bomb.

    Was I a hero that day? Not at all. Was it a bomb? Also no. It turned out that the wires were just a small handful stolen from our generator for the copper value right before we showed up that day. The metal plates were actually empty TV dinner trays made out of that shiny cardboard stuff. I’m guessing whoever left the bag was planning on coming back to get more copper.

    Two weeks later, when we finally had the groundbreaking ceremony the Mayor jokingly thanked me for saving his life as I shook his hand.
    Last edited by GPWA Daniel; 27 April 2022 at 5:03 pm.

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to GPWA Daniel For This Useful Post:

    chaumi (28 April 2022), GPWA Maria (28 April 2022), The Buzz (28 April 2022)

  3. #2
    GPWA Maria's Avatar
    GPWA Maria is offline In Memoriam, 1970-2022
    Join Date
    November 2010
    Posts
    3,249
    Thanks
    1,099
    Thanked 458 Times in 319 Posts

    Default

    Thank you for the interview Chris!
    Feature your Affiliate Program with us and enjoy the rewards!

    Regards,

    Maria Florides
    GPWA Program Manager
    GPWA.org | iGamingAffiliatePrograms.com | FinanceAffiliatePrograms.com | GPWAtimes.org | iGamingPocketDirectory.com | APCW.org

    Mob: +35796453758 | Skype: Maria.florides1 | Email: Maria@gpwa.org

  4. #3
    patdog is offline Public Member
    Join Date
    October 2021
    Posts
    59
    Thanks
    11
    Thanked 19 Times in 17 Posts

    Default

    great read thanks

  5. #4
    BCGame Affiliates's Avatar
    BCGame Affiliates is offline Sponsor Affiliate Program
    Join Date
    April 2021
    Location
    Sunny South Africa
    Posts
    229
    Thanks
    30
    Thanked 65 Times in 57 Posts

    Default

    Great interview Chris!
    Kind Regards,
    Kaleb

    https://bc.game/
    Email: kaleb@bcgame.com
    Skype ID: live:.cid.75f39c9d6d4373ab

  6. #5
    chaumi is offline Private Member
    Join Date
    October 2013
    Location
    East Midlands
    Posts
    1,554
    Thanks
    525
    Thanked 798 Times in 584 Posts

    Default

    Wow, there is so much in this that you have to get to the end, take a deep breath, and go back to read it again. 3 or 4 times!

    Your commitment, enthusiasm, and contentment shine through, Chris. Fascinating stuff all round! And plenty of reasons to reinforce any desire to get to Las Vegas again.

  7. #6
    themilann's Avatar
    themilann is offline Public Member
    Join Date
    August 2018
    Location
    Serbia
    Posts
    79
    Thanks
    19
    Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts

    Default

    Great interview!

    Very extensive, informative and encouraging!

    Have you thought of becoming a tourist guide? Because your depiction of Las Vegas was great!

  8. #7
    Pokerface's Avatar
    Pokerface is offline Public Member
    Join Date
    August 2016
    Posts
    2,626
    Blog Entries
    1
    Thanks
    433
    Thanked 867 Times in 626 Posts

    Default

    Thoroughly enjoyed reading the interview Chris!
    statsdrone.com

    GPWA members get a 2-month free trial - DM me!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •