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You have been chiefly responsible for the bet365 affiliate program since 2004. What changes have you seen in the industry in the past five years? It’s hard to accurately recall everything that has happened in the last five years! Ever since I joined bet365, the company has put a tremendous amount of emphasis on growing the affiliate side of the business, to the extent where we’ve built a new system up from scratch and are always adding new functionality to ensure we deliver a first-class service to our many partners. Speaking more generally, Google’s decision to lift gambling ad restrictions in the UK last October has seen an enormous swell of traffic coming through from affiliates.

You have also worked at Betfair and Sporting Index. What did you learn from those two companies that you have brought to bet365?
A strong work ethic always helps, and it was great to work alongside and learn from some talented individuals at both companies. By a quirk of fate, working for a betting exchange and a spread betting firm provided an excellent grounding for my career in the betting industry. I actually began my time in the industry by helping to grow the Sporting Odds affiliate program, before that particular company was sold to Sporting Bet. Several of the affiliates I recruited back in 2001 are now on board at bet365, so it’s nice to be maintaining long-standing relationships with those guys.

Where do you see the industry in five years?
An impossible question; forecasting where we’ll be in five months’ time is difficult enough! I would expect the industry to become more globalized, especially in regions such as Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. Our affiliate program is available in 14 different languages at the moment, with more and more people signing up from outside of the United Kingdom. The concept of affiliate marketing is still in a relatively fledgling state in many parts of the world, although we might expect that to change as betting, gaming and search engines become more popular.

Most of the affiliate managers we talk to say building trust with their affiliates is critical to success. How do you go about building trust with your affiliates?
It certainly helps when you have strong core products for your affiliates to promote. The sportsbook at bet365 is acknowledged as being one of the best out there, while our gaming offering is also pretty special. As our many affiliates will already know, the one-wallet solution we provide for customers enables them to transfer money between different product balances with a minimum of fuss.

Naturally, we like to communicate with our affiliate partners on a regular basis, whether it’s through a monthly product newsletter, a telephone conversation or a one-to-one meeting. The bet365 brand is widely respected in the industry and the feedback we have from our affiliate partners is positive to the extent where we feel we’re doing a good job. We have dedicated affiliate managers for each of the bet365 products, which means that someone keen to push sportsbook, casino, poker, games and bingo can speak with someone who has specialized knowledge.

Besides trust, what are the keys to building successful relationships between affiliates and affiliate programs?
It can broadly be divided into two categories. You need to have a strong product offering and a solid affiliate program. Without these, it simply wouldn’t work. For both, you also need a fast, user-friendly Web site, sound customer service and speedy pay-outs. Our affiliates also recognize that bet365 customer lifetime values are particularly high, something which enables us to have long-standing relationships, which in turn strengthens trust. Ultimately, affiliates are happy when they feel that a program is rewarding them for their efforts and is likely to continue doing so in the long run.

What separates bet365 Affiliates from other affiliate programs?
Existing affiliates of ours will gladly explain why they put bet365 as number one on their Web sites, while anyone who hasn’t yet signed up should go right ahead and experience the many plus points of affiliating themselves with the brand. Results say more to these guys than I could possibly put into words.

bet365 offers a number of different verticals, including bingo, poker, sports, games and a casino. Which is the most popular? Which vertical do you see with the most potential? How do your typical demographics differ between verticals?
Our sportsbook has the biggest number of active customers, although that’s hardly surprising when you consider it’s the longest established product and what most people associate bet365 with right now. We’re seeing decent growth across all products, with bingo being the latest to be added to the bet365 portfolio. Relatively speaking, this is the one that is likely to grow quickest of all in the short-term, while it’s obvious that this is the product where our typical demographic is markedly different.

Why did bet365 Affiliates join the GPWA? How has it been helpful to you?
A key motive behind bet365 joining the GPWA as a platinum sponsor was a desire to partner with one of the leading moderators and promoters of online gambling in general. The GPWA are prolific when it comes to conference exposure, as well as being an authority forum whereby superaffiliates go to discuss issues and learn the tricks of the trade. The bet365 affiiliate team have had a fantastic experience in dealing with Eric and Rebecca, both through Online Casino City and the GPWA, and bolstering this relationship by stepping up engagement with the GPWA seemed to be a no-brainer.

If you wish you’d known one thing about the industry before you entered it, what would it be?
That product is everything and marketing simply gets the message out there.

What advice do you have for someone just starting in the industry?
Be prepared to work hard every day, listen to other people (both colleagues and affiliates!) and learn from your mistakes.

If you could have dinner with three other people, living or dead, who would they be and why?
Benjamin Disraeli, Steve Coogan and Frankie Boyle.

What is the last book you read? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
Kill Your Friends, by John Niven. An excellent read and a must for anyone who enjoyed American Psycho.

What is your favorite movie? And why?
“Anchorman.” Consistently funny film.

What are three things that no one knows about you?
I worked as a goose farmer in Suffolk for two years, I’m the only Matthew Glazier in the world that’s left-handed and I support Tranmere Rovers Football Club.