Affiliate Interview Series: Greg - theGman

**GPWA Dan** · 5 October 2011, 11:07 am

Age: Do I have to put this down? I recently turned 40 but I still feel like 20
Hometown: I divide my time between London in the U.K. and Antalya in Turkey
Living In: At the moment, Antalya in Turkey
Favorite Food: A Braai ?that’s barbecue ?so anything with meat
Must Read Book: I love reading so this is a difficult one, but in a gambling context I would recommend The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
Sites: mybingostreet.com
onlinekeno.net
online-slots.co.uk
onlinecasinoworld.com
euromillionlottery.com
bingotimes.com

You posted recently that you were drawn into the online gambling industry by the parties, the ladies, the coolness of the webmasters ?and the money. You also said that you once worked as a program manager. Please elaborate, and explain how/why you made the transition from manager to affiliate.

I said all of the above in jest but I have had a fantastic time as both an AM and now as an affiliate. I became an affiliate almost by default. The company that I worked for bought a network and simply did not know what to do with it after having major fallout with the affiliate it had bought the network from. I decided to take a chance and purchase some sites from them and do my own thing. It has been hard going but very rewarding on a personal growth level.

The hardest part of becoming an affiliate for me was to get used to working by myself. I do have a team of people but everyone works remotely from different locations around the globe. Previous to that as an AM I was in a very lively, creative office. Now I get to entertain myself, which some days is hard going.

One of my great friends, Moshe from Vegas Kings, told me way back that this industry was the coolest with the nicest people. On the whole I tend to agree with him. I like the ideas and the creativity that live within this part of the industry and the challenge of actually getting players to an excellent destination.

I think that because I was an AM the transition to affiliate was a lot easier. I already understood a lot about what needed to be done. I do admit, though, that there has been a steep learning curve. As an AM I was told by an affiliate friend, “You AMs are all lazy; why don’t you become an affiliate, and then you will see what work is.?Unfortunately he was right. I would not change it for the world, though.

About a year and a half ago, you decided to stop promoting casinos and focus on bingo. How long after that was it when you launched Euromillions and Online Casino World?

All of the sites came about at the same time; if you take a look at the sites you can actually witness the learning curve. Bingo actually took me by surprise. When I started there were very few people in the U.K. focusing purely on bingo. I decided to do just that and educate myself about the game. There are now some fantastic bingo portals and the online version of the game has developed massively in the U.K. I guess we are also fortunate to be in a jurisdiction where it was legal and so I am sure that this has helped the game as well. I have not really had the opportunity or capacity to do much with Euromillions and Online Casino World due to the demands of bingo; I still maintain a very healthy bingo network and presence and subsequently workload.

Are you a full-time online gambling affiliate, or do you hold down another job as well?

You must be joking! Another job as well as this? I wouldn’t have time to sleep. I am a full-time affiliate. At the moment 90 percent of my time is spent within the gaming sphere but because of recent events I am looking at other niches.

What do you like about the industry?

I enjoy the networking, I enjoy the people ?I know that sounds corny, but it’s true ?and I enjoy the parties. Who wouldn’t enjoy traveling the globe and seeing some fantastic people a few times a year?

What don’t you like about the industry? Please feel free to be specific.

I don’t like the fact that there is no transparency within this industry. I had long-standing VIP players at a massive Microgaming Affiliate program that conveniently disappeared when the global economic crisis came about. They have never returned. The fact that a program can do what it wants, when it wants, with no checks and balances, makes me very uneasy. We now pick and choose our partners very carefully. I tend to promote those that I have a personal relationship with and that have solid standing within the industry rather than going for the best revenue or money options. As a community, we have been hard hit by a number of disgraceful antics by programs in recent times. It’s the lack of transparency that seriously annoys me.

What surprised you the most about the industry?

The kindness and love shown to members and their families within the gaming community. The recent loss of some the best-known affiliates has shown that this industry does have a heart and does give a lot back.

What did you do before you joined the online gaming industry?

I worked as a broker consultant for a massive assurance company. Very suit and tie stuff. Formal and stiff are better words for that. As an affiliate the words that spring to mind are vibrant and fun.

How long do you give yourself for responding to e-mail? And what e-mail tips can you offer?

I tend to answer e-mail pretty quickly. It’s only PMs that take me a while to get to. My tip is to essentially reread e-mail and try to put yourself in the senders?shoes when reading it. I always try to understand what motivates a person to send e-mail and hopefully I will be able to provide assistance.

How do you manage your “to-do?lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?

I utilize my wife’s organizational abilities and I have a super lady in Budapest who works for me organizing my to-do list. I am currently rolling out a number of sites so am preoccupied with that. Without the two of them I would be lost. I don’t currently use any special software. We make use of Excel and Word and Google Calendar. Very basic, I know, but it works for us at the moment. If anyone has any recommendations please feel free to educate me.

How much time does it take to keep your site updated?

We work on the sites constantly. Bingostreet is my baby and so it takes up a large portion of each day. The recent Panda update has not been kind to the site so we have had to make a large amount of changes. We are also busy upgrading the site’s CMS. It takes up easily five to seven hours of each day.

What prompted you to join the GPWA, and how has it helped you so far?

I was involved with the GPWA for a number of years as an AM. I joined as an affiliate simply because of the value that the site adds to the industry. I think the site helps a wide range of affiliates, from newbies to resolving disputes and creating relationships between affiliates themselves and between affiliates and programs. It’s also a fantastic place to hear about new programs and share stuff.

You've been a member for about two and a half years, but have just recently become much more active in the forums. Is there any particular reason? How has your increased participation helped you?

I am more of a lurker rather than a poster. I think I have become more active as a consequence of the goings-on in recent times. My increased participation has helped to get questions answered and to make my mind up about certain issues. I come by the site at least two or three times a day to check out the new posts as there are always some nice articles to read. A recent article about Latent Symantec Indexing led me to do quite a bit of research on the matter and I simply would not have learned about it if I did not pass by each day.

Time management is one of the biggest issues facing affiliates. What time management tips can you offer your fellow webmasters?

I really am the wrong person to ask. My time is managed for me. It’s 11:10 at night and I’m working. I love my job, but as an affiliate there are so many things to do. It brings to mind the cartoon pic of the affiliate working in the GPWA magazine a few years ago.

If you could have dinner with any five people, living or dead, who would they be, and why?

Nelson Mandela ?what an inspirational man.
Hunter S. Thompson ?well, if you don’t know why, look the man up. Archie Karas ?reputedly one of the biggest gamblers of all time.
Jenny Woo and Calvin Ayre ?who wouldn’t want to have dinner with Jenny, and I could learn a thing or two about the industry from both of them, I am guessing.

When you need to get as far away from work as possible, where do you go?

I love the sea, so I either get down to the beach or if I have time we travel to remote small villages and go out to small beaches with a pre-packed picnic.

How do your family and friends feel about how you make your living?

To be honest, I have not heard any complaints. My wife and family are fairly easygoing and laid back. I guess as long as I am not bugging them they are happy.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

Gosh, it must be Avatar, in 3D at the IMAX. The graphics were insane.

**Renee** · 9 October 2011, 11:28 pm

Originally Posted by Digo

Favorite Food: A Braai ?that’s barbecue ?so anything with meat

When you FINALLY come visit me in Oz, I will cook you a braai

I'm glad we are on the same page there!

I really enjoyed reading this. It really is a pleasure seeing you at the events Greg

**rak** · 10 October 2011, 12:44 am

How do you manage your “to-do?lists? Do you use any special software to help you out?

I utilize my wife’s organizational abilities and I have a super lady in Budapest who works for me organizing my to-do list. I am currently rolling out a number of sites so am preoccupied with that. Without the two of them I would be lost. I don’t currently use any special software. We make use of Excel and Word and Google Calendar. Very basic, I know, but it works for us at the moment. If anyone has any recommendations please feel free to educate me.

Great interview!

Day to day tasks, go with wunderlist, its pretty fantastic and is available on all smart phones. Its also awesome because you can share lists, and update each others lists.

**theGman** · 10 October 2011, 4:11 am

Hehe Renee - slap another one on the Barbie dear , im on my way to Oz at some stage next year but will hopefully see you in London before that .

Thanks for the info Rak - will check it out . Im notorious with my team for not keeping track of things that are not site related

The GPWA has been a constant for me over the last good many years and it still is a place that i enjoy being at. Thank you to them for the interview - i enjoyed it as well.

**Renee** · 10 October 2011, 5:05 pm

Originally Posted by theGman

Hehe Renee - slap another one on the Barbie dear , im on my way to Oz at some stage next year but will hopefully see you in London before that .

Oh awesome! Very much looking forward to it

**GFPC** · 10 October 2011, 5:16 pm

Originally Posted by Digo

Age: Do I have to put this down? I recently turned 40 but I still feel like 20

Totally awesome!! I feel the same

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