While at the London Affiliate Conference (LAC) last week, the Income Access Team met up with one of the iGaming industry’s biggest affiliates, bettingexpert. In London, we sat down and had a chat with Marc Pedersen, bettingexpert’s Head of Sales.
Marc told us all about the bettingexpert team’s time at LAC, how his brand has evolved since the last conference and what the future holds for both the brand and the wider iGaming industry.
Income Access: Hi, Marc, tell us about bettingexpert’s experiences at LAC 2014.
Marc Pedersen ProfileMarc Pedersen, bettingexpert (left): We’re finding that the well-established iGaming operators are all doing a good job, though we’re a little disappointed that, in terms of their affiliate programmes, there isn’t more innovation on display. With regard to newer operators, at LAC we are particularly impressed by Mr Green, Leo Vegas, and ComeOn Casino, which are all offering strong products and well-structured affiliate programmes.
In general, the bettingexpert team at LAC are focusing our attention on affiliate programmes in newly-regulated markets.IA: It’s been 12 months since LAC 2013. How has your brand evolved over the course of the last year, and what are bettingexpert’s plans for the rest of 2014?MP: bettingexpert rolled out numerous innovations over the course of 2013. Among other brand enhancements last year, we went 100% responsive and we improved our customer support through Zendesk. In addition, we re-launched improved versions of several existing products, such as our post-tip function and our be clash product.
In terms of planned launches for 2014, we expect to improve the core social network features, integrate various API solutions as well as a wide range of additional content. We’ll be releasing more details on these releases in the coming months.IA: The industry has seen many recent changes: the legalisation of iGaming in three US states and news that the Dutch market will open up in 2015. How should affiliates take advantage of these market developments and opportunities?MP: For the US market, it’s still very much a case of ‘early days’. The legislations in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware differ notably, and, as a result, my worst fear is that we end up with 50 different legislation structures. Therefore, for now, the uncertainty about the US market remains high – and it might be best for affiliates to await future developments.
The Dutch market is of course interesting. I would recommend that affiliates should prepare for regulation to enter into force, but lay low until 1st January 2015.IA: You’re an established iGaming affiliate. What advice, Marc, do you have to newcomers to the affiliate industry and smaller players? How can they best position their brand in 2014?MP: They should focus on a niche in which they are strong. I would advise newcomers to first establish themselves and develop a high-quality product before they try to conquer the entire market. This approach will ensure a better user experience and, slowly but surely, create a stronger brand. Aside from bettingexpert, the guys at Footy Accumulators are a good example of this strategy in action.
My other advice to newcomers would be to pay attention to Google’s guidelines and make sure they follow them. Eventually, it will bite them if they don’t.
Income Access: Thank you, Marc, for sharing your insights with us. We wish you and the rest of the team at bettingexpert a successful 2014 and look forward to seeing you at LAC 2015.
For more information on the brand, please contact bettingexpert.
