Q&A With Julian Perry, COO, Players Publishing
Congratulations on the second edition of the AffiliateCon Sofia! You run Gambling Insider magazine, Trafficology, the Global Gaming Awards, you know the industry. How did you pick Sofia for a gaming affiliate convention? Can you tell us more about the AffiliateCon Sofia event in particular?
I have been an affiliate since 2000, and I remember I used to love affiliate shows – you could meet companies that monetise your traffic, you could also watch excellent speakers and learn many things. Most importantly, you could enjoy networking in a relaxed environment, where you had space and time to meet other affiliates and interesting people, partner with them, and get inspired. This is our vision for AffiliateCon – I think the success of the event last month shows we are making good progress towards achieving this goal.
AffiliateCon Sofia is attracting major international brands such as Genesis and Kindred. What’s the key to a successful event?
Brands want to work with us for a number of reasons.
Firstly, because we are not exploiting them, our rates for an affiliate program to attend offer excellent value for money, considering the number and the quality of the attending affiliates.
Secondly, we rigorously reject anyone who is not an affiliate, this results in a completely different atmosphere – a lot more relaxed and cooperative, offering a much better climate for agreeing on deals.
Thirdly, we wanted to create an event where quality ‘face time’ meetings can take place between major affiliates and possible partners, and give all of the time to understand each other and build valuable relationships.
Finally, while many affiliates come from all over Europe to attend, brands also recognise that Bulgaria and the Southern Eastern European countries are a hotbed of entrepreneurs and web marketeers.
Our players are not necessarily professionals from the gambling industry. Can you explain more about what happens at an affiliate conference event?
Brands attend so that they can meet their major affiliate partners, strengthen existing relationships, and meet new affiliates they’d like to work within the future.
Affiliates who have traffic, get to meet operators that will help them to earn revenue. With gaming companies scattered in many locations, this is a chance for the affiliates to meet them personally and agree on deals.
Given the specific market and location, what kind of people are you hoping to get connected here in Sofia?
We are always looking for that perfect blend of all the major established players and new innovative companies that will be the big affiliates and big brands in the future – from brands like Parimatch, 7 Stars Partners or bet365 to affiliates like Catena, Better Collective, LuckyLabz or Gambling.se.
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What is the AffiliateCon Sofia growth from 2018 to 2019 in terms of speakers, attendance?
We grew by about 50 percent this year, but in 2020 the event will be twice as big, which I think will be the perfect size for an affiliate conference.
In this year’s event, you are featuring eSports bettors. What do you think is the future of eSports and your opinion is eSports the next game changer in the industry?
eSports is a very popular topic simply because it has the potential to scale way beyond traditional sporting events. It could be the industry’s next game changer. Will eSports betting overtake traditional sports betting? Football fans will tell you a definitive no, but some CEOs we’ve spoken to at Gambling Insider are adamant mainstream sports won’t be able to compete with eSports in the future, like Parimatch’s Sergey Portnov. The vertical is definitely a fast riser and is likely to be a top-five revenue generator for operators who specialise in it.
Which are the most important international markets in the gambling world in 2020?
Everyone is looking at the US, the market for sports betting there is so huge, but my advice is not always to chase the brightest lights and look at the things you are good at. Almost all markets have a lot of potential, and often, when most eyes are looking in one direction, you can grow strong in a different one. I know people are investing heavily in areas such as Ukraine, Africa, and Japan.
What are the biggest challenges in the gambling industry?
The gambling industry is somewhat at a crossroads, especially in certain prominent European markets, and most operators, suppliers, and affiliates will single out one major cause: regulation. This, however, is borne out of an arguably greater problem: attitudes towards gambling. The Gambling Insider office is constantly awash with talk of why the alcohol and tobacco sectors are considered socially acceptable, but gambling isn’t. As a result, many markets face increased taxation, advertising restrictions, and a constant requirement to justify the actions of gambling business to a senior politician of some kind.
What is the future of the gambling industry?
In terms of the future of gambling, the largest current development is undoubtedly the fruition of the US sports betting market. Since the repeal of PASPA in May last year, major suppliers and operators have raced into US sports wagering, with New Jersey making a strong start to post-PASPA life and many other states like New York and California earmarked as future markets with huge potential. How this opportunity plays out will have a definitive impact on gambling’s future, as will technologies like AI. Go to any industry conference and plenty of commentators will also tell you eSports and crypto-currency are the future of gambling. However, assessing the rate of change over the last 20 years, and considering the increasing influence of regulators and politicians, it’s possible the core product will remain very similar, just far more mobile and digital-focused.
COO, Players Publishing – Publisher of Gambling Insider magazine, Trafficology magazine,
organizer of the Global Gaming Awards, and AffiliateCon Sofia
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We Asked…The Pros Answered: The Future of the Gambling Industry
International Focus: Online Gambling Trends in the United States
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Q&A With Julian Perry, COO, Players Publishing
