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Exclusive Q&A with Alex Windsor, Director at Apps4 web media Limited

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Exclusive Q&A with Alex Windsor, Director at Apps4 web media Limited

 

  1. Let’s begin with some introductory details about yourself. How did you enter the gaming sector?

I first got in to the gaming sector back in 2012. I was working in a call center at the time in a very different role that I do now; I was in B2B sales.

I was looking online for some info on betting apps and couldn’t really find what I wanted so thought why not make a website about it. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at first. I started out with a WordPress site and just began slowly adding content. From there I really got in to marketing and started to read up online, visiting forums, downloading online courses, and generally reading whatever I could get my hands on to further my knowledge.

1 website eventually grew to 2, then 3, then 4 and I ended up with 12 sites in total, all aimed at the UK market.

  1. Did your professional background in mobile communication industry help in the gaming sector? On this topic, how important do you think it is for a potential gaming entrepreneur to have hands-on experience some other unrelated field?

Yes I would say by background did help. I’ve always been a big fan of technology so this definitely made things a bit easier for the transition from sales to marketing. I have always been a bit of a tech geek and love apps, mobiles, tablets, computers and anything with a screen and buttons on.

I saw the potential in mobile betting very early and knew it was a good niche to get in to as apps were very much the thing of the moment back in 2012.

I wouldn’t say experience plays a massive role. I had absolutely no idea about marketing when I got in to the industry initially. I would say a desire to learn, innovate and try new things is a few must have traits if anyone wants to succeed. We all need to start somewhere. You also need a never say die attitude and a hunger to work, work and then work some more.

  1. What is the background of founding Apps4web Media? Enlighten our readers with some stories, please!

Apps4 web media is actually my 2nd iGaming company. I sold my first portfolio of sites in 2015 and had 2 years out of the industry due to a non-compete agreement.

As soon as I was allowed to work again I registered the company and immediately got to work. I really missed working on sites, going to conferences, and chatting with other people in the industry.

I actually couldn’t wait to get started again and registered the company at 12.01am the day my non-compete expired. I had always worked on my own in the past but this time I decided I wanted to put a small team together. I now have 5 full time employees and we work with several other companies as well for design needs.

As well as running our own sites, we also do link building and marketing for other iGaming companies. We work with some of the biggest companies in the world and its an area we are currently growing and recruiting for.

  1. For the uninitiated among our readers, could you describe the major services that Apps4web Media provides?

The main services that we offer is affiliate marketing. We have over 12 sites that we run, most are now in the US, but we also have sites for the UK, Spain, and Italy.

As well as content for our own sites, we also provide content for a lot of other affiliates as well, on top of the link building services that we do also.

  1. On to affiliate marketing now. The field is quite crowded, especially in the gaming sector. How do you manage to carve your niche amidst such tight competition?

The market is a lot more crowded than it was 8 years ago that’s for sure. When I first started out, there was only a handful of sites promoting in the niche I worked in so there wasn’t a lot of competition. Fast forward 8 years and the landscape is a lot different. There are some enormous iGaming companies now with hundreds of sites and staff that just fill and dominate the SERPS.

Standing out from the competition is not an easy thing. I have always been good at offering my own unique spin on content and topics. I look for areas that other sites don’t cover and try and offer genuine help and experience. The UK market is very saturated now and its extremely hard to launch and make a new site successful.

  1. What are the major revenue streams for Apps 4Web Media?

Our main revenue stream comes from the agreements with have from operators. In the UK this is through rev share, but in the US its all CPA agreements.

We are also doing well with our link building services. A lot of our clients we have worked with for several years and appreciate our timely service and professionalism.

  1. You started out in the UK and then entered the US market. How is it going in the US? Could you share some stats? In how many states are you licensed to operate now?

The US is such an exciting market to be in right now. It seems like every week there is a new state that has just legalized sports betting, or is just about to.

So far I am really happy with how things are going over there, but we can always do more. Our main site gamble-usa.com is our largest site and covers all the states, although it is still fairly new. The market is that diverse and you really need to almost treat each state as a separate country. What you can and can’t wager on varies from state to state and whilst sports betting is being legalized in most states, online casino and poker is only available in a handful.

The company is licensed in 6 states at the minute, those being New Jersey, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Colorado, and Michigan. We have an application pending with the Virginia lottery that we hope to have available soon.

Because of these big state by state differences, we have launched state specific sites in a few states. In Indiana for example, we have our gamble Indiana site and gamble Colorado for the Colorado betting market. Tennessee is the latest state we launched a state specific site with gamble Tenn but this is still very new.

There are also states like Iowa and Illinois where no license is required that we operate in. For Illinois we have another new state specific site called gamble Illinois, which again is pretty new. There just literally aren’t enough hours in the day to do as much as we want with the sites.

  1. What are the good, bad and ugly, if any, about doing business in the USA?

The good is definitely the speed at which the market is moving. The US has a population of over 330 million people and they are nearly all sports mad. The legalization of sports betting only come back in to effect in 2018 so the market is still brand new.

I would say the bad is that sports betting isn’t legal in all states. There are over 20 states now with some form of legal sports betting but these states aren’t all open to affiliates. Some only have in person sports betting, whilst others only have 1 operator that is run by the lottery. As more states open up it will get better and better.

The ugly would be the licensing process. I am not against licensing at all as I think it is a good way to regulate the market. My issue is as a UK business we have to jump through a lot of hoops in some states. No application is the same, they vary from state to state. NJ for example is very easy to do. PA was more complicated. Most states you need a registered business address so things take a bit longer than say the UK where anyone can be up and running in a few hours.

  1. We believe there are others who would be planning to enter the US gaming market in some form. What are the common mistakes that European gaming entrepreneurs could do well to avoid in the USA?

The market is so new in the US for both affiliates and operators so we are all learning and all making mistakes. My biggest piece of advice is don’t take too much on. Focus on one state as each state has different rules about what you can and cant bet on, and also what forms of gambling are available.

  1. With the arrival of vaccines, Covid-19 is slowly moving out of our daily lives. Looking back, was the outbreak a problem or an opportunity for gaming industry as a whole?

Our sites all focused on sports betting so we were affected quite badly. A lot of Affiliates and operators I have spoken to, whose main verticals were casino and poker, have actually come out having done very well. Most sport was stopped including football and horse racing which had a huge impact on the UK economy as a whole. The same thing happened in the US with sports shut down.

Thankfully things seem to be getting better now and hopefully we are near the end of this dreadful period that the whole world has gone through.

The pandemic may have actually sped up the legalization of sports in a lot of states in the US. Like everywhere, governments are looking for ways to recoup the money they have laid out during the pandemic and raising funds through taxes is a very good way of doing this. Several state have actually pushed forward with looking to legalize sports betting as they are relying on the tax benefits.

  1. Finally, what is your take on the role of automation and AI in the affiliate industry?

I’m always a tad skeptical about AI. I think it will definitely have its benefits to some industries but affiliate marketing, I am not so sure. I have seen content written by an AI that is very very good.

If Machine learning can be used to help spot and detect early problem gamblers then I am all for it in that respect.

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Affiliate Industry

SBC Summit North America: Charting New Paths in Affiliate and Marketing Success

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As affiliates grapple with the challenge of higher player acquisition costs and the subsequent need to build player loyalty, SBC Summit North America will serve as the ideal platform to acquire insights into content creation strategies, brand building and the power of big data, all of which can help affiliates solidify their standing in the market.

Scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, the ‘Affiliate & Marketing’ track promises engaging discussions encompassing mergers and acquisitions in the affiliate space, gamification, the rise in popularity of online influencers, artificial intelligence (AI) and customer relationship management (CRM) strategies to foster player loyalty, among other topics.

Kicking off the conference track is the panel titled ‘Affiliate Leaders Panel: Building Brands Through Content and Customization’, which will feature Andrew Garven (Head of Marketing, Covers), Rome Smith (Head of Marketing – North America, Betsson), Marcos Oliveira (Chief Operating Officer, Clever Advertising) alongside panel moderator Michael Daly (Former Chief Executive Officer, Catena Media). The panel will delve into how leading affiliates harness branding and compelling content to build unique and recognizable affiliate brands, optimize acquisition rates and strike successful operator partnerships.

The ‘Big Data at the Center: How Affiliates & Operators Can Make Sense of Their Customers Across Multiple Channels’ panel will delve into the strategic use of big data in understanding customer behavior. Experts Gil Bushkin???? (Senior Director of Interactive Marketing, betPARX), Zachary Sold (Vice-President of Marketing, Caesars), Elizabeth Lodge (Chief Marketing Officer, Winible) and panel moderator James Fox (Industry Manager, Google) will discuss big data’s role in identifying common trends in player acquisition and retention as well as profiling customer archetypes that aid in enhancing player engagement and meet operator partner expectations.

The panel ‘It’s an Influencer’s World: Charting the Success of Ambassadors, Streamers and Other Social Media Stars’ will examine the growing influence of alternative affiliate channels such as influencers, streamers and sports ambassadors. Industry luminaries Kelly Koffler (Influencer/YouTube Content Creator, Slot500Club and Beyond Blackjack), Josh Duffy (SM Influencer /YouTube Creator, Slotaholic), Jon Della Terza (Social Media Influencer/Content Creator, NJ Slot Guy), Josh Margolis (Vice-President of Marketing, Prize Picks), Grant Flannery (Head of Marketing, Rivalry) and panel moderator Lazar Miucin (Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, iGaming Advisor) will delve into the distinctive acquisition strategies and content approaches employed by influencers and examine how they can effectively collaborate with operators. Additionally, the panel will discuss adaptation strategies for traditional affiliates to capture the interest of the next generation of players.

The session panel titled ‘Affiliate Diversification: Success Strategies for the Slower Years’ will delve into innovative approaches affiliates can employ to reach new audiences. Affiliate and marketing experts Noam Klivitsky (Vice-President of US Marketing, 888 Holdings), Shmulik Segal (Chief Executive Officer, MediaTroopers) and Max Bichsel (Vice-President, Gambling.com Group) will explore such strategies while emphasizing the significance of strategic media partnerships in ensuring a strong market presence.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the North American market through dedicated conference tracks covering leadership, sports betting, iGaming, industry and growth, compliance and regulation and payments and technology.

Additionally, the conference will include a dedicated tribal symposium, as well as two pre-day conferences; the Capital Market Forum (entry requires a separate ticket) and the Player Protection Symposium.

Purchase your ‘early bird’ ticket at the discounted price of $795 and gain access to all three days of SBC Summit North America (including the Player Protection Symposium) including the exhibition, the conference and exclusive networking parties. Additionally, operators and affiliates can apply for a free pass to the event.

You can keep up-to-date with the latest news, speakers and exhibitor additions and conference content by subscribing to the bi-weekly SBC Summit North America LinkedIn newsletter.

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Affiliate Industry

UK fantasy football affiliate signs landmark deal with its 5th Brazilian operator-Bitx

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 Following on from the success with its other four partners in Brazil, fantasy football free-to-play affiliate and marketing firm 20SHOTS has now signed a deal with Brazilian operator Bitx.bet (also known as Bitx) to feature another fantastic competition: the Paulista.

Bitx will also join 20SHOTS’ other Brazilian partners in hosting the Serie A (Brasilierio) once the season kicks off in April.

While this partnership represents an impressive market share in Brazil’s affiliate marketing and free-to-play FTP space, it was the speed and efficiency of the launch that most impressed Bitx’s team.

Franco Oggiano, Bitx’s representative, said that 20SHOTS’ reputation for excellent communication and speedy installation was a driver behind signing the deal.

“We knew of 20SHOTS’ free-to-play affiliate model and it was really attractive. We are excited to have their offering on our site to help acquire and engage with new and existing customers. It’s been a quick and easy process to integrate the game and we’re greatly looking forward to the partnership and seeing what we can bring together to the Brazilian fantasy football community!”

No laurel resting for 20SHOTS

This year has been a big one for the fantasy football FTP affiliate, with a quickly growing operator client list and some great partnerships in Europe, the UK, the US and now, Brazil.

“We’re so excited for 2024 and beyond,” shared 20SHOTS founder Jacob Kalms. “It’s already been a big year for us, and January isn’t over yet! We’re going to continue to push into the Brazilian market, partnering collaboratively there as we do in the UK.”

20SHOTS offers a customisable FTP Premier League fantasy football game that customers such as Grosvenor Casinos, Boyle Sports, Stats Perform and many others have all signed partnership agreements for. The company also has an NBA FTP game, which is direct-to-consumer and focused on the US market.

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Affiliate Industry

Fastmarkets launches new European carbon-reduced flat steel price, catering to growing demand for sustainable steel production

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Fastmarkets, one of the industry’s leading cross-commodity price-reporting agencies (PRA), announces the launch of a new European reduced carbon emissions flat steel price.

This new price, which is for domestically produced steel, forms part of Fastmarkets’ growing suite of prices that cater to steel decarbonization and is a testament to our commitment to providing accurate and timely market information.

The reduced carbon emissions flat steel price is a differential paid for flat steel produced in European blast furnaces with carbon emissions of 1.4-1.95 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of steel.

According to Andrew Wells, global steel editor and steel pricing director: “A liquid market is emerging where buyers are currently paying around 30-60 euros/tonne for spot cargoes. This new price will provide transparency and help buyers make informed decisions in this fast-emerging market.”

“I am excited about the launch of our new reduced carbon flat steel price. This is not just a new product but a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said Raju Daswani, CEO of Fastmarkets. “In the emerging decarbonized steel market, accurate pricing is crucial. Our new reduced carbon flat steel price will provide much-needed transparency, fostering fairer trade and encouraging further innovations in the sector. As we move towards a greener future, we believe this initiative will play a pivotal role in driving the industry’s transition to low-carbon production methods.”

Wells added: “Our approach acknowledges that there are distinctly different premiums paid for steel produced with 0-1 tonne of CO2 (the current range is 150-250 euros) and 1.4-1.9 tonnes of CO2. This new price will provide a more accurate representation of the market and help drive the transition to more sustainable steel production.”

This new price tracks steel produced with carbon emissions that are higher than the maximum 1 tonne of CO2 tracked by Fastmarkets’ flagship European green steel differential, which was launched in June 2023. Our growing suite of prices catering to steel decarbonization also includes the green steel price launched in East Asia in September 2023 and high-grade iron ore in February 2023. Fastmarkets also has the physical and financial benchmarks for 65% Fe fines iron ore.

The new price will be published every Thursday as the Europe green steel differential. Called the ‘reduced carbon emission flat steel differential’, it will be the first of its kind in the market. Alongside it, Fastmarkets will also launch a daily inferred base price. This price is calculated by adding the weekly reduced carbon differential to Fastmarkets’ established daily North Europe domestic HRC price, giving an accurate daily snapshot of the per-tonne cost of buying reduced carbon steel.

Fastmarkets is proud to be the first PRA to launch price tracking this specific slice of the market, further solidifying our position as a leading provider of market intelligence in the commodities sector. The new European carbon-reduced flat steel price is a significant step towards a more sustainable future for the steel industry, and Fastmarkets is committed to supporting this transition.

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