Google Panda – What It Means, and LETTER FROM 8 What You Can Do! THE DIRECTOR James Lowery explains that search marketing is a lot like fishing: some people use single lines and some he fallout from Black Friday is still with us. In cast wide nets – nets that Google Panda is designed T this issue, our 17th (which will be distributed in to remove. September at the Barcelona Affiliate Conference and the Cover Story: EiG Congress & Expo in Milan), Vin Narayanan and Aaron Todd give updates on what’s been happening over the 28 Live Stream Goes Mainstream past few months, and Jeremy Enke shares some ideas Aaron Todd takes a look at what’s driving the for what webmasters can do about it. phenomenal growth of live online sporting event coverage by sportsbooks. Hint: people like to bet Our cover story, by Aaron Todd, examines the on it. phenomenal growth of live streaming as online sportsbooks develop and expand live sporting event Online Betting in France – coverage on a scale that makes Vegas sportsbooks look 54 A Taxing Situation primitive by comparison. What does this mean for you? Vin Narayanan discovers that more than a year How about increased revenue! after France began licensing online gambling, the GPWA cautious optimism of gaming executives has given Also in this issue: Louis Deering of Income Access way to frustration. Executive Director: shows us how to structure our data analysis so as to Michael Corfman avoid information overload (or “filter failure”); Connie Strategies for U.S. Poker Affiliates Marketing Director: Burstin extols the benefits that come when affiliates 64 Moving Forward Andrea Mullaney and affiliate managers “play nice” together; Sinead Jeremy Enke advises us that, in Black Friday’s Program Manager: Lambert shares with us some of the stats that are Steven Corfman aftermath, promoting online poker to U.S. tracked by OLBG.com and explains why knowing stats players is a risk-reward proposition. Forum Moderator: of this type will help you accurately determine how Anthony Telesca and whom you should be promoting; James Lowery Membership Manager: takes a look at Google’s Panda update to their ranking Nancy Troy algorithm; and Vin Narayanan analyzes the condition GPWA Times Magazine of online gambling in France more than a year after it was regulated. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Managing Editor: Vin Narayanan 12 Fairway Charity Golf Tourney Raises €1,400 I also encourage you to check out this issue’s affiliate Senior Editor: 18 Dublin and Niagara Falls Photo Galleries manager interview; five affiliate interviews, photos Aaron Todd 34 I’ll Show You My Stats If You Show Me Yours! Associate Editor: from Ireland (taken by yours truly) and Canada, and by Sinead Lambert Dan Igo the Departments – the latest industry news, numbers, Copy Chief: quotes, updated lists of GPWA sponsors, the cartoon 50 Can’t We All Just Get Along? by Connie Burstin Bill Riley caption contest, the Wall of Shame, and a revamped 56 Affiliate Marketing by the Numbers, by Louis Deering Designer: Events Calendar, where you’ll find information George Choi 60 Black Friday: Bad for Some, Better for Others, about our brand-new GamingMeets.com site – it’s by Aaron Todd absolutely fabulous! Advertising 62 Judgment Day Delayed for Full Tilt, by Vin Narayanan To advertise in the GPWA Before I sign off, a reminder: if you’re not getting the Times, please e-mail: GPWA Times Magazine in the mail, make sure you stay [email protected] in the loop by subscribing to the print edition right now. DEPARTMENTS 4 Webmaster News Subscriptions Visit gpwatimes.com to start your free subscription. The price is right, and what’s inside is priceless. 6 By the Numbers For a FREE subscription to the GPWA Times Magazine, 7 Cartoon Caption Contest visit: gpwatimes.com Sincerely, 38 Affiliate Interview Series 52 Affiliate Manager Interview 67 Event Calendar Michael A. Corfman GPWA Executive Director 68 GPWA Sponsors 72 APCW’s Wall of Shame ISSN 1941-9872 WEBMASTER NEWS H2 revises online gambling revenue forecast downward QUOTABLES By Aaron Todd “The [Japanese Racing Association] re- “The current system for regulating mains by far the largest interactive opera- remote gambling doesn’t work. fter analyzing the first five months of tor in the world,” reads the press release. Overseas operators get an unfair Adata and taking into account recent “Following the earthquake all aspects of advantage over U.K.-based developments in the United States and their business were down and particular- companies, and British consumers Japan, H2 Gambling Capital has revised ly mobile betting as people freed up the who gamble online may have little its forecast for revenues for the online networks for emergency care.” or no protection depending on gambling sector down from €25.0 bil- where the operator they deal with lion to €23.76 billion. The former number While events in the U.S. and Japan have happens to be based.” would have represented a rate of growth had a dampening effect on growth, H2 – John Penrose, Minister for Tourism and Heritage of 10.2 percent, while the latest projection predicts that the opening of the Italian in the U.K. predicts growth of just 4.4 percent, the casino market this summer, along with lowest increase since H2 started tracking the expected opening of markets in “This lack of activity by law the industry in 1998. Spain, Greece and Belgium in 2012, will enforcement led to a significant and ensure that the market does indeed con- growing perception that operating “Black Friday (and subsequent actions tinue to grow. Internet poker and other Internet occurring in the U.S.) has decimated the gambling did not violate U.S. laws, scale of the Internet poker industry in that H2 also believes that the prospects for a li- or at least that the Department of market,” the company stated in a press re- censing and regulatory scheme for online Justice thought that the case was lease. “At this state we have calculated that poker in the U.S. have improved, despite uncertain enough that it chose not the impact will equate to as much as €765 the recent crackdown by the Department to pursue enforcement actions.” million of lost market value this year and a of Justice. – Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Jon Kyl, in a letter to the further €100 million next year.” U.S. Department of Justice “There appears to be some buy-in across The earthquake and subsequent tsunami party lines to at least consider the issue “I don’t think those things appear in Japan are also playing a role in H2’s re- more closely,” the press release reads. on someone’s website by accident. vised projections. “However, H2 remain of the view that it It’s a deliberate action by him will be at least three to five years before to demonstrate a willingness to any significant regulated activity will be have a different look at poker. seen on the ground in the U.S.” It’s something we always felt was going to be the case with Sen. Kyl.” – Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas on a possible change of heart from anti- gambling advocate Sen. Jon Kyl “Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter where I end up. So long as I can get myself to a country with good Internet connections, a country that allows me to earn a living again, I’m there.” “I will give the board all possible – American online poker pro Isaac Haxton, on “Poker is an all- support during the plans to move abroad “I’ve decided to American game, succession process transfer the Victory and it’s a game that “I was in shock. I guess I kind of so we can find a Poker international requires strategy expected it to come in the future great, new chief player base over and skill. Millions but for it to happen so quickly and executive to steer to CAKE Poker to of Americans play so all of a sudden. Things literally Betfair through unraveled in a matter of hours. It manage. The brand poker online.” its next phase of was quite a shock because there will continue doing – Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) was no warning.” growth.” strategy, news, – Betfair CEO David Yu, who – Poker pro Christian Harder on his response to videos as an affiliate announced he will leave the Black Friday company in October 2012 site.” when his contract expires – Victory Poker CEO Dan Fleyshman Webmaster News WEBMASTER NEWS More online gambling indictments issued in Maryland and New York By Vin Narayanan The indictments allege Canadian- and payment data from the gambling based ThrillX and Cyprus-based BMX organizations to the banks.” wo businesses and three people Entertainment offered sports betting T were charged with money launder- services. ThrillX operated betED, Linwood has been processing transactions ing and operating an illegal gambling according to the indictment, while BMX for betED.com and other online gambling business according to indictments un- Entertainment offered six websites that companies since 2009. Between December sealed recently by U.S. Attorney Ron ran sports betting services. 2009 and January 2011, investigators say Rosenstein. As part of the indictment, the company processed more than 300,000 10 domains were seized, including Darren Wright and David Parchomchuk transactions. And those transactions were Doylesroom.com. were also charged in the ThrillX worth more than $33 million. Linwood also indictment. Both are from British processed transactions for other online A federal grand jury in Maryland re- Columbia, Canada. Costa Rica’s Ann gambling firms. turned the indictments on April 26.