In this interview, Jamie Wall, a Casino Analyst at Gamblizard, reflects on the company’s journey from its launch during the COVID-19 pandemic to becoming a leader in the online casino affiliate industry. “We never stop at achieving our goals, constantly setting new ones and improving our offer,” Wall explained to SiGMA.
What is the history and background of Gamblizard?
Our story begins in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. It was an unprecedented period when the demand for various forms of home entertainment was on the rise, as everyone was forced to stay at home. This led to a growing interest in online casino gaming. For this reason, despite knowing about the high level of competition in the UK, we chose to launch the site at that very moment. In fact, we also realised that there was much room for improvement regarding iGaming informational websites. For instance, other sources lacked details such as bonus offers and promotions dedicated to existing players. That’s why we decided to join the scene and give it a go: we realised that we could deliver something better to readers.
What sets you apart from other affiliates?
As we mentioned, our main goal at the beginning was to provide users with all the key elements to choose casino bonuses wisely and have a wider choice in general. Many websites focus exclusively on welcome bonuses, which are only useful for new players. What we wanted to do with Gamblizard — and what we’re still doing today — was to provide a useful source for all players, beginners and experts. That’s why we focus on all kinds of bonuses instead of just welcome bonuses. Another thing that distinguishes us is our team, which is composed only of specialists with work or gaming backgrounds in the casino niche.
How is the data security and privacy of affiliates and users ensured?
We employ all classic security and privacy measures to protect users’ information. One of the primary methods we use is SSL encryption, which secures the data transmitted between our website and our readers. Additionally, we implement firewalls to protect our servers from malicious attacks. Of course, we also conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential threats.
We take player protection very seriously. Gambling addiction can lead to consequences potentially even worse than just losing money — an obsession exposing to serious mental and even physical risks: stress and lack of sleep are minor symptoms, but those capable of growing into something graver in no time. We don’t want that for anyone, let alone for our readers. What we want is to make it clear that gambling can be a fun way of spending time, where winning money isn’t the main objective but rather a happy accident. That’s why we only promote UKGC-licenced casinos and those that feature responsible gambling seals on their websites (such as gambleaware.org, and gamstop.co.uk). This means that these brands adopt safe gambling practices and promote a thoughtful approach to such a pastime. In such a way, our audience knows that our affiliate partners share our view on the matter.
Do you impose any restrictions or guidelines on the type of content that can be promoted?
All the information we share on our website about brands and bonuses is verified by our experts. Our team conducts regular checks to ensure all the content is up to date (for this reason, we always remain in touch with casino representatives). We only promote content we’ve tested ourselves, so we can be sure that every single piece of information we share with our readers is 100% correct and verified. Only once our editors and experts have approved the article do we proceed with publishing.
This process includes several steps. For example, we thoroughly analyse all bonuses, website licensing, deposit & withdrawal methods, game selection, customer support service efficiency, and all terms and conditions to ensure they are clear and transparent for players.
We also care very much about protecting children from gambling-related content. For example, in the UK, it is forbidden to use cartoon-like images that might grab their attention and encourage them to try playing casino games — we oversee our visual content so that no images of a kind appear on our websites.
If we’re speaking about what our partners expect from us, they’re definitely looking for first-time depositors and quality traffic. Of course, they also want us to post honest and accurate reviews, as well as keep all the information up to date, especially when it comes to the bonuses they offer.
Speaking of our expectations from the casino brands as our affiliate partners, we have our rulebook, too. We primarily expect our brand partners’ casino offers to be appetising for the user, so to speak. Affordable bonuses for all sorts of players, the presence of common payment methods, a user-oriented website, local languages and currency support all add additional points in our eyes to a potential partner. Other key elements for us are the conversion rate and player value, which depend on the casino’s geographical expansion. For example, players from Japan are very loyal to old and established brands, but at the same time, they’re very reluctant to join new ones. These are things we need to keep in consideration.
In short, the brand should convert well, have a competitive welcome offer, an efficient support team, and, most importantly, a retention department that really works.
Sometimes, partners take a long time to respond, making it harder to keep content up to date, so faster communication is probably an area for further improvement. We’d also like to reach agreements on exclusive bonuses more quickly.
Are there any changes in the program structure or terms in the near future that affiliates can expect?
First, we plan to introduce additional options for filtering brands according to our criteria. This will allow our readers to find a specific brand easily based on what they’re looking for, improving both the user experience and casino brand positioning.
Secondly, we’re reworking our bonus ranking system, adding new criteria featuring user ratings and positioning bonuses in our newly developed statistic graphs. This will make it easier to evaluate casino propositions.
Lastly, we’re also planning to launch new content: we’ll have our very own Gamblizard awards, which will help highlight the best casino bonuses even further. We’re developing a wholly new news section for users to keep up to date with everything happening in the iGaming industry. And we’re also planning to develop our WhatsApp channel to have a direct way of communication with our readers. Briefly, all our effort is now concentrated on taking our website and social media offer to the next level.
Do you think that competition in affiliation is important? Why?
Yes, competition in affiliation is essential — as it is in any market, after all — mainly because it drives innovation and quality. When affiliate marketers compete, they strive to offer better content, deals, and services to attract more customers. This, in turn, benefits consumers, who receive a higher-quality service and more relevant bonus options. Additionally, competition encourages affiliates to improve their business strategies and stay updated on market trends. Overall, competition in affiliation promotes excellence, thus contributing to the growth of the industry.
How do you choose your operators and how do you manage relationships with multiple operators?
When we expand into new markets, we usually start by consulting our SEO managers. After they conduct their analysis, they pass a request to our affiliate managers to partner with specific casino brands operating in the targeted markets. Yet, casino representatives may also get in touch with us first.
When we pick a new partner, we test the business from quite a bit of perspectives. As we mentioned earlier, we don’t want to promote something that we haven’t tested ourselves first. Hence, we start by checking the casino licences, then go through the KYC procedure, and test the casino in general. This is another thing that differentiates us in the field — we don’t neglect replicating the entire player’s path by ourselves.
If all goes well, we get in touch with the casino representatives and agree on the terms of placement, register in the affiliate partner room, and issue an affiliate link.
Sometimes, our representatives meet future casino partners at conferences. In that case, we first exchange general information and try to identify where and how we can cooperate. We then agree on terms of cooperation, traffic expectations, and exclusive offerings. Once all that is done, our SEO, content, and expert teams start their work, implementing a review for the casino brand on our website.
As we mentioned earlier, we strive to deliver the most complete source of information for casino players. Our reviews go in-depth, checking every single aspect of the casino brand. It’s not just about the bonuses; we aim to report every piece of information players may find useful while spending time in an online and physical casino.
This will be especially handy for people new to gambling, as they will have a reliable guide to help them make the first steps. More experienced players will also find lots of helpful information: the iGaming market is constantly evolving, so there are always new things to be aware of.
In short, our zeal for giving users the best makes Gamblizard one of the most competitive affiliate programmes in the industry. We never stop at achieving our goals, constantly setting new ones and improving our offer.
WHAT’S NEXT: SiGMA East Europe Summit powered by Soft2Bet, happening in Budapest from 2 – 4 September.
