WEBMASTER NEWS
BETWAY TO BRING AFFILIATE PROGRAM IN-HOUSE
BETWAY HAS OPTED to bring its affiliate
program fully in-house, in an effort to
ensure it is meeting regulatory standards.
Third-party partners will now be
managed by Betway so that the operator
can monitor more closely affiliate programs
in various operational territories.
The transfer of business from current
affiliate partner manager Buffalo Partners
into Betway Partners will begin on
1 March. Betway added that it will work
closely with current partners to ensure
they are kept informed of changes and how
the transfer will affect them.
Anthony Werkman, chief executive of
Betway, said: “Managing the affiliate sector
is vital in maintaining Betway’s values, so
to ensure we remain fully compliant with
changing regulatory requirements we will
be formally bringing our affiliate program
in-house.
“We value our affiliate partners
greatly and look forward to working
with them over the next few years in
order to grow this successful area of
the business.
“In doing so we will be focusing on
delivering the highest regulatory standards
in all our markets as well as ensuring
that a clearer alignment with Betway
values and systems is in place, so
that greater overall transparency and
accountability is achieved.”
Werkman added: “We will continue
to work alongside regulatory bodies to
ensure a safe and fair environment for all.”
EX-PADDY POWER HEAD OF MISCHIEF LAUNCHES AGENCY
KEN ROBERTSON, previously
advertising director at Paddy Power
Betfair, has launched a marketing and
content agency.
Based in the Irish capital of Dublin,
The Tenth Man aims to explore
“different and innovative ways to build
disruptive brands”.
Robertson, founder and chief executive
of the agency, departed Paddy Power
Betfair in December 2017.
Robertson said in a statement:
“The name is borrowed from military
strategy where, when a group unanimously
agrees on a course of action, a ‘Tenth Man’
is appointed to challenge their findings and
explore alternatives.
“This combats ‘groupthink’, where the
desire for consensus can stifle innovation
and deliver diluted results.
“Using the Tenth Man ideology as our
guiding principle, we are working with
major brands in the UK and Ireland who
share this belief.
“It’s not for everyone, but then again,
neither is success.”
Robertson started out as marketing
manager of Paddy Power in November
1999 before going on to become head of
communications and then head of mischief.
In August 2014, Robertson relocated to
Melbourne in Australia to become head
of brand at Sportsbet, before returning
to Ireland to serve as director of brand
engagement at Paddy Power.
Robertson then took on the role of
advertising director at Paddy Power Betfair
which he held for more than 18 months
following the merger of the two brands.
XLMEDIA HAILS RECORD PERFORMANCE IN 2017
XLMEDIA HAS PUBLISHED record
financial results for the 12 months to 31
December, 2017. Revenue amounted to
US$137.6m (€111.2m), an increase of 33%
on the $103.6m posted at the end of 2016.
Gross profit climbed 37% year-on-year to
$73.1m, while profit before tax also went up
27% to $39.3m.
Adjusted earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation and amortisation increased by
36% from $34.6m to $47.1m.
In addition, earnings per share were
up 25% year-on-year to $0.15 in 2017.
Ory Weihs, chief executive of XLMedia,
said: “We are delighted to have delivered
another record performance for the group,
underpinned by our clear strategic vision.
“Our recent entry into the personal
finance sector is already delivering tangible
benefits with potential for further upside,
while the core activities continue to
deliver solid growth.
“Elsewhere, core markets continue
to perform well, and alongside the
acquisitions and ongoing investment
in technology, we are confident these
will generate significant returns,”
said Weihs.
“Further to the fundraising completed
in January, we believe we will be
able to capitalise on our acquisition
pipeline in addition to growing the
business organically.”
BGO MOVES TO BOLSTER RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING STRATEGY
BGO ENTERTAINMENT HAS linked up
with affiliate landing page tracking platform
Rightlander in an effort to enhance its
responsible gambling measures.
Under the deal, Rightlander will work
with BGO to help the operator improve
affiliate compliance.
Rightlander technology scans a website
and constructs a list of locations where
an operator’s brand is either mentioned
or to which it is linked.
BGO said this will enable it to view
affiliate websites linking to its pages that
it is not aware of and ensure all linked sites
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iGB Affiliate Issue 68 APR/MAY 2018
are compliant and acting responsibly.
“We understand the importance of
making sure that consumers get the right
information about the offers that our
affiliate partners promote for us on our
behalf,” BGO chief marketing officer
Allan Turner said.
“So, to make sure that is the case, we
have partnered with Rightlander to help
us ensure that every listing for our sites is
accurate and compliant with Gambling
Commission guidance.”
Rightlander founder Ian Sims added:
“Online casino operators understand the
onus is on them to ensure the affiliates
sending traffic to their sites are acting
responsibly, but monitoring and managing
all of this is a tall order.
“The Rightlander platform takes the
hassle out of ensuring affiliate compliance,
and we are thrilled to be working with
BGO to help them improve their
processes and to better manage their
affiliate partners.”
The move comes after BGO in October
opted to scrap wagering requirements,
max stakes and max bets in a bid to
improve its relationship with customers.