When can we expect new big updates and ideas for the product? Where is 1win heading now?
Roman Ostrovsky - We have been preparing to implement a very big task for a long time - a complete redesign of the website. Speaking of the casino itself, that's our main task now. We hope the redesign will have a very positive impact on the performance of the site itself. The updated look will give us new opportunities for future global expansion. Our website will become more adaptable and it will be possible to implement high-quality functionality. When the time comes, you will be the first to know everything.
Which iGaming games would you highlight in 2023?
The focus continues to shift to direct advertisers. CPA networks, which present several offers at once to different casinos, now give way to direct advertisers (to 1win Partners, for example). They need to offer something unique to create demand for their product. But advertisers copy everything, so CPA networks have to introduce new solutions all the time. This is how the market develops.
I would like to highlight a trend not only for 2023, but also for the coming years – regulation. The market in all GEO’s is moving towards regulation.
I think that now the Brazilian market will become even more active. There were already affiliates here, but they worked in completely different areas (for example, nutra and product offers), and now gambling has opened up to them. In terms of money invested in the gambling industry, Brazil remains in the TOP 1 in South America.
In the next 3-5 years, Africa will boom a lot, it will become super popular and will attract attention from all products. This GEO is very promising, it is a region that is maturing and growing, but with its peculiarities, and, of course, it is worth remembering that Portuguese is the official language in six African countries. The population is becoming more digitalized, the base is developing more and the level of fast internet coverage is growing.
The trend towards product gamification will continue. In the past, a casino was a “showcase” with a set of games from suppliers. Products now don't want to be a “showcase”, they want to make the most of their resources: gamify the same interface elements and even create their own exclusive games.
Is having your own CS:GO eSports team profitable or is it more of an image issue?
I'm glad you asked, because now we also have a female eSports team, 1win Gang, so we don't stop and continue to develop this area. I would say this brings both image and profit. Because at the very least, it's cool that all of our competitors now have 1win on their betting list. The question was based on our experience with the 1win men's team, which has been in existence for over two years? I'll answer! The team is of a high level, plays in the main CS:GO tournaments, we have a strong squad, and what's more we already have a fan base. The team greatly increases brand recognition. That's also why we took this step: we want to work on brand recognition in every possible area.
People who watch eSports on Twitch today will, in five years' time, start working, earn good money and, instead of football, they will want to bet on their favorite computer games. The market share of eSports will grow, so gaining recognition in this market is extremely important. Laying the groundwork in advance means getting coverage and brand recognition on the cheap.
What are the key qualities needed in affiliate marketing to achieve success?
Strategic planning and determining growth points are things that will help you stay in the market for a long time. It doesn't matter who you are – a referee, product representative or affiliate, it doesn't matter. You can't just keep reacting to the latest trends; you will become stagnant in some way. In other words, you will be financially profitable, but you will no longer be able to build an empire.
The next question is about an important detail of any empire. How would you describe 1win's corporate culture?
We are trying to develop it, we have a special department that takes care of this. Obviously, we want to hire only the most qualified employees. Finances are important, but when you offer average market conditions or even slightly higher, a lot will depend on what specific benefits other companies will offer.
Why, for example, would all developers want to work at Google? The answer is simple: the company invests a lot in its employees to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Work in the office, interact with colleagues and obtain other social benefits, courses, conferences. Therefore, we want to be a company where people want to work. That’s why it’s so important to keep up with other companies’ best practices.
And now comes “that same question.” How does 1win product placement in porn work? What are the expectations of these integrations?
Both before and now we work with performance. Why invest so much in media if there is performance, the result of which can be monitored with trackers and calculated transparently, knowing exactly how much we gain from it? Brand recognition affects conversion; this is good both for the product itself and for our webmasters, who attract users.
In fact, the amount that players bet also increases: they start to play more and for larger amounts. By increasing trust in the brand, we simplify the retention department's life and work to increase LTV, economic indicators, and more easily achieve a return on the amount invested. That's why investing in performance is so worth it.
How do we calculate how much we earn from porn integrations? First, we analyze the coverage, then we carry out a detailed analysis of the post-view.
Is the field of affiliate marketing becoming more mature? What is your opinion on this?
Definitely. We realize that several corporate standards are emerging in the area. Bureaucracy, in the good sense of the word, also affects arbitration teams, strengthening their operational system, helping to establish processes and competent planning. Affiliated teams are acquiring third-party projects, investing in media advertising, and even purchasing booths at conferences, which we have never seen before.
The “maturation” of the advertisers themselves is also noticeable. I get the impression that a few years ago many products didn't even know how to calculate the return, buying any traffic. Today competition has increased and now, to receive large funds from advertisers, what matters are not so much the volumes, but rather the liquidity of the traffic.
Big advertisers like us are expanding their local presence in new GEO’s to receive traffic there. They open their offices by hiring local employees – all to strengthen the product's presence in GEO and exert its influence on growing local markets.
Can you share 1win's best practices that influence your growth process?
The brightest and most productive cases are quite private. I'm not ready to share them, not in an interview.
To be honest, I'm a technocrat at heart, so I like to digitize everything that can be digitized. And if this approach is applied to a company, it will be managed much more easily: control offices and employees remotely, make reports, regulate and regulate processes that allow growth. I think we started doing this at the right time, which allowed us to quickly accelerate 1win. That's why I recommend everyone to remember two words: analysis and planning.
Can you reveal a small success story from the past that helped you grow as a product?
At the time, the development of our own analytical system helped us a lot. We had to invest a lot of time and effort in this, but we defined all the metrics, created the necessary dashboards and started studying the data. Over time, we began to look more and more at the numbers and try to base our decisions on them. This significantly improved product economics and allowed us to scale faster. To be honest, I would build any business this way, but for products this approach would be especially relevant.
But if the internal example may not seem like a very direct answer to the question, then there is also an external example. 1win's success at conferences is a merit of the systematic development of this area. We have a great team that seeks to make each new event unique for stand visitors. Considering that we go to different places around the world several times a year, always doing something exclusive is a very ambitious task.
Tell us a little about the growth within the company. How does this process work?
I'll start with my personal case, because I joined the company as a linear employee and in a few years I rose to CVO. In fact, most of the company's senior management are internally trained specialists who have gone through a similar process.
Even at the interview stage, we tell the candidate that he can bring any idea to management and, if there is something interesting in it, it will certainly be tested, and the employee will be rewarded, including in terms of growth - this person can become the executor of your own idea.
Why should webmasters choose 1win product?
Because the future is ours. We have a strong team, competent strategic planning and we don't just work for money and cars. We want to become the flagship in the market. People who know what cards we had in our hands back then and how much the positions we have today cost us don't ask the question above. But that doesn't suit us either. We want to be even more ‘badass’. And then more and more. And we want the same for each of our partners.
And finally, give advice to those who are starting their journey or haven't yet managed to fit into working with traffic. How to be successful in arbitration?
In short: work hard, acquire knowledge, test it in practice and reach your own conclusions.
Going deeper, the “path to success” in arbitration is very individual and depends on the resources available. The first thing that comes to mind after our conversation is that I recommend participating in conferences (and not ignoring online events, they also contain a lot of insights), listening to the opinion of experts. Try to understand what they say and why. And, of course, working with trusted partners, without that it’s impossible!
1win Partners affiliate managers will help to wisely use the useful information from the interview with Roman and start cooperation. When we have something else to read, we will definitely let you know on our social networks. Don't forget to sign up.
Source: 1win
