This is our second interview with Swegaming. We are checking how they are doing right now.

GAV: Hi Steven, first off we’ve been talking with you before, around 2 years ago to be exact, and first wanted an update on what Swegaming and BettingLounge have been up to since then.

The last two years have been hectic for Swegaming as a company, and since I joined this year we’ve been ramping up our efforts towards the UK market with our site BettingLounge.

We’ve launched a completely new look and feel to the site while adding new sections including our popular betting tips. We have also added new functionality and content to help our visitors make the right decision when choosing which betting sites to use.

GAV: Could you tell us some quick facts about you?

Name: Steven Hubbard

Age: 24

Hometown: Wymondham

Living in: Gothenburg

Favourite Food: Pizza

Must read book: Running: The Autobiography

Best dart player: Phil Taylor

GAV: Tell us more about yourself, we want to know exactly who Steven is, the product owner of Bettinglounge. How was it to move to a new country? How is it to work at a big affiliate company as Swegaming?

Well, I grew up in a small town in Norfolk, England. I spent most of my working life as a Lifeguard and Swimming teacher but decided to go travelling for a change.

There I met my Swedish girlfriend and moved to Gothenburg, where I met Andreas and David (founders of SweGaming AB). Moving to Sweden was a lot harder than the travelling I had done, but I had great support from my girlfriend and her family.

Working at SweGaming has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and develop new skills. They have a lot of valuable experience in the Swedish market and exciting ideas for the UK.

GAV: What would you say is the biggest competitive advantages for Bettinglounge? What makes Bettinglounge stand out from the crowd?

We are looking to change the affiliate industry by offering an honest, transparent and personal product. All while promoting safe and responsible gambling.

We have some really exciting long-term projects that I think will add a lot of value to BettingLounge, while continuing with our personal touch instead of hiding behind a brand name.

GAV: What is the biggest challenge for you as a product owner?

The need for constant innovation is the biggest challenge facing us. There are a massive number of affiliates in the UK, and we have to offer something special to stand out.

GAV: We have done some reading at your site and found out some really interesting betting tips, how can you know so much!?

Well, I am in no way a betting tipster or expert. But, I have been following sports, mainly football and darts for most of my life. Of course, you learn a lot from that over the years.

But, the most valuable information is gained by a bit of research. All of our tips are well researched with key stats and facts for the match. It is not a foolproof way of betting, but it will help in your decision making.

See our betting tips as a guide, or if you agree, of course, you are welcome to back them. But, remember to do so in a fun and responsible way.

GAV: Steven, who is your favourite model? Is it Zlatan or David Beckham?

Ah, that’s a tough one. Of course, David Beckham is my favourite model. I mean his boxers are not great, but what a man he is!

GAV: What betting tip has been your best in ROI?

The best betting tip so far has been a 12/1 win treble with Betway. Three away wins, Lincoln City, Leicester and Doncaster.

Although, Doncaster finished 3-2 and we had a nervy 7+ minutes of extra time that was not appreciated.

GAV: What is the best with TheGamblingAffiliateVoice?

The best thing is definitely to find new gaming conferences and read comprehensive articles . You are doing a great job writing about the conference Sigma on Malta. More affiliates and operators should definitely go to Sigma which is the best conference in my opinion.

Blockchain based affiliate platform AEToken has won the best ICO pitch competition at the Malta Blockchain Summit. Held at the InterContinental Hotel Malta on November 1 and 2, 2018, the summit is a marquee event in the ICO/Blockchain sector, playing host to over 8,000 delegates and a speaker list that includes the Who’s Who of the Crypto industry including the Winklevoss twins and John McAfee. The highlight of the summit, the ICO pitch contest saw 19 blockchain startups in a head to head battle for two cheques, each worth 25,000€.

Eventually a panel of judges, led by Investor Mark Hamade, judged AEToken (represented by CEO Vadim Fedotov) the best ICO pitch for its unique platform, which is designed to address shortcomings limiting the affiliate marketing industry.

The industry has long struggled with systemic problems including lack of enforceable contracts, fraud (traffic size verification/traffic value skimming), slow payments for services performed, and high minimum payouts. Now, for the first time, using blockchain and smart contract technology, AEToken ensures affiliate deals are secured through smart contract, payments are instant, fees are lower, and scalability is a non-issue.

Founded by Vadim Fedotov, Gene Hoffman and Jason Fernandes, AEToken has a particularly stellar team of advisors including 2017 Ycombinator partner Marcus Segal, Eman Pulis (Founder, SIGMA Conference), iGaming expert Michael Caselli, Walter Komarek (Forbesfone) and Dr. Evan Luthra of Almora Crypto Investment Group.

The launch of the bespoke Affiliate Manager Coaching Academy from AffiliateINSIDER means that affiliate managers in the iGaming sector now have an opportunity to access over two decades of affiliate marketing strategies, tactics and expertise.

Founded by Lee-Ann Johnstone, the CEO of news, training and events business AffiliateINSIDER , this new academy aids skills development for affiliate managers and graduates entering the digital marketplace.

Delivered in exclusive training venues to provide bespoke and tailored classes, it is built around proven strategies for helping affiliate programmes grow. Only up to a maximum of 10 delegates are permitted to enable significant 1 on 1 time within an intense learning schedule.

The advanced one-day program is tailored according to a pre-course questionnaire designed to customise content delivery to the delegates in the room. It is then backed up with a 90-day action plan from the tactics learnt on the day and includes a 30-minute personal Skype coaching call, while a detailed workbook and course notes are available to take away.

Johnstone commented: “ The affiliate coaching academy is an extension of the strategy and skills I’ve learnt working in this industry for almost two decades. It’s about helping promoting best practice and continued skills development coupled with a practical implementation of affiliate marketing techniques.”

She continued: “Our course content gives candidates the skills they need to grow their affiliate programme reach, negotiate the right commercials and build successful affiliate relationships.

“Affiliate marketing is an exciting constantly changing digital medium, but one that has predominantly been led by on the job training, which means skills are passed down and can become dated. It’s therefore vital that we create content and course structures that promote skills development and digital learnings for affiliate managers to remain at the top of their game!”

Rasmus Sojmark is the founder and CEO of SBC , a leading news and events company for the sports betting industry that joined forces with Johnstone in November of last year to launch the AffiliateINSIDER.

Sojmark added: “The Affiliate Coaching Academy is a natural extension of the AffiliateINSIDER ethos to promote skills development and knowledge sharing in the affiliate space. For this reason, launching this exclusive academy made sense on so many levels.

“Our clients and partners can now benefit from tailor made learning opportunities and access a level of skills development not offered anywhere else. Lee-Ann has a vast amount of experience working across a wide range of industries, which is what makes this opportunity so unique.

“We are very excited to offer this service to both individuals and companies who wish to grow their affiliate business and improve their affiliate partnerships .”

For more information about the course content and booking dates, please contact AffiliateINSIDER sales team: sales@affiliateinsider.com