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iGaming enthusiasts, we have great news for you! Today we spent some time with Yeva Avagyan, Head of Commercial at AffPapa, who gave us an exclusive interview. Yeva answered some of the most burning questions of gamblers and operators, such as the secrets for a successful affiliate company and the most important aspects players must consider when choosing a casino, but she also shared her personal challenges when starting working in the iGaming industry, the ways in which she manages to rewind after long stressful days and many more.
Check out the interview to find out all of Yeva’s secrets!
How did you first start working in the affiliate industry?
I started my career in the iGaming Industry now almost 3 years ago. I dare to say the best three years of my professional life. I had many great opportunities to learn more, get to know the industry from the inside even better, make great friends, and build strong and valuable relationships with our partners. iGaming is growing very fast and expanding day by day, keeping me on my toes in a way, to be up-to-date with the latest trends, new-comers, developments, etc. It’s a very exciting field to be in I’d say.
What challenged you the most at the start?
Everything iGaming related was very new to me, to say the least. How affiliate marketing overall worked, regulations, licenses, all that fun stuff 🙂 But as I started wearing different hats one at a time, I started getting to know the industry on a deeper level, understanding how it operated most efficiently, how we – AffPapa, could bring value to the scene – everything changed. I had a newfound passion for what I did, with the mindset of striving for bigger and better.
From your perspective, what is a must-have for a successful affiliate company?
Most importantly it’s having a team of reliable and honest people. The rest is about professionalism and experience. If you are lacking in the honesty department when working with operators, you will most likely end up losing the trust and respect of your partner-operators.
Now from a player’s perspective, what would be the most important aspect when choosing a casino?
From a player’s perspective, when choosing a casino my number one deal breaker would be lack of transparency. You need to have trust in the brand first and foremost. Know that your safety is guaranteed, and you won’t get ripped off at any point. This implies license, regulation compliance etc.
Second would be the language barrier – and overcoming it. Accommodating players based worldwide brings inclusivity, and gathers everyone under one roof no matter the nationality.
And three, all technical aspects set aside – the casino should have EPIC graphics in my opinion. Users’ experience is KEY when it comes to bringing and keeping players with you long-term. You might be a licensed, respectable casino that is very transparent with its players, but if you don’t have superb gamification, outstanding visuals, and everything that goes under this list – I’m afraid you’ll see more exits than entries
How would you describe safe gambling?
Safe Gambling to me is about playing for fun and for entertainment – not striving to make money or living out of it. If you cross that thin line, then your 5 seconds of high will cost you a very significant amount of money unfortunately, and lead to potentially unfixable consequences.
What differentiates your business from other affiliate marketing companies?
AffPapa is a directory that focuses on bringing the industry together – aiding affiliates and operators to find each other by utilizing our advanced filters. We’ve created a big community of like-minded people and are strengthening our presence by the minute. We did the hard work for our users, so they can spend their time building connections and finalizing deals, rather than surfing the internet in and out to find a good match. We also ventured on a new adventure in the Events side of things – kick-starting iGaming Club – turning the online community of people into a real-life event, bringing the industry together in the most beautiful corners of the world. Our second event is coming very soon – so stay tuned!
Do you have any advice for newcomers that are just starting their journey in the industry?
My advice would be – be bold. Take up space. I understand the doubt and the fear that comes with starting anything new. But that’s what’s exciting about all of this. Take it as a personal challenge. Ask yourself the important questions and by tackling every obstacle that comes with it move forward. Everyone starts small, as the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day”. And that surely applies to everyone and every entity. We all started somewhere, it’s all about the courage to fail and get back up again.
If you weren’t in this business, what other industry would be of interest to you?
I love this question 🙂 Hmm, it’s a tough one.
I think I’d be working in Marketing, in an industry infused with creativity. I love coming up with marketing strategies, monitor and running creative campaigns, and branding’s close to my heart as well. So, I guess it would be a combination of some sort.
Oh, yes..almost forgot, if I was being completely unapologetic about my answer I would say a singer/performer. It was my childhood dream, so need to give little Yeva some credit as well.
Now on a personal level – What do you do to relax after work, do you have a special hobby?
Now that I have a puppy, my after-work hours are pretty occupied 🙂 I love taking her for long walks these days. The weather has been good to us although we’re almost done with Fall. I love spending time curling up with a good book. Being taken to other lifetimes and eras. I love all genres, anything that’ll keep my eyes glued to the pages. Cooking, traveling, and fitness all definitely are on the list of my favorite activities as well.