In the second part of our two-piece Affiliate Spotlight series with CoinPoint Group, General Manager Oron Barber discusses blockchain in iGaming. He talked about cryptocurrency in the industry during part I, which you can read here.
Oron has a wealth of experience in the iGaming affiliate field and was an early blockchain and crypto believer. Back in 2006, he also started his own digital agency.
Now, let’s delve into the second half of this interview.
Affiverse: CoinPoint Group is hosting its annual VIP Networking Party in February 2020. Why do you hold this event each year?
Oron Barber: “This party is part of our tradition and is already in its fourth year. The idea is to merge two very big markets. On one hand you’ve got blockchain, where there is a lot of technology and innovation. This industry is looking for places to utilise these two areas, with examples being affiliate tracking, payments and decentralization. There are many things being developed that are already being used in online gambling, or will be soon.
“On the other, we invite 250-300 people from iGaming to see how this technology will change some parts of their business going forward. Combining both of these industries in one networking event has worked very well in the past.”
AI: In what ways do you see iGaming affiliates embracing blockchain in the future?
OB: “It demands a bit more of an understanding from their end. They need to learn that blockchain will change various operation areas, including tracking capabilities.
“Blockchain in affiliate marketing is shifting the power from operators to affiliates. They’ll have 100% transparency on where their traffic is coming from and be able to control it better. Once affiliates realise this, they need to start using the technology.”
AI: Going into 2020, how do you see the implementation of blockchain panning out?
OB: “We’re only in the early stages. To be honest, a lot of small or medium-sized affiliates don’t care too much right now. How they’re being handled and controlling their traffic at the moment has worked for many years. They know how this works and don’t see why they should adopt new technologies or change their way of thinking.
“But big affiliates and the innovative ones – those that come from places like Vietnam, South Korea, Canada and South Africa – understand the benefits. They know that they can monitor their traffic, optimise everything and make their daily ongoings more efficient with blockchain. As an agency, these form our initial target market.”
AI: What advice would you give to affiliates entering the iGaming space today?
OB: “Be open-minded and understand where the market is going. These changes won’t happen tomorrow or next month. Come to events, listen to what’s being said and just jump into the water.
“I always give the example of what happened when I was at PlayTech. Back in 2005, people started saying that things would move from desktop to mobile very soon. But it was hard for many to understand back then why players would do this. However, they saw what happened very soon.
“When we talk about blockchain to clients today, it’s still science fiction to a lot of them. That goes for affiliates, operators, payment service providers and so on. But while many don’t see it coming, there are some early adopters that we’re working with.”
CoinPoint Group’s Annual VIP Networking Party will take place in London on 6th February 2020. Find out more about the event here.
