The affiliate community has been paying tribute to Punters Lounge Founder Paul Ross, who recently lost his battle with cancer last weekend.
Ross took over the Punters Lounge website in 2005 and grew this into one of the first portals where UK players could review trusted online betting operators.
Paul was incredibly knowledgeable about our industry and was well respected as a leading affiliate in iGaming. He also established the UK’s first betting-related forum, which led Punters Lounge to become a tight-knit online community. Under his leadership, the website also became a go-to resource for seasoned betting tips and sports opinions. which catered for all player levels, whether they were newcomers to betting or seasoned veterans.
“Incredibly knowledgeable”
Lee-Ann Johnstone , founder of Affiverse paid tribute to Ross, saying “Paul was a force to be reckoned with and so passionate about this industry. He was incredibly knowledgeable and an upfront honest affiliate business owner who often offered great advice and views on how things should really be done in the world of affiliate marketing. The last time I spoke to Paul he was upbeat and not letting anything get him down despite the circumstances. He was an advocate for “straight talking” and always gave no nonsense advice. I admired and respected him and no doubt he will be both missed and remembered by all those who worked with him during his long iGaming career.”
A respected figure in both online gaming and affiliate marketing
On top of taking Punters Lounge to where it is today, Ross also worked to enhance relations between affiliates and operators. He both moderated and intervened with multiple player dispute and he oversaw a lot of change within online betting regulation and affiliate marketing from both an enterprise level through to consolidation and lately big M&A changes.
There is no doubt that Paul Ross succeeded in – creating a community of like-minded individuals and that he had a true passion for our industry. All of this was, as he said at the beginning of 2019, all before the days of social media too. Some of the site’s relationship-building initiatives included race days and pub crawls.
In Paul’s memory, Punters Lounge will continue to serve the community that was built with a team eager to build on his legacy. Our deepest condolences are extended to his friends, colleagues and family during this sad time.
