CEO at LiveSponsors, André Moreira gives an exclusive interview to SiGMA News as part of our latest series on affiliates

How did you first get into the affiliate space, and were you always focused on the iGaming sector?

At 2011 I was at a poker tournament in the Canary Islands and the idea occurred to me (and my partner at the time) of sending our friends, mostly “grinder” players, to play live tournaments based on their rake generated, and consequently make NoiQ more visible in Portugal. Since the CEO of NoiQ poker was there at that tournament, I took a shot and made a proposal to close a revenue share deal with them. In a couple weeks everything was settled and my journey as an affiliate started.

How is your affiliate business structured, and what aspect of business development are you currently focused on?

In our primary website livesponsors.com we mainly focus on acquisition through poker, and then cross selling to sports betting and casino through our structured Loyalty Program.? In addition, we have other tools to acquire more players directly, and we then mostly focus on sports betting.

Which markets do you focus on and do you see any potential in the emerging markets?

Our focus at the moment is Portugal and LATAM. We see enormous potential in LATAM, and Brazil as the growth opportunity for online sports book in coming months.

What makes your traffic proposition / traffic sites unique? What can you offer that others don’t? Are there any exciting plans in the works that you can tell us about?

We offer higher conversion and retention rates for the partners who take part in our Loyalty Program. The more products and promotions we can make happen together, the better the results will be. In addition, for players we gave them a better experience and consequently, we also receive back more from them.

Is the grass greener on the other side – Have you considered giving white label casino or sports betting a go?

No. We prefer to focus on what makes us different, and better than potential competition.

What is the main thing that you’d like SiGMA readers to know about your traffic? Are you focusing on SEO? PPC? Any other traffic source?

If they are a potential partner, I would appreciate if they see as the best partner they can have, since we focus on their interest. If they see that, it’s the first step to an awesome partnership.

Are you contemplating bringing in investors to scale or grow your business? Or, with such a big M&A market, have you ever contemplated selling the business?

Yes. We are open to listen every potential investor/partner if they have more than just money to bring on board.

What are the main affiliate needs that operators need to be aware of?

I believe that operators would have better results if they study the affiliates before they begin cooperation. Check what they have, and where they intend to go. That way, they also can better protect themselves and their existing clients.

After that, see if they can put some value (or not), and depending on that premise, decide if they should just be a standard affiliate, receiving standard treatment and focus, or if they deserve something more. Every month a new “future giant” affiliate is born, so there is a lot of potential out there.

Which qualities and skills are essential in an affiliate team/business?

Dedication.

How does technology play a part in your day-to-day?

High relevancy, of course.

What potential does Latam hold at the moment?

LATAM is a sleeping giant. However, it will become a very competitive market, and only sharks will survive.

Asia is also a market that I would love to put my eyes on, in the near future.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when starting out?

Everything I learned since then!

What’s been your biggest nightmare to date?

Lots of validations required from the operators to give us access to the data we need, in order to perform to our potential. Sometimes it takes too long.

What are the challenges in managing relationships with multiple operators?

Every one is different, so we always try to know our operator very well before we jump on board. That way, we avoid tons of emails before we start to deliver results.

What are the benefits of attending large iGaming events, and what can they do better?

For us, it’s just time saving, since we can meet a huge percentage of operators in a couple days.

Have you ever been to SiGMA? Would you consider attending SiGMA Manila or SiGMA Malta at some point?

Never been. I will.

Tell us a bit about yourself – after all business is done between people, not just companies!

Favourite holiday?

Christmas

Favourite book ever read?

“Present over Perfect”, from Shauna Niequist.

Where would you relocate with family if you had to pick one city?

I hope that never happen, because I love my country, but probably Brazil.

Favourite quote?

A personal one: “Never give up! However, don’t forget to breathe, stop chasing and it will come to you.”

Favourite sport and childhood idol?

Michael Jordan.

Get to know other great affiliates, responsible for killer traffic! Click the link below to read more insights from affiliates:

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The iGaming summit SiGMA is setting its sights on Asia. Our ground breaking Asian iGaming expo will be held in Manila, on the 8th & 9th of June 2020. SiGMA’s largest venue to date will bring together high quality conferences and content, premium networking opportunities, and luxury networking event. 10,000 delegates from across Europe, the US, and Asia are expected to attend, making this one of the biggest shows to unite East and West in the region.? To become a part of the fastest paced Asian iGaming event, book a pass or sponsor & exhibit.

For those planning to attend SiGMA Manila, AIBC Manila and ICE Asia at SMX on June 8-9th, this is the buzzing business environment to be expected: