GPWA Conference Speakers

Bryan Bailey is Founder and CEO of CasinoMeister.com. CasinoMeister.com was created in 1998 as a casino watchdog and player advocate site. Prior to starting his website Bailey served eleven years in the U.S. army, where he was decorated with a Bronze Star for his service.

Gary R. Beal has been in the Search Engine Optimization field for 11 years. He attended Ohio State University in the US and holds a Masters Degree in Biometrics and Mathematical Statistics. Working as a Freelancer in the United States, Gary came to Stickyeyes last year to “close the gap” between the US and UK in search engine optimization techniques as Head of Search Training and Product Research & Development. He has been instrumental in the development of many SEO and PPC tools as an analyst and consultant.

Gary has spoken at Search Engine Strategies (SES) conferences, Casino Affiliate Program (CAP & CAC), A4U (Affiliates 4 U), iGaming conferences around Europe, Social Networking and Dating conferences such as iDating, as well as the NMA, Online Marketing show in London and the upcoming SMX London conference, and that was just in 2007 and 2008. Gary has also been on 5 expert SEO panels and has written specialised articles for multiple online marketing publications. Gary specializes in Search, Pay Per Click, Affiliate Management and Email Marketing. He has worked for many years in lead aggregation for highly competitive industries such as Online Gaming, Banking and Finance, Insurance, Travel and Investments.

J.C. is a seasoned veteran and pioneering figure in the online gaming community and has vast experience in all elements of the industry including casino, poker, backgammon, and other various skill-gaming platforms. J.C. cultivates close relationships with many of the top executives in the industry including Party Gaming, 888.com, Bodog, and Euro Partners.

As CEO of DICE – the company which runs Rome Casino and Rome Partners – J.C. oversees all aspects of corporate strategy, business development and marketing by leveraging his extensive network of relationships and industry experience across the globe.

Michael Corfman, president and CEO of Casino City and Executive Director of the GPWA (Gambling Portal Webmasters Association), is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as a senior database software architect for several companies, including Digital Equipment Corp., before founding Casino City’s parent company in 1990. Michael’s master plan for Casino City is very simple: to be the most trusted, most respected, and most visited source of Gaming information – both in print and online – in the world. In July 2006, Casino City acquired the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association. As Executive Director of the GPWA, Michael has initiated a variety of new programs for members and is currently spearheading the launch of Facebook applications enabling members to earn revenue using social networking.

Paddy Power has an international reputation for fantastic customer service and clever advertising campaigns so it is no wonder they are the leading bookmaker in Ireland, one of the top bookmakers in the UK and are ranked number 8 on the eGaming Review Power 50. Fintan's crack team of internet professionals look after a whole host of services for PaddyPower.com including PPC, SEO and of course the Affiliate Network.

Please Delete Items in Brackets as Appropriate:

Fintan is an amazing (Boss/Lover/Dancer) and has shown incredible (Drinking Ability/Knowledge of Internet Marketing/Expense Claims), he has 15 years experience in (Watching TV/Internet Start-Up Companies/Tying His Shoe Laces), you will learn amazing things from Fintan such as (Who Ate All the Pies/How to Make Money Online/Where the Best Parties Are).

Missing the "Affiliate Director Discussion" would be a huge mistake as Fintan will be shamelessly bribing the audience with (Sweets/ Free Beer /Freebies Stolen From Other Companies).

Björn Evers is CEO of Rock Intention N.V., Chance Publications N.V., and Turtle Creek N.V., the online marketing giants behind PokerListings.com, CasinoGuide.com, other high-profile gambling portals. Evers brings a range of experience within the poker and technology industries. He served as CEO of Cardoza Games, where he oversaw the launch of the cardozagames.com poker room. Prior to his role at Cardoza Games, Evers served as Deputy CEO for poker software provider Tain AB. He was a communication and high tech consultant for Accenture before entering the poker industry. He began his current role in June 2008. Evers graduated from Uppsala University in 2001 with a Master of Science degree in Information Technology and currently resides in Curacao.

Andrew cut his teeth within digital marketing as the SEO and Affiliates wizard for a gaming site before joining bigmouthmedia as SEO Consultant. Now Head of Search at market-leaders, bigmouthmedia, Andrew is responsible for the continued development of the agency’s ground-breaking search marketing service for major clients. A true digital marketing devotee, and with several industry awards to his name, Andrew is often found on the event circuit presenting on a wide range of industry topics from future of SEO to how Web 2.0 effects online brand presence and search. What Andrew doesn’t know about search isn’t worth knowing.

Ebbe Groes is Owner and CEO of BetBrain Ltd., which runs sports betting portal betbrain.com. The site focuses on arbitrage and odds comparison. An economist trained at University of Copenhagen, Groes jumpstarted his life in technology when he help move the Copenhagen Stock Exchange online. In 1998 he co-founded web intelligence company Kapow Technologies, which BetBrain spun off from in May 2000. He currently resides in London.

Roman Humpelstetter is an industry veteran and has been heading the Affiliate Department at Intertops since 2006. Intertops lays claim to being the first company to accept an online bet. Roman has a strong technical background, building the business logic and leading the software development for the Intertops affiliate program. Prior to joining Intertops Roman headed the marketing department for Global Player Casino. A native Austrian, Roman is expert in the European market with a particular focus on German-speaking markets. He graduated with honors from the Higher Technical College department of Electronic Data Processing and Business Administration in 2000.

Harry is managing partner of The Fridge – iGaming's first truly integrated marketing agency. The Fridge specialises in creating campaigns that attract a higher quality of player for less money. Before that, he worked in commercial and marketing roles for CWC Gaming, amongst others. The rest of his career was spent running international campaigns for brands such as Budweiser, Allied Domecq, Penguin Books and BAT. He lives in London, plays mediocre poker and loves skiing.

With more than 8 years experience in the online gaming operational and marketing fields, Pierrick Leveque was appointed by Virgin Games in late 2005 to drive Richard Branson's online gaming company's budding affiliate strategy to the next level. The Virgin Games Affiliate Program, designed, built and managed in-house, was dutifully launched in January 2007 and has experienced exponential growth ever since. Pierrick's contribution to the industry was recognized by the affiliate community in 2008, when Virgin Games won the "Best Casino and Gaming Affiliate Programme" award at the affiliate marketing industry’s a4uAwards - the most prestigious affiliate awards ceremony in the UK, as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious “Affiliate Program of the year” award at the 2008 eGaming Review Industry Awards.

Pierrick is known by affiliates as a solid, responsive and fair business partner; by his colleagues as "the one who doesn’t know how to play poker" and by his friends as a keen blues guitar player. He currently lives in west London.

Christine M. is the Co-Owner and Founder of Streak Gaming Forum. Christine began working in the industry in 2004 and over the past 4 years has been actively involved with many important player and affiliate issues. She has an active presence in major industry forums, where she goes by Bonustreak, and is a moderator for both Affiliate Guard Dog and the newcomers section of the CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com forum. Through her many roles over the years as player, forum owner and advocating for all affiliates, Christine has a unique perspective on the world of online casinos.

James McBriar is Managing Director of Gambling.com, where he has overseen the site's new Web 2.0 re-launch and repositioning. Prior to assuming the Managing Director role in June 2007, McBriar served as the company's Sales Director. He brings more than eight years of experience in the industry, having held positions at Victor Chandler and Teletext before joining the Gambling.com team. McBriar currently lives in London.

Judd Muir owns and runs Yabadoo! (www.yabadoo.es), a Spanish gambling portal with a community approach. Judd graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Engineering Science, freelancing his way through the growth of the Internet before joining online reservations provider ActiveHotels.com as CTO in 1999. He started working in the affiliate field in 2002, launching several successful hotel portals. After an introduction to the eGaming industry acting as an SEO consultant for JuegaTuSuerte, Judd decided to experiment with building a gambling-themed community site. Yabadoo! was set up in 2007 on a very limited budget, using freely available open-source software. Judd currently lives, works, and plays in Barcelona.

Luuk N. is a 23-year old student in Industrial Design based in the Netherlands. He started building websites at the age of 15, beginning with a dutch humor site featuring funny pictures and games (www.lachmee.nl). He experimented with a variety of site niches – sports content, link directories, and affiliate marketing for DVDs – before arriving in the gambling market in 2006. He first entered the gaming and gambling market with backgammon sites after a friend suggested that backgammon would be "the new poker," and since then has shifted his focus to poker and casino games.

Shaun joined Wager Profits in January 2008 as the Affiliate Manager and is now stepping up to take on the new challenge of becoming Director of Affiliate Marketing for the MillionDollarPokerClub.com Shaun has worked in the gambling industry for 3 years, previously as the Sales Manager for the leading gambling magazine in Germany and Spain. Shaun’s no-nonsense approach has quickly established him as one of the bright new lights in the poker affiliate industry and earned him a reputation as a tough negotiator who delivers on his promises. Working for Wager Profits he has taken the affiliate program in a brand new direction, tuning into what affiliate partners are looking for and ensuring that those needs are met in full, on time.

Over the course of a diverse 17-year career specializing in marketing and public relations, Nicole Senyard moved from media relations consultant and marketing manager to become the CEO of one of Australia's leading communication and marketing companies. Recognizing affiliate marketing's huge growth potential, Nicky launched Ecom Access in 2002, driving notable enterprise growth and profitability every year since. She then helped to shape two successful sister affiliate networks, employing 30 staff: gaming-focused Income Access and ecommerce-driven Share Results. Under Nicky's leadership, Income Access works with over 50 of the industries leading brands. Built by affiliate marketers, Income Access is the trusted partner for Bingo, Casino, Poker, Soft Games and Sportsbook operators.

Ian Simms is an industry veteran better known as "Simmo!" in industry forums. Simms runs OGGS.com, pokersites.co.uk, casinotabs.com and a variety of other portal sites. His latest project is a tool to help webmasters automate updates to bonus information on their sites, AffCAFF (www.affcaff.com).

Bill brings more than a dozen years of experience – a rare blend of corporate strategy, marketing, and creative design – to guide the growth of Everest Gaming’s affiliate initiatives and associated online marketing programs across Everest Poker, Everest Casino and the Everest Affiliates platform. His experience is centered on effective marketing analysis and customer acquisition campaigns, including evaluating and assessing the right opportunities and developing the right media mix.

Previously, Yucatonis was the Vice President of Online Marketing at cMarket Network, where he is most recognized for launching BiddingforGood.com, an online fundraising auction portal where consumers can bid on and purchase items that raise money for charitable organizations. Before that he co-founded eXpert SATELLITE, Inc., an agency for DIRECTV where he developed the marketing strategy, media planning and advertising collateral for online, affiliate, and partner programs, as well as traditional media like direct response TV, radio and print. He was also Director of e-Commerce for Roxy.com and EverythingWireless.com, responsible for product, marketing, and sales development for satellite TV, wireless, and consumer electronics. Bill has advised a number of companies on business development and marketing strategies worldwide.

Bill Yucatonis is an MBA from the University of Connecticut’s School of Business, and earned a BSBA, e-Commerce from Northeastern University.