If you consider browsing around the web in search of quality online gambling affiliate websites you will most surely find one of the biggest and oldest brand in the industry, AskGamblers.com. Even its name focuses on the topic, since you might consider to ask other gamblers about their experience in the market.
Even if you will see many new affiliates copying their ideology, not many succeed, since this industry is all about being unique and passionate about what you do and what you are looking to achieve. We have managed to track down AskGamblers.com’s Account & Sales Manager to give us an insight of what AskGamblers is all about and of course, what determined her to enter this great industry, the online gambling affiliate world.
So, here goes, our interview with Jelena Isakov, Account & Sales Manager/Forum Administrator at AskGamblers.com:
- Name: Jelena Isakov
- Age: 31
- Hometown: Zrenjanin, Serbia
- Living in: Belgrade, Serbia
- Favorite Food: Italian pasta with pesto and parmesan cheese on top.
- Must Read Book: M. Bulgakov – “The Master and Margarita”, my favourite ever
EEG: Firstly we would like to thank you for this opportunity, we are really interested and I’m sure that all our readers are going to read this with huge interest.
Tell us a bit about yourself, we want to know who Jelena really is and how did you start working at AskGamblers.com?
Jelena: Hi there! Professionally, I’m Account & Sales Manager and Forum Administrator on AskGamblers.com, for almost 4 years, with the Law degree. Privately, I’m passionate about traveling, music, dance, summer and beaches. Actually, everything I do, I do it with passion or I don’t do it (anymore). My friends already call me “Passion”, because of my hindi tattoo with the same meaning 🙂
Back in 2011, I needed the money for continuing living on my own, therefore I needed a new job, so in October Igor, my friend and AskGamblers’ CEO and Founder gave me the chance. I thought it’s going to be temporary, until I finish my college, practice and final exam on my way to become a lawyer. But, I completely fell in love with iGaming industry and I don’t intend to leave it. This is where I find myself and I think I was lucky that I already realised that a few years ago!
EEG: Since there are thousands of casino review websites out there, where do you think AskGamblers.com stands now? We know that you guys are top ranked and already received many awards, but there is always space to improve.
Jelena: Competition is always healthy and motivating. New affiliates are multiplying every day. Some of them are having almost the same look, concept and content like many, many others, while some of them are turning out to be very original and creative. On the one hand, it’s easy to just upgrade already proven name (most definitely easier than to be a beginner), but on the other hand, keeping up with the huge competition requires a lot of work, ideas and improvements – “It’s more difficult to stay on top than to get there” probably.
There is indeed always space to improve and AskGamblers always has been and still is guided by this logic. But we are proud that we keep inspiring newcomers and the rest of the competition. They also inspire us to continue pushing the boundaries.
EEG: What are its strong points of AskGamblers.com and was is hard to develop and manage all those customer/casino relationships?
Jelena: AskGamblers’ trademarks are still Complaints system and CasinoRank, but so many things were added and improved thought over 9 years of website existence. There’s always something new, it’s very dynamic place!
After a big re-design made last year, a list of additions is long: improved casino rank, improved complaint system, live chat, improved user profiles, Certificate of Trust, search filters, AskGamblers for Industry (special area with affiliate programs listed and reviewed), notifications and subscriptions. New, custom forum is on it’s way and we recently applied for Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, for the Gambling Commission. We love being innovative, so it’s not hard at all, it’s a great pleasure, especially when we see how many times our ideas have been stolen after we launched them or the whole site copied.
EEG: Could you please explain to our audience how AskGamblers actually works? What is the process to settle a complaint?
Jelena: AskGamblers is very interactive affiliate site, allowing players to express and share their opinion and experience, beside reading fresh informations and news. They can rate casinos and post comments under their reviews, game reviews and bonus reviews and casino representatives can reply to these comments. Last week we introduced notifications and subscriptions, so members can easily set up all the informations they want to receive from us, according to their preferences and interests. More info, with instructions is here: http://www.askgamblers.com/gambling-news/industry/enhanced-subscriptions-with-notifications-launched-on-askgamblers/
In order to solve the issue having with casino, player can contact our support via email or live chat or PM forum administrators and we’ll try to get the problem solved directly. Otherwise, player can go straight to our Submit complaint page, fulfil mandatory fields and explain the problem as detailed as possible. Support staff review it before publishing and if complaint doesn’t meet criteria, they notify player and ask him/her to supply it or let him/her know why the complaint is refused to be published.
We follow the old Latin legal doctrine “Ne bis in idem” (Not twice about the same thing), which means we don’t allow duplicated, repeated complaints.
EEG: We of course know that it takes a huge effort to create and maintain such a portal, how big is your team and where are you guys based currently?
Jelena: There’s about 20 of us in the office, but we have forum administrator from Bulgaria, moderator from the UK and a writer from the US. They work from home, so we are partly distributed, but our HQ is in Belgrade, capital of Serbia. Your neighbors!
EEG: How is the office atmosphere, do you guys have parties all the time over there and order pizza?
Jelena: Great question, because the atmosphere is very casual and friendly indeed. We work a lot, but the office is also dog friendly place, a place where we can learn and play table tennis, board games, PS games and casino table games. There’s usually happy hour on Fridays after 5 PM and we also organise adventurous company team buildings out of office, once in a quarter. Free lunch is included each working day!
EEG: What can you advise new affiliates that are looking to venture in this great industry?
Jelena: A lot of research and a lot of reliable, useful, original content done and prepared before the site is launched. Keep writing, thinking, studying, comparing, following all the time! After the launch, patience while building up your site is the key. Don’t expect fast money. Making of a new affiliate site should be planned in advance, in the long run. If you’re gonna write the content, be sure to supply yourself with decent knowledge and experience about that field and about the Google. If you want to recruit writers, be picky and choose copywriters with experience and awareness of the keywords importance. SEO adviser is also very recommendable to have!
EEG: What were the bumps in your road when you got started and how did you overcome them in you professional life?
Jelena: The biggest challenge for me on AskGamblers was how to re-animate our forum, with new members, posts and topics. Since one of my duties when I started was forum administration, I was trying hard to shake it up and make our joined members posting. But my reach was limited, since I haven’t played casino games, so I was unable to discuss games and casinos, which should have been central topics on gambling forum. I started examining slots, joining some casinos, even depositing, just to see how it works and to have something to talk about and to ask members about. Meanwhile we recruited another administrator, very experienced player and then another experienced moderator, so the things started heating up and growing. They helped me a lot with their gambling knowledge, great guides and advises to players, so one by one members started posting, sharing and opening up. Today, we are beautiful, friendly community, rich with many useful threads and lovely members. Like a big online family, talking about everything happening in our lives, not only casinos.
EEG: We are sure that your receive daily messages from Affiliate Managers showcasing their products. You of course select them by brands they work with, but what are your thoughts on how Affiliate Manager-Affiliate relationships be built?
Jelena: I always had very kind and friendly attitude to everyone I’ve been working and communicating with, even since I very started being account manager. Usually I received the same attitude in return and I’m very happy this industry and people in it are mostly pleasant, casual and straightaway. No hard feelings or words. I like when affiliate manager treats affiliate like the only one and the most important one, even though they work with hundred different people and affiliate sites. This is the way I’m trying to treat affiliate managers and their affiliate programs as well. Respect, care, prompt responses, professional assistance and kindness in both ways. These people can be great friends too! Being aware I’ll be seeing some of them again, at least on the conferences, makes me happy and looking forward.
EEG: Who is your favourite celebrity?
Jelena: Angelina Jolie. She is the most beautiful creature on Earth, excellent actress and inspiring woman. Sometimes, you might think she’s from another planet, because she’s different, but in very unintentional way – just being herself. Angie = irresistible weirdo!
EEG: Do you attend any igaming conferences? Is so, which one and what is your most fun experience?
Jelena: Yes, 3 times a year (iGB affiliate conferences) and that’s definitely my favourite part of this job. AskGamblers is still the only affiliate having a booth on the conferences and it’s already our tradition. The best ones were in Barcelona for sure! My favourite city! I’m still disappointed they moved it to Berlin this year.
EEG: If you would just open your Youtube search bar, what would you search for?
Jelena: My Youtube tab is always open 🙂 Currently it’s playing Nouvelle Vague playlist.
EEG: Alright, here comes the fun part….favourite food, where would you like to travel in Eastern Europe, some part of the region maybe that you haven’t visited yet and favourite destination around the world. Where you wouldn’t want to travel in Eastern Europe?
Jelena: I love Italian, Thai and Indian food and I prefer it spicy! Traveling is my favourite thing and I’ll gladly go everywhere! In Eastern Europe, I’d mostly love to visit Moscow, Krakow and Kiev, but definitely in the summertime, when all the cities are showing their real beauty and their people are happy! I’ve been in Croatia and Sarajevo (the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) so many times, but I’d always travel back there.
I’ll take this opportunity to invite people reading this to visit my beautiful country Serbia – with unforgettable nightlife, girls, nature and food.
EEG: What is your opinion about EEG (Eastern European Gaming – eegaming.org)?
Jelena: I like the idea of focusing on Eastern Europe, which seems like still undiscovered part of the world regarding gaming, but with great potential. Also, I think there’s not too many sites whose main attention is placed on affiliate programs and iGaming events, so the whole concept is pretty refreshing. “Rascal Earl” and “The Phenomenal Guardian” features especially caught my interest and I find them very witty and original way of affiliate programs division into recommended and not so recommended ones.
Thank you for this opportunity and have a great one!
