eGaming Review June 2014 - 121 | Page 3

F E AT U R E / B I G D ATA ISSUE 121 ISSUE 118 EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] Senior reporter Gerard Starkey T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Andy Roocroft T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Liam Stoker T: [phone] E: [email protected] Head of Content, Pageant Gaming Media Alun Bowden T: [phone] E: [email protected] PRODUCTION Head of production Claudia Honerjager E: [email protected] Art Director, eGR Toni Giddings E: [email protected] Sub-editors Rachel Kurzfield Eleanor Stanley Luke Tuchscherer COMMERCIAL Group commercial manager Sam Compagnoni T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Debbie Robson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Charlie Robson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Director of business information Ben Robinson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Group head of content Gwyn Roberts CEO Charlie Kerr Circulation manager Fay Muddle Content sales T: [phone] E: [email protected] eGaming Review is published monthly by Pageant Media, Thavies Inn House, 3-4 Holborn Circus, London, EC1N 2HA ISSN 1742-2450 Printed by The Manson Group © 2014 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used without the prior permission from the publisher W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M EDITOR'S LETTER T he gambling industry will have a changing of the guard next year with Paddy Power CEO Patrick Kennedy joining William Hill boss Ralph Topping in heading for the exit. It’s the end of an era for both operators, for whom success has become routine in recent years. And with former William Hill Online chief exec Henry Birch taking the reins at Rank this month and Richard Glynn’s position at Ladbrokes still precarious, there is more attention than ever on the sector’s CEOs. Replacing a long-serving boss is a delicate and time-consuming task. Hills has been considering both internal and external candidates this year but appears to be no closer to finding Topping’s successor, while Paddy Power’s mission to replace Kennedy is just beginning. These companies are in good enough shape for a senior appointment not to cause huge disruption, however the egaming world will be watching with great interest as to who gets the job. Some say the firms should look to an experienced online gaming chief to lead them into the future, while others believe talent from outside of gambling is the way to go. But at a time when gambling is coming under increasing scrutiny by European governments, surely a deep understanding of the industry is required? We always like to try to offer a broad view of the sector and this month is no different. Turn to page 44 to find out which markets casino operator Mr Green is planning to enter, and page 39 to get the inside info on Unibet’s long-term growth strategy. Meanwhile, in this month’s cover story (see p24) we take a look at one of the single most important parts of any operator’s business – digital marketing. SEO, a vital component of that strategy, is in a state of flux. Google’s algorithmic changes and more recently its crackdown on ‘manipulative’ link building have created chaos among some operators in the sector. Both bwin.party and William Hill have fallen foul and seen their Google rankings plummet as a result this year, and it’s time for all operators to rethink their strategy. Thankfully, as we explore, alternatives to traditional SEO exist. Branded content marketing, executed so well in other sectors, is fast becoming a crucial tool for egaming firms, and social media marketing even more so. A new age of creative digital marketing is dawning and the fight to lead the way is well and truly on. And this is true from the bottom to the very top of the business. EDITOR Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] 3