Charles Herisson, CEO of Betadvisor, joins the latest series of affiliate interviews on Affiliate Grand Slam

Combining in-depth statistical analysis with an understanding of sports leagues across the world, Charles Herisson and his team at Betadvisor provide great insights. Accepting cryptocurrency payments allows them to offer the expertise to even more clients by removing many of the barriers that have made it challenging to grow internationally in emerging markets – follow his story below.

How did you first get into the affiliate space? And, were you always focused on the Gaming space?

 is not my first business. After I sold my telecommunications company, I decided to invest in my passion. I had been playing rugby in Italy and Australia, so it was a natural step for me to start up a sports-related business. I saw huge potential in sports betting.

What should operators know about Betadvisor? Why should operators choose you? What sets you apart from other affiliates?

We are a proudly international organisation present in many locations around the world, with 1000+ advisors based in every corner of the globe. Our rapid growth is driven by technological innovation and a deep understanding of our clients’ business needs. Betadvisor.com provides cutting-edge solutions and services to professional tipsters, affiliates, and bookmakers.

You have just introduced integration with Crypto on Betadvisor. Tell us more about it.

Over the past few years, crypto has emerged as the next generation of currency thanks to its convenience, cost-effectiveness, and decentralised structure. In December 2020, the total market capitalisation of Bitcoin reached a staggering $358 billion. As a world-leading sports analysis provider, we decided to expand our payment options to include cryptocurrency. The Crypto community is growing fast. We are offering an exceptional 50% discount to mark the launch of our services in cryptocurrencies. Now we can expand our business with many new affiliates and new tipsters who prefer to receive their rewards in crypto. Through a new partnership with crypto e-commerce platform Coinbase, our fans can now purchase coupons from Betadvisor.com in Bitcoin Diamond (BCD), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin (BTC), Dash, Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Zcoin (XZC), and more. Accepting cryptocurrency payments allows us to offer our tipsters’ expertise and affiliates to even more clients by removing many of the barriers that have made it challenging to grow internationally in emerging markets. By paying with cryptocurrency, sports fans around the world will have unprecedented access to Betadvisor’s comprehensive tipster service with lightning-fast transactions that take just minutes to process. Furthermore, thanks to drastically reduced transaction fees, the elimination of currency conversion fees, and freedom from chargebacks, Betadvisor can pass on even more promotions to their customers.

Tell us more about Betadvisor and its different partnerships.

Betadvisor.com provides professional sports information across a range of popular games, including football, horse racing, rugby, tennis, American football, baseball, basketball, cricket, handball, ice hockey, and volleyball. The company offers leading solutions and services to tipsters, punters, media companies, and operators. Betadvisor.com has a proven record of providing exceptional services to its clients. Whether you’re a seasoned stat-loving sports fan that loves analytics, or a passionate tipster, Betadvisor.com has something for you. Combining in-depth statistical analysis with an understanding of sports leagues across the world, our professionals provide great insights, always looking to secure you the bragging rights. Our team has an unrivalled passion for sport and follow its principles in their daily lives, establishing themselves as valued professionals in the fields of information technology, sports, marketing, software development, and beyond. We have had a very long business relationship for ten years with the most important operators. Our oldest and more profitable partnership in the affiliate business is with the Paysafe Group. They lead Skrill Neteller and Income Access. During Covid, we took time to focus on building long-term partnerships. Recently we did a deal with Francesco Maddalena, CEO of Hub Affiliations, a Marketing company which supports operators to help find the most trustworthy casino, betting and Forex affiliates. Thanks to this partnership, we are now onboarding more than 2000 first-ime depositors every month just in the Italian market. Hub Affiliations has given us a lot of opportunities with iGaming operators. We are always looking for new partnerships to leverage our community’s power, and sometimes it is better to have a specialised and trustworthy partner who can support this vital side of the business. Our business model mainly focuses on hybrid and revenue share in the sportsbook, casino, and poker verticals. We are constantly looking at potential new GEOs.

What were your biggest challenges when first starting? What’s been your biggest challenge to date?

The biggest challenge has always been to solve gambling addiction. This problem has no borders. It is present everywhere globally, and therefore has a large-scale impact, regardless of the level of literacy and industrialization of a country. The Betadvisor mission is to coach people to use data to improve their betting performance and to prevent addictive behaviours. For this reason, in our logo, you see “Be safe Be Responsible Be Betadvisor’.

What helps make your performance successful?

The Betadvisor platform has gained a first-mover advantage and encompasses a complete solution for everyone everywhere. Our global presence and our global approach drive our success. We work with bettors, professional punters, tipsters, affiliates, advertisers, and corporations interested in sports in more than 80 countries. The aggregation of sporting statistics immediately allows users to intuitively and insightfully visualise and interpret global sporting data. Betadvisor facilitates the growth of social sports communities and personal knowledge.

Which markets are you eyeing up as a priority and why? Do you see any potential in the emerging markets?

Betadvisor was born in Paris in 2010 and then moved its headquarters to London in 2014. Our origins are in Europe, and we are historically very well positioned in England, Italy, Spain, and France. We are prioritizing our positioning in the North American market. We expect great growth in the affiliate and tipster market, especially in New Jersey, where Betadvisor has taken a license. Emerging market economies are generally fast-growing. At Betadvisor, we believe a closer look at emerging markets reveals unexpected and distinctive characteristics. Emerging markets possess several attractive attributes that we believe may contribute to the strong future growth of the iGaming industry. Despite signs of strength in emerging markets, we believe many affiliate companies are underestimating those markets potentially, missing out on long-term opportunities. With Betadvisor in Africa, we are evaluating a very interesting opportunity. We have secured some strategic partnerships in these markets and are open to new collaborations. Many affiliates ask us to be able to buy our rights or tokens for specific markets. India could be the most interesting market for the resale of Betadvisor rights.

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 considering 2 offers at the moment for both scenarios.

How can affiliates be more unique in their approach?

I think we will see many more affiliates using data in a better way in the future. ‘You can have data without information. But you cannot have information without data.’ In today’s digital world, ‘Data is King’, and for affiliates, data aggregation is the throne. The unique Betadvisor approach is built on the core principle that access to sports data should not be as complicated nor limited as it currently is. Delivery and supply of data is the cornerstone for progression, interconnectivity, and intercommunication within a global sporting ecosystem which will – and this is one of the main goals for Betadvisor – help people to have a better gaming experience.

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

Good affiliates always have a team player attitude, as well as consistency and knowledge. We always look for openness and willingness to learn. Affiliates should be open to new ideas and methods. Like in other digital businesses, it is imperative to be have an innovative and open mind.

Have you ever been to SiGMA? SiGMA Europe, Africa, Asia, or Americas – which of these four expo shows would you likely book in your diary for 2021, COVID-19 permitting?

I have always participated in all the events organised by SiGMA because I find them an irreplaceable business accelerator. I have been a SiGMA speaker on different occasions. At one of the most recent events,  I spoke with Michael Caselli, one of the world’s leading experts on online Gaming, about influencer marketing. I have always appreciated all the team members’ professionalism and the incredible attention to detail. I thank Jessica Walkers and the SiGMA technical staff for the professionalism with which they organised the session with Alessandro Pizzolotto CEO at Stm Gaming this summer for Affiliate Gaming Industry Across Africa. The attendees’ quality has always been excellent, and it was great to see this organization grow into a world-leading company. I can’t wait to talk to the many friends and colleagues we have worked with over the last 10 years at the next SiGMA Europe on April 13th. I will book all the Expos for 2021.

Tell us a bit about yourself – after all, business is done with people, not just companies! Your hobbies, favourite book, favourite quote, whether you are into Gaming yourself, etc.

I have had a passion for sport, mathematics, and sports betting since my childhood. I decided to make my passion my profession. I moved to London, where I started working with some of the most famous sports betting arena professionals. One of my favourite quotes is “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise”. I have personally experienced how this philosophy of life allows us to release unique energies and have access to 100% of our potential. In this challenging time, having the right approach is the key to success.

My favourite book is The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I like the way the author teaches leadership qualities such as wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness at the same time as management skills such as methodology and organizational structure.

I am passionate about innovation, and because of this, I love investing a lot of my time in the study of disruptive projects. I am always very interested in investing in companies that operate in the Blockchain and Crypto World. In my free time, I love spending time with my family. I love dedicating myself to the training and growth of my children. Behind the success of every business, there is a family.

SiGMA Group releases its latest publication:

SiGMA is proud to announce that the 13th edition of SiGMA magazine is now available online . The magazine is packed with quality content, interviews and features coming from four different continents around the world – including Europe, Asia, Africa and LatAm. The magazine will be distributed by post to leading gaming and business companies worldwide. Should you wish to be featured in the next issue please contact Katy Micallef.