“Overall, the Scandic market is notoriously competitive. However, each market within Scandinavia is different — and that’s why it’s dangerous to lump all of them together.” We caught up with Marc Frank Pedersen, Director of Business Development at .

Hello, how are you?

Hello Marius, I am quite well.

How did you come to enter the online gaming space and set up your company?

Our two co-founders started as two casino bonus hunters trying to find the web’s best casino bonuses. Their goal to leverage the bonus systems led them to sharing their knowledge with others, and that’s how Better Collective was born.

In 2006, our co-founders Jesper Søgaard and Christian Dam Rasmussen took over bettingexpert.com, and have grown the product to the popular tipster platform that it is today.

Since then, Better Collective has grown to be an affiliate organization that was developed by punters, for punters.

Can you tell us a little about how your company business is structured?

Well, the majority of our business is based in Copenhagen, but we work with a global network of freelancers so that we can cater to as many users as possible around the world. And we have also been actively setting up a few offices around Europe. 

With the recent wave of consolidation, mergers and acquisitions of affiliate sites, are you surprised at all of the changes happening in the industry?

I am definitely not surprised, if anything I feel encouraged. There has been an incredible progression in this industry over the past few years, and the market is maturing and becoming more professional. It was natural for it to move in the direction that we are currently seeing.

A number of your competitors have gone down the real money operator route, and tried their hand at white labels. Have you also done this?

No we have not. Instead, Better Collective decided to stick to, and improve, its core business practices in order to generate value. We simply believe we are better at affiliation that operation.

Developing unique content is a key pillar of your strategy. What will be your primary focus on this front over the next 6 months?

Our diverse portfolio of products are all aimed at providing users with knowledge and tools for their betting experience. We are currently focusing on our M&A strategy becoming a source for acquiring new forms of content that aligns themselves with our core value of empowering iGamers. Additionally, we are continuously improving our existing products and content so that we remain as the leaders of user centered affiliate products.

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

Our core markets remain the UK, German speaking, Scandinavian, and Southern European markets. Of course we always have an eye on emerging markets, and are continuously analyzing trends to see where we should move next.

How do you find Scandic market and competition?

Overall, the Scandic market is notoriously competitive. However, each market within Scandinavia is different — and that’s why it’s dangerous to lump all of them together. When you analyse each market individually, the competition becomes easier to handle.

How have Google’s algorithm updates affected the way you go about traffic generation, SEO and content at Better Collective?

Of course Google’s updates have some minor impact on our sites, but we have not had any real issues to date. As long as we adhere to creating the high quality and user centric content that we have been doing so far, algorithm updates remain a non-issue.

And are there any exciting plans in the works that you can tell us about?

Our current focus lies with our M&A strategy. We’ve already been making moves in the industry, and we will be sure to update SiGMA of everything along the way.

What is the main thing that you’d like SiGMA readers to know about your sites?

First of all, we’d like for all SiGMA readers to take a look at our sites. What they will notice is how diverse all the products and platforms are—yet they all share our succinct core value. They all provide transparent and high quality educational content and tools that help our users feel confident in the bets they place.

What challenges and opportunities has the move to mobile presented you with?

A great opportunity that’s resulted from the move to mobile is the increased amount of time we now have access to our users. The challenge only lies in creating UX that is second to none so that our users will spend their time with us.

What do you see as the biggest challenges ahead for your Better Collective and the wider affiliate sector in 2017?

With the shift towards consolidation within our industry, the main challenge lies in the integration and expansion of the companies involved.

What two pieces of advice would you give to any new affiliate starting today?

1.Focus on your niche—find out what you’re good at, and own it.

2.Build solid infrastructure that collects the data that is relevant to you—learn and grow from that data.

Do you play slots and what would you do with 1 million Euro from jackpot winnings?

I’m not much of a slot guy myself, except for the occasional game of Wheel of Fortune in Vegas. If I’d win, I’d invest them in Better Collective

Are you ready for ?

Yes, I am ready for SiGMA17. I was really impressed with last year’s events and how much they have developed over the years. The collective of people who attended were great, and the event itself was organized very well.