We interviewed – Luka Dimitrijevic, Partnerships & Ops leads at Gamblers Connect, an Award Winning iGaming media and affiliate platform, recognized by leading industry organizations such as SiGMA, iGB, SBC, AffPapa many more.
Gamblers Connect has evolved significantly from its origins as a standard affiliate website. Can you share the story behind your transformation into a comprehensive iGaming Medium, and what motivated the decision to expand your identity beyond traditional affiliation?
Gamblers Connect was never intended to stay an affiliate website forever. Affiliation was the backbone that taught us discipline, gave us a deep understanding of player behaviour and operator quality, and showed us how the industry truly works behind the curtain. But we always knew that if we wanted to stay relevant, we had to grow with the industry, not behind it.
One of the moments that sparked this evolution was when we created the Cooperation Article. At that time, nobody in the affiliate space approached content that way. It gave us our first real push into becoming a media platform. It proved that affiliates could be more than just a “traffic source.” We could be educators, storytellers, and contributors to the industry narrative.
But before expanding, we made sure to be exceptional at one thing first: affiliation. Once we built those foundations properly, moving into broader media came naturally.
Today, Gamblers Connect publishes News across 13 different categories, from B2B news and case studies to podcasts, game reviews, educational guides, and responsible gambling content.
And beyond that, we collaborate closely with game providers and B2B companies on a strategic level. This shift was never about abandoning affiliation, but about becoming something bigger than it.
We evolved because the industry evolved, and because our vision was always more than one business model.
What do you believe sets Gamblers Connect apart from other iGaming media and affiliate websites? What would you say is the core DNA or “standard” that defines Gamblers Connect?
Our core DNA comes down to three things: transparency, innovation and consistency.
Transparency because trust matters more than traffic.
Innovation because this industry changes fast and you either adapt or disappear.
Consistency because real credibility is built over years, not months.
These three values shape how we work, what we publish, who we partner with, and how we communicate. It’s not marketing talk. It’s simply how we operate every day.
With the shift to becoming an iGaming Medium, your content strategy must have changed significantly. How do you determine what stories and guides are worth publishing to ensure they bring genuine value to the community, rather than just filling space?
Publishing across more than a dozen segments is not easy. The challenge is not running out of content, but filtering out the noise.
That’s why everything starts with strong partnerships and a strict internal process.
Our PR and media partners bring quality stories to the table, and our editorial team handpicks what genuinely matters. The goal is never to publish for the sake of publishing. Every topic goes through the same question:
“Will this help someone understand the industry better?”
If the answer is no, it doesn’t go live.
We prefer real value over volume, and users feel that.
Your educational guides are known for depth and accuracy. What is the research process behind them? Which guide or topic has had the biggest impact?
Our research process is something we constantly refine. We do have a core structure, but the industry changes too fast to rely on old methods, so we update it often.
We combine public documentation, regulation sources, internal data, industry reports and cross-checking with multiple trusted outlets. And honestly, a lot of it comes from experience and years of talking to operators, game providers, players and support teams.
One important thing we are doing soon is publishing our full Editorial Policies publicly.
It’s part of our promise to transparency. We want users to see exactly how we research, evaluate, and structure every guide, every news, every review that we write.
And unfortunately, not many in this industry are willing to do that.
Gamblers Connect created its own Responsible Gambling Index. What inspired the decision to develop your own system? How does your Index motivate operators to improve their responsible gambling approach?
The Responsible Gambling Index wasn’t created for branding or strategy. It came from necessity.
After years in affiliate marketing, we kept receiving complaints from users about operators: slow payouts, unfair KYC delays, no session limits, no deposit controls and overall poor protection from harmful play. Many casinos simply weren’t taking responsibility seriously.
So our first step was to build the Index specifically for casinos. We took everything we learned from real user experiences and created a 12 point system that highlights the exact tools an operator should have in place to protect players. It allowed us to clearly show which casinos were taking safety seriously and which were cutting corners.
But as we grew deeper into the industry, we realized something important:
We couldn’t just look at the venue, we had to look at the architects. Responsible gambling is equally dependent on the Game Providers.
They are the ones who decide the game mechanics, volatility, features, the intensity of the bonus rounds and the overall pace of play. If a game is designed without responsible principles in mind, the operator can only compensate so much. The foundation has to be built at the source.
That’s why, after launching the Index for casinos, we expanded it to include game providers as well. We wanted to hold the entire ecosystem accountable, not just the final point of contact.
Our internal data was also a major motivator. Almost 37 percent of all casinos we reviewed eventually closed down. That alone showed how urgently players needed clearer guidance and transparent safety standards.
So we made the Index public.
Users can hover over the RGI score on any review and instantly see which protections are present and which are missing. And now, the same visibility applies to game providers.
The Index works because it exposes the gaps. And once those gaps are visible, improvement becomes unavoidable.
Gamblers Connect is an award-winning platform. Which award has been the most meaningful to the team, and why?
Each recognition means something to us. It doesn’t matter if it’s a nomination, a shortlist or a win. They all represent people who believed in us enough to vote, support or nominate the work we do.
These awards validate the long hours, the commitment and the idea that doing things the right way pays off.
I honestly can’t pick one. They all matter.
As Partnerships & Ops Lead, what principles guide your selection of partners in such a competitive market? What does a successful long-term partnership look like for Gamblers Connect?
For me, partnership selection starts with two things: alignment and intention.
I care far less about the size of a company and much more about how they operate. Do they communicate honestly? Do they deliver on what they promise? Do they value long-term collaboration over quick wins? And most importantly, do they treat their players or clients properly? These are the things that matter.
The iGaming industry is massive. There are so many niches, services, models and needs.
That’s exactly why building a close and carefully selected circleis more valuable than having a broad network with no direction. A smaller group of trusted partners who each cover a different area of the industry will always outperform a huge network where nobody really knows each other or what they want.
A successful partnership is one where both sides grow together, respect the process and stay transparent throughout the entire relationship. If someone hides information, cuts corners or focuses only on short-term numbers, the partnership will collapse sooner or later.
I believe in quality over quantity. I’d rather have fewer partners, but know them well, support them properly and build something meaningful over time. Strong, purposeful relationships will always outperform volume.
In business, we often celebrate the deals we close, but sometimes, the most defining moments are the deals we walk away from. Have you ever had to say “no” to a lucrative opportunity because it didn’t align with your personal values? How difficult was that decision?
Yes, once. And honestly, those decisions often shape you more than the deals you close.
One of the reasons we introduced onboarding fees was to filter out partnerships that were never going to work long-term. It protects our time, our reputation and, most importantly, our users.
The reality is that some operators approach partnerships with the wrong mindset. They want quick wins. They want fast traffic. They want to “use” your audience without offering proper value in return. And when you start digging deeper, you notice there are no real Responsible Gambling practices in place. No session limits, no support structure, questionable KYC processes… but there is always a very generous budget attached.
Not a massive CPA Deal.
Not a Hybrid Deal.
But a big fixed fee, paid upfront, meant to make you look the other way.
Those are the moments where you decide who you are as a brand.
Your reputation can take years to build and seconds to lose.
Sometimes the smartest investment is simply saying no.
We are living in the age of AI, where content and communication are becoming increasingly automated. Yet, both Gamblers Connect and Wise Connections keep emphasising the human touch. Is this a deliberate counter-strategy? Do you believe the future of iGaming belongs to those who automate less and personalise more?
AI is important. We use it as well. Even parts of this interview were supported by AI, and that’s completely fine.
The problem is when people let AI replace human thought. When messages sound robotic. When content loses its personality. When people stop thinking for themselves.
Our approach is simple: AI should help you, not replace you.
Everything on Gamblers Connect is researched, edited and written by humans.
But, AI supports us along the way, it helps the Content Team, the Accounts Team, myself and everyone involved, but in the end, the work that gets published is always driven by human judgment, industry understanding and real experience. Nothing replaces that and never will.
And at Wise Connections, every introduction is done manually, with context and intention, because partnerships need a human touch to actually work.
And ironically, while the world gets more automated, networking events keep growing, because people are trying to reconnect on a real level again.
The future belongs to those who use technology wisely, but stay human in communication.
Moving to the B2B side of the business, the agency recently entered a new chapter as Wise Connections, after previously operating as iGaming Wise and Affluck. What was the driving force behind this rebranding, and how does it reflect the evolving needs of your clientele?
Our evolution from Affluck to iGaming Wise and finally Wise Connections mirrors how our responsibilities and network kept expanding.
Affluck was purely consulting.
iGaming Wise added affiliate management.
And eventually, more and more people started coming to us for introductions.
The moment everything clicked for me was during SiGMA in Rome. As I walked the expo, people were telling me straight away what they needed, even before we finished introductions. It felt natural, as if we were already acting as a matchmaking hub.
When we got back, I spoke with our Founder & CEO Gjorgje and said that it’s time to turn what we are already doing into something official.
That’s how Wise Connections was born.
Wise Connections is built on the belief that quality beats quantity, and uses manual introductions rather than generic directories. Why this approach, and how does it ensure better outcomes for B2B companies, affiliates and operators?
Directories are filled with thousands of profiles, but almost no real engagement. People send messages, nobody replies, and everything becomes noise.
We wanted to create the complete opposite.
A small, active circle of professionals who are vetted, responsive and genuinely looking to build partnerships. Every introduction we make is personal and intentional. Both sides know why they are being connected, what the other party is looking for and how the collaboration can benefit both teams.
This approach immediately improves response rates, strengthens retention and leads to partnerships that actually last, instead of short-term conversations that go nowhere.
And honestly, it’s no different from being an affiliate. If you don’t buy traffic, it takes years to build an audience organically.
But once that audience trusts you, the revenue compounds slowly and consistently, just like the S&P 500. It grows over time, safely, steadily and predictably.
The same logic applies to a small quality circle.
You may not start with big numbers, but the relationships compound. The trust compounds. The value compounds. And the results you get in the long run are far greater than anything a massive, unfocused network could ever deliver.
Quality connections don’t just outperform quantity, they create momentum, stability and long term success.
While Wise Connections focuses exclusively on B2B matchmaking and agency services, Gamblers Connect operates as both a B2C and B2B platform. How do you see these two brands working together in the future?
Gamblers Connect is the foundation, and it will always remain both a B2C and B2B platform.
On one side, it serves players through guides, reviews and responsible gambling content. On the other, it operates as a full iGaming Medium for B2B news, insights, case studies and industry coverage. It’s the bridge between the community and the industry.
Wise Connections is the extension. It focuses purely on the B2B side, helping companies find the right partners through curated matchmaking, operational support and hands-on agency services.
One informs the industry.
The other connects it.
Together, they reinforce each other.
We also have several new things we are working on for Gamblers Connect, launching in January, May and December next year. The goal is to take Gamblers Connect to the next level.
In January, we are launching two major initiatives.
One is focused on helping players even more by bringing full transparency into affiliate marketing.
The second, well it’s designed to give a voice to the people in our industry who truly deserve it.
As for what’s coming in May and December… that is something I want to keep a secret for now.
But everything we’re building is aligned with one mission: Improving the iGaming ecosystem with transparency, quality and genuine human relationships.
Both brands will continue growing, but in a way where each strengthens the other, one through content and credibility, the other through connections and partnerships.
