Driving Growth and Innovation: Exclusive Interview with Barb Tasci, Co-Founder and CBO of Revpanda

Welcome to CasinoRIX Interview! Today, we’re thrilled to sit down with Barb Tasci, the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Revpanda, a trailblazer in digital marketing for the iGaming sector. With a hands-on approach, Barb has overseen diverse departments, managing a global team of linguists, steering content creation, and driving innovative marketing strategies. As we delve into the highlights of Revpanda’s impactful 2023, Barb shares insights into industry trends and the company’s ambitious goals for 2024.

Q: Hello Barb, thank you for agreeing to the interview! A few years ago, you had to swap sunny Turkey for Latvia. How did you adjust to the change in weather? 🙂

A: Thank you for the opportunity. Actually, it has been half a decade since the first time I came to Latvia. First time got here in 2018 and have been bouncing here and there ever since. 

Overall, I am a fan of the freshly cold places (mountains, forests, lakes) – and Latvian weather is in the list. You can count it as my guilty pleasure, though. I am aware that it is not welcomed that much 🙂 

Q: Tell us about your career path: where did you start, and how did you reach the position of Chief Business Officer at Revpanda?

A: My background is being a go-getter for years. In my earlier days I was more of a freelancer doing multiple jobs, and one of them was creating English SEO content for local companies in Turkey, from the second biggest airlines of the country to health tourism companies, as well as iGaming affiliates.

However, during the incubation period of Revpanda, when it was just a two man organisation, I was mainly working on content and overall operations of our services, and juggling tasks and projects until we set departments and procedures up.

Once we made sure that positions have been filled up with the best people and the projects are at the right hands, I have switched to my current position where I focus on business & service development, and how we can build better connections and services. 

I believe this is the usual story of every co-founder at any given start-up, being at every stage of the business until things are put into the right place.

Q: In the last few years, Revpanda has grown and expanded its service offerings. Previously, you were mostly focused on content and SEO. Can you provide more details on what you’re currently working on and how you’re achieving growth?

A: We probably work in one of the most competitive online marketing industries. That is why we have to keep working on improving our craft and building niche services. With that vision in mind, we created Payment Method Testing service and the Block Monitor product, which are critically essential for online gambling sites.

In 2023, we introduced our self-order platform app.revpanda.com, where our clients can place orders for their content, backlink, payment method testing, and block monitor needs. In 2024, we aim to have other services like SEO audits, translation and proofreading services to be available on the platform for our clients.

Another venture we started in 2023 is Ace Alliance, aiming high-suite professionals to network with each other through the speed networking concept. Currently, we are working on further development of its services and concepts, as well.

Q: In 2023, there was news of the successful sale of the affiliate site CasinoBee to Sigma Play. Was this project part of Revpanda, or did it have a separate team? Do you have any similar projects, and do you plan to venture further into the affiliate business?

A: Casino Bee was an interesting project we have created and operated for a client, Leetz Media. It started as a 360-SEO management model, in which we designed, developed, and ran the website on behalf of the client, while they only focused on the affiliate business from their end. 

Today, we have a number of projects that are run with this approach. And honestly, it is a go-to solution for many businesses as being competitive in iGaming SEO is quite a challenge, whereas you can acquire industry expertise through a proven agency. 

For the affiliate business, we don’t know what the future holds, yet. But I can say that the sky’s the limit. 🙂 

So far, we have our B2B lead generation services under Ace Alliance, and also a few referral deals with other providers under the name of Revpanda. 

Q: You create content in various languages. Which language is the most challenging to work with, and why?

A: In my opinion, the most challenging languages are the ones that have a huge time difference as it causes communication gaps. However, since we set our language teams and procedures a long time ago, we have more streamlined communications, and it works almost the same with the European languages, as if we are working at the same office.

Q: Has your work changed with the advent of AI, and if so, in what way?

A: So far it came with mild changes, but nothing too dramatic, such as adding an extra layer of protection and checks for plagiarism and AI content. Therefore, I can confidently say that none of our clients left Revpanda because they started to utilise AI for their needs.

Overall, yes, there are dozens of useful tools and platforms that utilise artificial intelligence, but none come close to what real human input we can provide, which is the know-how that is obtained through years of experience. 

Q: You work with different clients. According to your statistics, do you work more with operators, affiliate companies, providers, or others?

A: I’d say the vast majority are operators and affiliates, followed by the providers. However, we also work with companies from other industries, such as tech, AI, marketing, and overall payment industries. 

Q: Share the company’s plans for the next few years.

A: At the moment, our main goals are improving our platform and making it the ultimate one-stop-store for online marketing needs.

Another thing we have in plan is the Revpanda Academy, where we will have educational content for both iGaming professionals and the marketing aficionados. So far, we had a small start into these with our webinar series, and the feedback was quite positive! 

Other than these, we constantly focus on the optimisation of our services and as well as introducing new ones to meet our client’s needs perfectly.

Q: A few personal questions 🙂 How do you manage to live in such a fast-paced environment? With a lot of work, constant travel, conferences, and interactions with partners…

A: By making sure that I have the optimum amount of caffeine in my blood, and I stay hydrated 🙂 

Honestly, I agree that sometimes it can be quite challenging, especially when you have to handle things simultaneously. But overall, I consider it as the presence game – wherever I am, I am there for a reason, so I must be present. That helps me prioritise tasks and put things in order. Also, you have to love what you do and enjoy being there instead of considering it as a burden. 

Other than that, taking care of yourself is quite effective, as it can only be handled by a healthy body & mind. Otherwise, it is inevitable to be in constant fatigue and easily lose your focus. 

Q: Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I try to do a lot of sports, whenever possible. In a normal week, I hit the gym at least 4 times, with some boxing and tennis sessions in between, which I started in the recent years.

Overall, I like doing sports that I am terrible at, having the beginner’s journey where you take one step at a time, and enjoy the gradual improvement you observe on yourself. Doing so reminds me of being patient and remaining focused on my craft to succeed. Also, I heard that it cures Alzheimer – didn’t fact check, though.

Very recently, I started skiing, which I think is an excellent escape from daily life. 

On the other hand, I like reading overall, regardless of the topic. As far as it has good references, I can take a look into it. I also keep a tiny journal, which I consult from time to time.

Q: What do you prefer more: playing in a casino or sports betting? And what’s your biggest win? 🙂

A: I like them both, to be honest. But I fancy a few rounds of blackjack or poker at a good company more than others, as it is interactive and open for nice conversations. 

Other than that, I enjoy placing bets on the games that I personally watch at the stadium. A little more spice on top of the excitement never hurts 🙂 

My biggest win – well, I’m not a high roller, so it must be just a few hundred euros.