From the "wild west" days of online sports betting to today's heavily regulated landscape, few have witnessed the industry's transformation like Dimitry Voelkle. Host of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone is joined by Dimitry, Founder of Zelda Consulting and one of the original architects behind Tipico, Germany's first major sportsbook.

In this fascinating episode, Dimitry shares hard-won insights on building trust-based partnerships that survive decades of industry upheaval, revealing why the fundamentals of relationship building matter now more than ever.

Talking points include:

• How to build lasting trust with partners when starting with nothing - including Dimitry's bold approach to securing enterprise deals.
• Why treating failure as "death by a thousand cuts" creates stronger partnerships than avoiding mistakes altogether.
• The evolution from unregulated "wild west" betting to today's compliance-heavy environment and what it means for affiliate relationships.

Listen to find out more about:

• The four pillars of partnership trust and how to implement them systematically in your affiliate program, from creating feedback loops to thinking beyond short-term commercial gains.
• Why affiliate managers "own" relationships and what this means for operator retention strategies, including how to protect your business when key relationship holders leave your company.
• How the shift from 20-person industry events to 8,000-attendee conferences changes relationship dynamics and why the personal touch becomes even more valuable in crowded markets.

Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:

[05:40] The “wild west” origins of online sports betting and what operators could offer in the early 2000s before regulation changed everything

[24:00] Handling million-dollar mistakes: When decimal point errors go wrong and trust gets tested in high-pressure situations.

[33:20] Why partnership skills become more crucial as competition intensifies.

Our thanks go to Mate Affiliates as this season's sponsor. Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.

Send me a text with your questions