Projects & Ventures

Beyond my day role as a data engineer, I explore the iGaming space from the other side — building and experimenting with my own affiliate projects. The goal isn't (yet) to build a business empire. It's to develop a hands-on understanding of how the industry works beyond the data pipeline: acquisition, content, positioning, and what actually drives player behaviour.

iGaming Affiliate Experiments

I'm currently building a small portfolio of affiliate sites focused on the crypto casino niche. These are early-stage, experimental projects where I test ideas, learn by doing, and sharpen skills that complement my data engineering background.

What I'm exploring:

Competitive Intelligence & Market Research I've been developing systematic approaches to tracking how crypto casinos position themselves — bonus structures, game provider partnerships, regulatory positioning, and where the gaps are in a crowded market. The process of building these frameworks has taught me more about iGaming strategy than any report could.

Player Acquisition & Conversion Thinking Even at a small scale, running an affiliate site forces you to think about the full funnel: who's searching, what they care about, which content converts, and what "value" actually means to different player segments. It's a different lens than building the data infrastructure behind these decisions — and a useful one.

SEO & Content Strategy I'm learning to build content strategies around search intent, topical authority, and keyword opportunity analysis in a competitive vertical. It's an iterative process — testing what ranks, understanding why, and developing frameworks I can repeat.

Crypto & Web3 Gambling Niche The intersection of crypto and online gambling is fast-moving and under-explored from a content perspective. I research emerging platforms, analyse provably fair models and tokenomics, and try to make sense of a space where trust, transparency, and regulation are still being figured out.

Technical Stack & Self-Hosting I keep costs low and learning high by self-hosting with Coolify, automating where I can, and treating the infrastructure the same way I would a professional project — observable, reliable, and easy to iterate on.

Why I Do This

I'm not pretending these are established businesses. They're experiments — and that's the point. Running them gives me:

  • A first-hand view of how data platforms translate into real operator and affiliate decisions
  • Hands-on experience with acquisition, SEO, and content — areas most data engineers never touch
  • A testing ground for competitive intelligence methods I can apply professionally
  • A deeper understanding of the iGaming value chain, from infrastructure to end user

The combination of building data systems professionally and operating in the market independently is what I think makes my perspective different.

Want to talk about iGaming, data strategy, or building things on the side? Find me on LinkedIn.