Reel Island are a very new up and coming casino run by a respected group of industry veterans. We have been impressed with what we have seen so far so we decided to catch up with Roveina Mitchell for an interview.
Welcome Roveina, thanks for talking to us. Could you first of all tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into the casino industry?
> Hi Matt, no worries and thanks for the invitation.
I’m originally from and currently live in the UK, it really is a great place to be when involved in this industry. I’m also very much into well-being, so I go to the gym and do yoga on a regular basis.
I’m a Law graduate and I loved learning about something that has such a huge impact on daily life. But it’s a very rigid industry so I was drawn to marketing due to the creativity and the ever changing environment.
I was sent for an interview to be an affiliate manager by a recruitment agency, so it’s not a very exciting story unfortunately. I had very little idea of what was involved at the time but nevertheless I liked the sound of the role and after my first interview I was offered the job. The role was primarily affiliate management but I also had a lot to do with different marketing channels and branding which I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from.
I’ve been involved in the gambling industry for nearly 4 years now. I started my career in bingo and then I moved into slots and casino, which I love as there’s something new being released all the time.
You are working as an affiliate manager now. What does a normal working day entail for you?
> On a daily basis I recruit affiliates and maintain their accounts, it’s important to know what works well on their site. I also analyse data to ensure user journeys are streamlined.
One of my favourite tasks is to draw up briefs for our marketing materials, this is an ongoing process. We continually strive for improvement and always have our players in mind.
How long has Reel Island been up and running and can you tell us a little bit about the foundations and what inspired the name and branding?
> Reel Island has been up and running for just over 8 months now, time really has flown it feels like it was only yesterday when we first launched the casino.
Reel Island has a very clear mission which is:
“To provide the best player experience through service, innovation and entertainment.”
This is what formed the foundation of the brand as well as the on-going philosophy. We continually strive for excellence on a daily basis which is practiced by every member of our team.
Form these elements we created a brand which players would love to visit time and time again.
We wanted the name to be that of a place and Reel Island was born. Reel Island is a fun, safe and secure place to play which is why we designed a site beaming with vibrancy and energy.
What does Reel Island hope to achieve and what do you think will make your casino stand out from the crowd?
> We hope to achieve what we set out in our mission statement. We also aim to keep the wants and needs of players in mind.
Reel Island has over 450 slots and casino games, including famous names such as Starburst, Twin Spin, Gonzos Quest, Guns N Roses and Mega Fortune. We also have Blackjack, Roulette, Live Dealer casino games, scratch cards, bingo and Virtual Sports.
We offer a wide variety of slots and games so players can play anything they want with us.
Our promotions are second to none, we have so many running on a weekly basis such as the ‘Blues Buster’ or ‘Mystery Bonus’ and whenever a new slot is released we add another promotion. We don’t believe in only offering new players something but to offer our existing players something too. We know our players are people and not numbers so we try very hard to keep our players entertained and happy.
Our casino has a fun, fresh, friendly and thoughtful feel. Reel Island is definitely one of, if not the best looking site out there and we believe these factors make us stand out from the crowd.
We have seen pretty much all casinos implement a max bet rule when playing with a bonus as well as often very vague spirit of the bonus terms. But Reel Island have very clearly listed bonus terms and conditions. Is this something that happened by accident or are you trying to make a statement about transparency?
> Thanks for noticing and it was definitely intentional. Transparency and easy to digest information are factors to help players. To us, it makes no sense to have terms in place if no one can decipher the meaning of them, it becomes confusing and frustrating for everyone not to mention deeply unfair.
When playing at another casino once, I thought the bonus terms mean one thing but in actual fact they meant another. I had won a fair bit on Starburst and was really excited to withdraw as I was convinced I had gone through the wagering requirements. But when I went to withdraw my winnings I couldn’t. I then spoke to customer service and they explained the terms clearer, but I was so annoyed, had I understood the bonus terms I would never have opted for the bonus. I had to play some more and ended up losing everything, it just sucked the fun out of playing for me and I haven’t returned since. I really never want a player at Reel Island to go through such annoyance, frustration and disappointment. And I’m happy to say the Reel Island player feedback has been positive and happy which really makes me feel proud to be apart of such a great brand.
Overall, by having transparent bonus terms players are fully informed and are happier playing with us, that’s our aim.
Are there any plans to launch any other slot brands in the future to add to the current collection?
> Not at this point in time. We believe it’s important to grow Reel island to it’s fullest potential. Not only in regards to the brand but for the players too. We don’t want to create any ‘crash and burn’ sites.
Do you gamble at all yourself and if so what do you play?
> Yes I do. NetEnt slots are my favourite, the graphics, animations and gameplay are just incredible. My favourite slot games are Reel Rush, Koi Princess and Aloha: Cluster Pays. I also really enjoy playing Roulette, I’m pretty good at it (lucky) but I’m not quite brave enough to bet anything big.
And finally where do you see Roveina and Reel Island casino in a couple of years time?
> I will most certainly be working with Reel Island casino. I’ve been apart of the brand since the set up and know it inside out. It’s such a fun and unique casino, players love us and there really isn’t another like it.
Reel Island will be the most popular and biggest online casino in the world. We have a strong team and we are continuously striving to become the best we can be. We have our players needs and wants in mind and we are happy to grow with our players too.
Thank you very much for talking to us Roveina, we wish you all the very best and good luck with Reel Island!