This time our CEO Vasilii had a cosy chat with an old acquaintance, the CEO of Media 24, Martins Lasmanis. The full interview can be found on our YT blog, as always, and here are the best bits for those of you who enjoy reading.
Martins Lasmanis, CEO of Media 24
- Experience: 16+ years in SEO and affiliate marketing
- Specialty: iGaming websites with a focus on casino review platforms
- Interests: Crypto investing, surfing, sustainable startups, and family travel
- Philosophy: Build something once and make it work for years
In this exclusive conversation, Martins reveals how a €90K content gamble saved his business, why 20% of affiliate earnings vanish to scams, and how to lead an empire without losing family time.
From Fish Factory to Web Entrepreneur
Martins didn’t grow up with VC funding or affiliate mentors. His first job paid €100 per month working at a fish factory at age 12. By his late teens, he was building scrappy websites, monetizing with AdSense, and selling freelance gigs. With no blueprints, just trial, error, and a clear goal: own something that scales. Those early ventures laid the foundation for what would later become his first digital marketing agency. Eventually, he found iGaming. Combining his technical SEO skills with a knack for spotting profitable opportunities, he began building affiliate sites. Fast-forward: Media 24 now runs multiple casino affiliate sites across various GEOs. All fully bootstrapped and profitable.
Media 24: Building a Business From the Ground Up
Launching Media 24 wasn’t without its risks. Martins launched Media 24 with personal savings and revenue from previous projects. And the first two years, they ran at a loss, because SEO isn’t an instant win. But when it clicks, it scales.
Today, Media 24 is cashflow-positive and aggressive. But that wouldn’t have happened without eating dirt early on. Even today, content creation is the company’s single largest expense, sometimes hitting €90,000 per month. Yet, Martins sees this as an investment rather than a cost, because good content is the foundation of any successful affiliate site.
He also notes that starting small is still possible. You can build your first site for €5K–10K, it’s possible if you do the content writing yourself. Just stop expecting instant payouts.
When asked if he plans to leave SEO anytime soon, Martins is clear: he isn’t looking to exit, sell, or jump ship anytime soon. Media 24 remains the priority, with a focus on scaling, optimizing current assets, and possibly expanding into new verticals when the time’s right. The key isn’t diversification for its own sake, it’s picking your shots and knowing when you’ve earned the right to go wider.
The Challenge of Casino Content
Let’s get this straight: SEO is no piece of cake, but casino SEO is a whole different beast. Unlike sports betting, where you can farm traffic on live events that give you something new to talk about every day, casino content has to hit differently. Casinos are static, and that means evergreen content has to be 10x better and deeper. Reviews can’t be lazy, because you’re not going to update them weekly.
This philosophy shapes Media 24’s approach. Rather than pumping out generic reviews, the team is focused on building what Martins calls a “really good review website.” The goal is to provide content that remains valuable long after it’s published: deep-dive breakdowns, updated bonus comparisons, and data-driven recommendations. Not the fastest way to rank, but one of the few ways to stay ranked long-term.
Case study: Google Drops the Hammer in 2024
Picture this: it’s Q4, you’ve built up a high-performing casino affiliate business. And then Google’s update wipes out 30% of your traffic overnight. There were no warnings. You have no fixes. And all your rankings are gone.
At such moments, most people slash budgets. Martins doubled down and spent €90K on content in a single push. Because if you wait for Google to forgive you, you’re already dead. That’s not a quote from a gambler — it’s from someone who’s played the long game, bet on fundamentals, and turned content into compounding ROI. And it’s about smart strategy and investing in quality work.
Why SEO Still Beats Everything Else
Martins has been doing SEO for 16 years, and still loves it. Because it pays you back long after the work is done. Paid traffic turns off the second you stop paying. Social is great until the algorithm changes. But with SEO, you build something once, and it keeps working. It’s also a lifestyle. Martins travels to conferences, connects with operators and affiliates, and gets the freedom that paid media just doesn’t offer. He notes that the SEO community is unique, and everyone can be both a competitor and a collaborator.
When Promoting Internally Goes Wrong
iGaming’s growing fast, but growth without guardrails is a recipe for disaster. Martins has seen it happen too many times: teams promote from within, slap a title on someone with zero real-world marketing expertise, and then hand them a six-figure budget. What could go wrong? Operators dump cash into acquisition channels without KPIs, tracking, or even a basic sanity check. They “optimize” based on gut feeling and then wonder where the margins went. If you’re not manually checking performance or running proper attribution, you’re basically lighting money on fire.
It’s especially dangerous when working with affiliate networks that are built to move fast and not always with full transparency. This lack of oversight can cascade, resulting in inefficient spending and an unclear understanding of what’s truly driving growth. That’s not growth — it’s chaos in a suit.
Fraud, Black-hat Tactics, and Long-Term Strategy Battles
Let’s be clear: iGaming SEO isn’t white and fluffy, it never has been. Martins has no illusions about the niche. We’ve had it all — fraud, scams, fake bonuses, hijacked redirects. And if you’re not watching your back, you’ll end up sending your hard-earned traffic to someone else’s wallet.
One troubling trend Martin mentions is the rise of black-hat SEO and AI-generated content, which can quickly flood the market with low-quality material. It ranks, but only for a while. Google’s not stupid, and eventually those pages tank, and the “SEO expert” who sold you the dream is already running another burner site.
Martin also touches on the use of parasite SEO, slapping casino content on a high-DR unrelated site to piggyback on their authority and fast-track rankings. While effective in the short run, he warns this method lacks the stability: you don’t own it, you can’t control it, and when it crashes, you’re back to zero.
Ultimately, Martin advocates for a long-term SEO strategy focused on quality content and solid foundations rather than quick wins. Provide real content, real structure, and real value. That’s how you build something that doesn’t collapse every time Google sneezes.
A Financial Philosophy Built on Growth
Today, Martins’ income mainly comes from his salary as CEO, but he’s increasingly shifting toward dividend-based wealth growth. Most of Martins’ monthly spend goes to one thing: family. He’s married and a father of three. It’s about travel, experiences, and memories. No flashy cars. No overhyped real estate. Martins makes careful decisions that buy him time, presence, and headspace. Martins isn’t someone who spends recklessly, but he does reward himself with meaningful purchases. For example, he owns a Rolex watch, purchased to celebrate his first dividend payout. For Martins, it’s symbolic and represents a milestone rather than luxury for luxury’s sake.
While SEO is his main focus, Martins isn’t shy about exploring other avenues. One of his recent investments is a startup aimed at reducing plastic waste. His investment portfolio also includes cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with a selection of stocks. However, he’s not the type to obsess over charts or check prices daily.
Notably, Martins manages all of his finances himself. He doesn’t have a financial advisor because he prefers to understand where every euro goes. It’s about control and learning from every win and every mistake.
Final Thoughts
Martins started with €100 a month from a fish factory. And now he runs one of the leanest, sharpest iGaming affiliate businesses in Europe. It’s not just a story of survival. It’s about building smart and spending even smarter. Also, his story is more than just about iGaming or affiliate marketing success, it’s about building a life that balances professional ambition with personal fulfilment.
Want More From Martins? Follow him on LinkedIn, subscribe to Media 24’s updates. And we’ll be back to spill more marketing tea.
