I call myself an iGaming writer. However, when I first started freelancing, I used the term copywriter. But they’re not the same thing.

At first, I didn’t know the difference. I don’t mind admitting it. Now that I do, I see lots of people on LinkedIn making the same mistake.

So, what’s the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?

Copy or Content?

A copywriter is more of a salesperson than a regular content writer. The idea is to use words to capture people’s attention, trigger emotions and provoke their imagination. Ultimately, the intention is to convert a reader into a paying customer.

But you write casino reviews for iGaming affiliates. You’re selling a product. Isn’t that copywriting?

No, it isn’t.

When I write a casino review, I write an objective piece of text that lays out the negatives as well as the positives. Even if your client asks you for an insanely biased review, you’re still producing content, not sales copy.

What is Sales Copy?

I’m no expert in copywriting, so if you are, please forgive my clunky definition. But in my mind, copywriting is about producing short, sharp messages that urge a potential customer to act. It’s purely sales-driven and it addresses a specific need, often in an emotionally engaging way.

Content is more of an umbrella term. A piece of sales copy could certainly be described as “content”, but not all content is “copy”.

Content Builds Trust

As an iGaming writer, I produce lots of content that aims to build long-term trust with readers. Hence the importance of honesty when reviewing a gambling site like a casino or sportsbook.

Whether it’s a blog post, an ebook or text for a corporate website, the mission is usually to inform. These are the rules of Pot Limit Omaha. This is how to play blackjack optimally. These are our company’s values.

Sure, the client’s overall goal might be to drive readers towards opening a new casino account, or signing up to play online poker. But the purpose of my iGaming content is not usually to provoke someone into taking immediate action.

And that’s why you should call me a gambling writer, a content creator or anything other than a copywriter.

Overthinking. The art of creating problems that don’t actually exist. It’s certainly a problem I’ve struggled with in the past. Luckily, I had no such issues when creating my first portfolio as a freelance iGaming writer.

Just look at it. It’s awful.

But here’s the thing: nobody cares.

Your Portfolio Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect

I wrote about this recently in a LinkedIn post, jokingly entitled How to Create the Perfect Portfolio.

If you’re a new writer, you need a portfolio. But it doesn’t have to look great.

People spend far too much time worrying about what other people will think. They want everything to look and feel perfect. So, instead of just putting themselves out there, they do nothing. This isn’t good.

Something Beats Nothing

You don’t have to spend time and money on a pretty website. Prospective clients only need to see that you can write. They’re not looking for graphic designers. They’ll view the portfolio once, maybe twice, then it’ll be erased from their memories.

By putting out my ugly portfolio, thrown together in a simple Google Doc, I was able to acquire my first clients as a gambling writer. Once I’d earned a little money, I could then invest in a website and put together a proper portfolio.

Mind you, the showcase on my website is still pretty ugly. Something to add to my to-do list, I think.

---

What About Ghostwriting Portfolios?

After publishing that LinkedIn post, a fellow iGaming writer contacted me privately with a related dilemma.

He’s published more than 500 articles, but none with a byline. Everything he’s done has been as a ghostwriter. He was putting off making a portfolio for a long time, because he wasn’t sure how to approach it, and asked for my advice.

Just Do It – It’ll Be Fine

Well, from my experience, this is common in the world of gambling affiliates. You’re often ghostwriting, but without an official discussion ever taking place around who owns the work.

I see it like this. Unless you signed some kind of agreement that says you can’t claim credit for the work, there’s no harm linking to it in your portfolio.

If you want to be extra careful, ask the owner if it’s okay first. I can’t imagine too many cases where the client would say no. It’s been three-and-a-half years since I turned freelance, and nobody’s ever resisted when I’ve asked.

Your main issue is whether or not the prospective client will believe that you really wrote the articles, since there’s no credit. Well, if they don’t trust you, I’m not sure that’s a good platform on which to build a new working relationship anyway. Don’t lose any sleep over it.

Besides, if you really did write it, you’ll have no problem sending the original Word or Google doc to prove it.

Be like Nike. Just do it.

I support the creation of a European “Super League”. There, I said it.

This is not a popular viewpoint, I know. But I’ve thought about this for a long time and I’m in favour. The current system is broken and I can’t see how it can ever be fixed. Not without a major shake-up, anyway, comparable to that which took place when the Premier League broke away from the rest of the pyramid.

Before I get into why I feel this way, allow me to lay my cards on the table. I’m a Sheffield United supporter of 33 years. Even though I left for the Philippines in 2016, I still manage to get to around five to ten games a season, home and away.

I realise everyone will now claim “sour grapes” because, at the moment, we’re shit. But I can assure you, I came to this conclusion last season, during one of my most enjoyable seasons as a supporter. I was able to watch a generational talent, the best I’ve ever seen pull on the red and white strips, as we brushed aside pretty much every team in the league with ease. 

When I Were a Lad…

I don’t want to sound like a boring old man, even though I am a boring old man, and claim that “things were better in my day”. But they were. Big teams like Liverpool had a stranglehold on the title, but many other teams were still in with a shout. The year I was born, Liverpool won the league, but Watford – Watford – finished second. Spurs won the FA Cup, beating QPR in the final. 

The first season I attended a game, Arsenal won the title, but Crystal Palace finished third. Coventry and Wimbledon lifted the FA Cup in 1987 and 1988. In my first campaign as a fully-fledged fan, the unmentionables from across the city finished third and qualified for Europe. Blackburn won the league in 1995.

What’s my point here? Well, none of those teams I’ve mentioned can even dream of cracking the top six these days. It’s literally impossible.

The Impossible Dream

I know someone will mention Leicester, but let’s be real. A billionaire bought them, they had one season of glory and now they’re in the Championship, despite banking Champions League moolah. So how sustainable was that? Yeah, it wasn’t. And that’s the absolute best you can hope for nowadays.

I don’t enjoy Premier League football any longer. I really don’t. Some of this might be due to my age. I’m 41 now, so you could rightly say that maybe I should have grown out of supporting a football team by now. But at the moment, it all just feels like “what’s the point?”

We all want our teams to go as far as possible and win every game. Of course I’ll be cheering every kick next season in the Championship, hoping we can win the league. But I would love it, Kevin Keegan-style, if we could win the league and then say “no thanks, we’ll stay here and defend our title”. 

I don’t want to be back in that joyless, uncompetitive league where, even if we spent one billion pounds, we’d still be unable to challenge Manchester City. Or even Tottenham. 

Real Football

Football in the Championship still gives me that buzz. I love going to games, reconnecting with my old mates, having a beer with my dad and all of the social stuff. You can still celebrate a goal earnestly, without fear of the pedants at Stockley Park getting their microscopes out and engineering a way to piss on your chips. That’s what football should really be about, and I love all of that.

But in the Premier League, it’s just crap. It’s sterile, it’s joyless and it’s a product that’s designed for Kwame in Accra, Faisal in Qatar and Ahmad in Kuala Lumpur. VAR is awful, there’s an undeniable bias towards the bigger teams and the best you can hope for upon promotion is to become the next Crystal Palace, finishing 10th every season. Whoop-de-doo.

This season, everyone is waxing lyrical about plucky old Luton. And you know what, I have no beef with Luton, I quite like them. The entire team there is doing an incredible job and I hope they stay up. But they won’t. And they’ve won five games. Five. From a total of 29. That’s crap. I’m sick of everyone going on about how “competitive” they’ve been, when they haven’t.

And don’t get me started on Burnley. For all this talk of “Sheffield United are the worst team ever”, media darling Vincent Kompany has earned a massive haul of 17 points. That’s three more than the Blades, who’ve played a game less. It’s laughable. 

Haves and Have-Nots

Anyway, back to my point, which is not to fight with Burnley and Luton. We’re all in the same boat. We all came up together, and we’ll go back down together. Last season, Leicester, Leeds and Southampton went down, and there’s a really, really good chance that all three go straight back up. Leeds and Leicester are currently joint-top of the Championship table, with Southampton comfortably in the play-off spots.

The gap between the Premier League and the second tier is as wide as it’s ever been, and it’s only heading in one direction. All three sides that win promotion this season will target survival. None of them will be anywhere near the top six, which is a league within a league. Why? Because there’s too much money at the summit, plus the rules are stacked in favour of the big boys.

Financial “Fair” Play

Nottingham Forest went up and spent a fortune just to stay up. Their reward for that was a points deduction, for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Yet we have Manchester City facing over a hundred charges from years ago and nothing is done. 

How is a team ever supposed to compete if it’s not allowed to spend money upon promotion? Especially while others flagrantly flaunt the league’s own laws with impunity. The whole system is broken, rigged in favour of the biggest teams, and clubs like Sheffield United have no way of ever breaking in. 

Which is why I say let them go. Get rid of them.

Go On Now Go

If Sheffield United won the FA Cup, would that experience be tarnished knowing that Manchester City and Liverpool didn’t take part? Absolutely not. I’d celebrate wildly, finally getting to see my team lift a major trophy. I’d be on the first flight over to London to make sure I was part of the occasion.

I think it would be great if the big teams got what they wanted. Let them go off to their boring little European Super League to play Barcelona four times a season so the armchair fans around the world can spaff in their pants about Haaland and Mbappe. But wouldn’t there be less money for the Premier League? Almost certainly, and I think that would be wonderful.

Maybe we’d see Watford finishing second again, with QPR in a cup final. I’d love it, honestly. Return football to the real supporters and take it out of the hands of the suits. Give it back to the families who pay thousands of pounds every year for season tickets and associated travel costs. 

What’s the Alternative?

I don’t see any other way to get a handle on the finances which are spiralling out of control. You can’t impose a salary cap, because the best players would leave for other leagues. You’d have to apply it to the whole of Europe, which will never happen. But even then, they’d all bugger off to Saudi Arabia.

You can’t have any sort of a draft system, like in US sports, since academies just don’t work like that. There’s no way to implement a transfer limit, because then you wouldn’t have a free market. We all know how well-run communist economies are, amirite? 

So what’s the answer? How do you stop teams owned by insanely wealthy individuals and, in some cases, Emirates — essentially small countries — from spending billions and rendering the league uncompetitive? I honestly don’t think there is one. And the Premier League, and therefore the English football pyramid, is suffering as a result.

If You Love Them, Let Them Go

Let them go. Seriously, let them have their Super League. If they do it properly, with some sort of promotion and relegation system, it could work really well. But even if it’s a closed shop, I honestly don’t care. 

If West Ham win the inaugural Premier League MKII title, do you think they’ll be sad they didn’t get to be battered 6-0 by Arsenal along the way? Do me a favour.

Dominic Field is a freelance gambling writer. Check out his portfolio of iGaming content here.

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day this week, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on Irish-themed slots. After all, they are undoubtedly some of the most popular casino games — from the perspective of the software developers, at least. 

In an already saturated market, no fewer than 40 such titles were released between March 17th 2023 and this year’s celebrations. Begorra, that’s a lot o’slots to be sure, to be sure. Ahem.

Who Is Actually Playing Irish Slots?

The thing is though, I’ve been around gambling my entire adult life, and I’ve never known anyone who actually enjoys Irish slots. I certainly don’t play them.

Well, as a gambling writer, I sometimes have to, in order to review them. And I can tell you, they’re always packed full of stereotypes, they often have terrible RTPs and frankly, they all look the same. 

I think I dabbled with the original Rainbow Riches back when I was a deputy manager in a William Hill shop. In demo mode, mind you. But let’s face it — Rocky was far superior anyway!

Even though I produce dozens of slot reviews every month, I can only remember working on one Irish-themed game in the past three years. They just all blend into a giant green mass in my mind. 

For reference, that particular slot was Pot O’Gold by Wizard Games, which does at least try to be a little different. It offers three different bonus games, which genuinely makes a nice change from the standard free spins features.

Don’t Knock It Until You’ve Tried It

Still, you know what they say. Maybe I’m in the minority here. Perhaps I’ve been too harsh and these games are actually quite good? So, with Saint Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d try out a few of the Irish-themed slots released in the past 12 months. 

Honestly, most of them were complete trash and I stand by my opinion. However, there were a couple that I quite enjoyed. Here are my favourites.

Shamrock Saints (Push Gaming)

Reels x Rows	5 x 4
Paylines	20
RTP	96.30%
Volatility	Medium-High
Maximum Payout	10,000x
Release Date	March 2024

I do like Push Gaming slots, generally speaking. Jammin’ Jars is obviously a classic, but the Fat series was enjoyable too. Their games often feature really high potential payouts, so the 10,000x maximum win in Shamrock Saints is actually comparatively low. However, the 96.30% RTP is decent for a game that’s inspired by the Emerald Isle.

That’s probably because this isn’t your typical Irish slot. Sure, it stars a bunch of Leprechauns and yes, it’s set in a pub. But there are no rainbows or pots of gold here. Nor will you hear the standard “diddly-dee” of fiddles as you spin the reels. Instead, this 5×4 slot is actually quite dark.

I think that’s the main reason I enjoyed playing it. I’ve already bemoaned the fact that Irish slots are all the same, but this one really switched things up. To be honest, if it weren’t for the Leprechauns, you likely wouldn’t even call it an Irish slot. Either way, it’s certainly entertaining, with its mystery symbols and increasing multipliers.

Hiding Clovers (Triple Cherry)

Reels x Rows	6 x 3-10
Paylines	Up to 1,000,000
RTP	96.35%
Volatility	Medium
Maximum Payout	7,703.5x
Release Date	February 2024

We’re back on familiar turf with Hiding Clovers by Triple Cherry. Lucky horseshoes, mugs of frothing beer and green, shamrock-studded outfits adorn the reels grid, which starts out with three rows but expands to 6×10. I can’t say that I’m massively familiar with this particular studio, but I actually did enjoy playing this game. 

Although the RTP is abysmal at some sites, plumbing depths as low as 88.15%, it’s pretty entertaining if you can find a better-paying version. In a sort of reverse-cascade mechanism, an extra row is uncovered with every win, potentially creating additional combinations. I don’t see this type of idea often, and I genuinely appreciated the creativity in what is an otherwise tired theme.

My only real gripe is that it’s too centred on the bonus round. I actually found it really hard to win prizes of note until I finally unlocked the feature. Still, at least there’s a Bonus Buy, allowing you to skip straight to the good bit.

Irish Treasures: Wild Celtic Charms (Spinomenal)

Reels x Rows	5 x 4
Paylines	Up to 100
RTP	96.04%
Volatility	Medium-High
Maximum Payout	3,000x
Release Date	February 2024

I’m not going to lie, this game is awful. It’s everything I hate about Irish slots, riddled with Paddy-painted clichés everywhere you look. But you know when something’s so bad that it’s actually sort of good? Yeah, it’s that. I just couldn’t help but chuckle, for instance, at how innuendo-laden and route one the whole thing is. 

An unnecessarily-buxom redhead is the only character in this slot, and she serves as the wild. The game is literally called Wild Celtic Charms, which honestly sounds like something from an adult website. While I can’t confirm how domesticated she is, there are certainly some ample “charms” on display. It’s hilarious, and obviously quite intentional, that the wilds in this game are said to be “stacked”. 

You just have to take it all with a pinch of salt the size of a pint of Guinness. Yet, in terms of the mathematical model, at least, the game is actually fairly solid. You’ll find a perfectly average RTP of 96.04%, for example, though some versions are quite a lot lower. The maximum possible win of 3,000x is adequate, too, while the volatility seems reasonably well-balanced.

Contact Me for Slots Content

If you need a specialist iGaming writer to produce accurate and engaging slot reviews, I’m here to help.

Whether it’s one of the 56 billion Irish-themed slots out there, or something else entirely, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

I’ve never played any Easter slots before.

As a freelance iGaming writer, I’ve spent much of the last three years producing an absurd number of online slot reviews. So, this is very much a specialist subject of mine.

But after discussing how early Easter is this year, I realised I’ve literally never played a single Easter-themed slot before.

As such, I thought I’d better plug this glaring gap in my knowledge, spending this past week sampling as many Easter slots as I could. Here are my favourites.

Easter Eggs (Play’n GO)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	20
RTP	98.20%
Volatility	Medium
Maximum Payout	3,000x
Release Date	March 2015

They say the old ones are the best. I’m pretty sure they’re talking about jokes, to be honest. But if they meant Easter slots, I’d be forced to agree with the sentiment. Released back in 2015, Easter Eggs is by far my favourite game that I’ve tried this week. First of all, you would never believe how old it is. The animations are gorgeous, and far better than many new slots I’ve reviewed for SlotJava.com lately.

In terms of rewards, it’s always good to see a return to player rate that’s comfortably above-average. Play’n GO advertises a solid-enough figure of 96.75%, but there’s at least one casino out there paying 98.20%. In addition, the volatility is nicely balanced, and it certainly felt on the lower side of medium to me.

As a degenerate gambler myself, I enjoyed the option to potentially spin your wins up even further. Of course, you could just collect any prize money earned as you spin. But personally, I like the idea of guessing the colours and suits of playing cards to boost my rewards. Finally, the dreamy woodwind-infused soundtrack sounds like something straight out of a Vivaldi concerto. Beautiful.

Eggs With Legs (Reevo)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	5
RTP	95.33%
Volatility	Low
Maximum Payout	667x
Release Date	March 2023

I won’t lie, I’m a sucker for goofier slots, and Romanian developer Reevo has certainly delivered one of those here. The name of this March 2023 release immediately caught my attention, and I did chuckle heartily upon seeing some of the game’s fantastically silly symbols. I’m prepared to forgive the slightly below-average RTP due to this.

The quirky bipedal eggs are not the only unusual thing about this engaging Easter-themed slot, however. For instance, only the middle row of reels four and five is in play, meaning there are just five paylines on the 5×3 grid. What’s more, this is a low volatility game, which means you’ll hit a steady stream of wins. That’s exactly what I want from a seasonal game that I don’t intend to play for too long.

Finally, the bizarrely-named “additive” symbols are another interesting addition, alongside more standard multipliers. Although they sound like something you should look to avoid in your chocolate Easter eggs, these symbols simply add coins to winning combinations. Special mention to the highly-addictive, toe-tapping soundtrack, too.

Choco Reels Easter Edition (Wazdan)

Reels x Rows	6 x 6
Paylines	46,656
RTP	96.20%
Volatility	High
Maximum Payout	9,500x
Release Date	April 2022

There’s a lot to love about this particular game, but it’s not as high as it could be on this gambling writer’s list of Easter slots. Why? Because it’s basically a lazy clone of Wazdan’s 2022 release, Choco Reels. Everything is identical, from the symbols on the 6×6 grid to the gameplay mechanics. They’ve basically just slapped an “Easter Edition” logo in the corner and added an animated Easter Bunny. 

Nevertheless, it is an Easter-themed slot, and a highly-engaging one too, bursting with vibrant symbols and fun features. The reels start out with Candy Crush-style chocolate blocks covering the corners of the grid. You’ll remove these as you match symbols across adjacent winning paylines. As you do, this unlocks additional ways to win.

Wipe out all 12 chocolate blocks and trigger the Choco Spins bonus, where you’ll receive six free plays. What’s more, a payout multiplier increases by 1x with each spin. That seems to be your best shot at bagging the 9,500x maximum potential payout. 

Lucky Easter (Red Tiger)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	20
RTP	96.02%
Volatility	High
Maximum Payout	800x
Release Date	March 2017

I generally enjoy Red Tiger slots, so I was happy to find an Easter-themed game in their back catalogue. Released in 2017, it adopts a classic look and feel, with a 5×3 grid, 20 fixed paylines and a straightforward free spins bonus feature. If you’ve played slots for more than five minutes, you’ll understand what’s required immediately.

The jaunty music is as cute as the colourful and cartoonish symbols on the reels, all of which adds to a positive, feel-good vibe. As I mentioned earlier, I do love a punt, so I loved the random element of the free spins game. Here, you must choose one of three eggs to determine the number of bonus plays received. 

My only gripe with Lucky Easter is the maximum possible payout per spin. For such a high-volatility game, I feel like you deserve to pocket much more when eventually landing a big win. That said, I did really enjoy playing this Easter slot.

Choco Bunny Hop (Urgent Games)

Reels x Rows	5 x 3
Paylines	20
RTP	97.00%
Volatility	High
Maximum Payout	6,500x
Release Date	April 2023

Considering this slot dropped in 2023, I was a little disappointed by the graphics. The animations look a little cheap, if truth be told. What’s more, I have to question the choice of colour for the reels. Given that the symbols are all chocolate bunnies or Easter eggs, there’s way too much brown going on within the grid. It’s not a good look.

Why, then, am I including it among my top Easter slots? Well, it’s not a complicated game, adopting a classic 5×3 grid and a standard free spins bonus. This makes it easy to pick up and play, which is perfect if you’re looking to try a new slot over the holiday period. 

In addition, the advertised rate of 97.00% makes it officially the best-paying game on this list. A maximum reward of 6,500x isn’t bad either, especially if you’re only going to be playing for a few weeks tops.

Get in Touch

As I mentioned, I create an inordinate amount of content to do with slots. Please get in touch if you would like me to produce anything for you. Perhaps a review of the imminent Easter-themed Play’n GO slot Easter Eggspedition?

I’m also the go-to iGaming writer for casino and sportsbook reviews, poker strategy and anything to do with horse racing. Please drop me a line if I can help.

I’ve been considering this for a while and it’s time to branch out into multiple languages. I now offer unique and engaging iGaming content in both Spanish and Tagalog, alongside English. I can also provide translation services for all three.

As to whether or not I’ll add different languages in future, only time will tell. But if you need iGaming content targeting the Philippines, or any English and Spanish speaking markets, please drop me a line.

Contact me via the form found on this page.

The subject of finding a healthy work-life balance is en vogue at the moment. With all the talk of “Quiet Quitting” and the “Great Resignation”, there’s already a wealth of articles out there on this topic. But it’s something I’ve struggled with myself recently, so I wanted to scribble down a few thoughts.

Working For Yourself Is Hard!

My decision to switch to the digital nomad life was centred around finding a better work-life balance. I was prepared to earn less than in my previous career, since my focus was now time over money. But it turns out I can’t actually shake the drive and ambition, so the early success drove me to try and scale up.

Because my efforts now directly reward me, rather than someone else, I naturally care a lot more. And I find it difficult to ever stop completely. At the moment, I work seven days a week, even if it is only 3 or 4 hours worth of work. Since turning freelance, I have never taken more than 2 days off consecutively.

Nobody told me that being your own boss would mean I’d get no time off!

Finding a Balance

The way I have structured things at the moment, I get to travel a lot while continuing to work. So in fairness, you could argue that I don’t really need a vacation. I can spend a week at a beach, take a couple of full days to relax and then stretch my work out over a whole day. Sleep late, work by the sea, sunbathe, more work while watching the sun set. It’s a hard life!

But joking aside, things have really caught up with me during August. Constantly travelling is tiring. Never sleeping in the same bed, coupled with working from so many different locations, is hurting my back and neck. I can feel myself starting to get stressed. So on my latest trip around East Africa, I chose to right that wrong by taking an actual vacation for a week. It was clearly time to reassess the old work-life balance.

Taking a Break

I’m writing this from Nungwi, on the gorgeous island of Zanzibar. When I used to work for Africa’s largest retail betting operator, I visited Tanzania several times. But I never came to this world-famous island. And that’s why I’m here now, doing something I should have done before, as well as taking a much-needed break.

The plan was to do nothing at all this week. But me being me, I’ve still ended up editing a couple of documents and doing a few bits and pieces. I can’t resist! But I’m making a point of relaxing as much as possible and I already feel a little better.

Righting Wrongs

I’ve been righting a few other wrongs on this trip too. On all of my visits to Kigali in Rwanda, I never once visited the Genocide Memorial. And even though I lived in Nairobi for nine months, I never went on a game drive. Work-life balance? What’s that? Happily, I’ve now corrected both of those things in Rwanda last week.

By the way, the Genocide Memorial is absolutely worth a visit. Even if you knew a bit about the atrocities, as I did from chatting with former colleagues in the past, you will likely still be shocked and disgusted at what you learn. The Children’s Room broke me. I had to leave that after looking at just two photographs. Heart-breaking stuff.

It definitely left me thanking my lucky stars for having been born the right time and place to avoid such gruesome horrors. Not to mention reflecting on how badly the wider world handled the situation and really let Rwanda down. It is so easy to convince sections of society to hate each other based on nothing. And those in power will happily encourage you to do it, for their own benefit. Why do people constantly fall for it, over and over again? Urgh.

New Experiences

One of my other goals when I first chose to try out the digital nomad life, was to take myself out of my comfort zone more frequently. So when I met a Nigerian journalist last week in Kigali who asked to interview me, I decided to run with it.

We chatted for probably 40 minutes on a wide variety of topics. And although I probably look uncomfortable as hell on camera, I quite enjoyed the experience. I gave my thoughts on travelling around Africa as a tourist, offering advice on how to structure a trip. She also asked for my views on Rwanda, which I always say is my favourite country in Africa by far.

You Can’t Do It Alone

Another decision I took to try and help with my own work-life balance was using Upwork to hire a virtual assistant. In the past, I would definitely have been too tight to pay someone to do trivial tasks that I could easily perform myself. But freeing up 10 hours per week that would have been spent on monotonous admin has made such a difference.

I personally believe that this is the future of work for many industries. Why hire a team of full-time employees, with all the hassle that goes along with it, when you can outsource to a specialist freelancer? You will certainly pay more in terms of hourly rate. But you’ll get greater and more efficient output. And once the project is wrapped up, you may go your separate ways.

This model makes so much more sense in my mind. And I think more and more people are beginning to agree.

Dominic Field is a freelance gambling writer. Check out his portfolio of iGaming content here.

Today I was awarded Top Seller status on Fiverr. I don’t particularly know what to make of this. But it’s almost exactly a year since I posted anything to this blog, so it seems like a good time for an update!

My Fiverr Story

I decided to set up a Fiverr account in July 2020, primarily to give me something to do during the pandemic times. But it wasn’t until the end of August that I figured it all out and made my first sale. So my Top Seller status comes almost exactly two years later.

I wouldn’t say the Top Seller badge is a vitally important thing for me to achieve, as Fiverr is only responsible for around 20% of my income. But nevertheless, it felt good seeing the message this morning.

How to Achieve Top Seller Status

There are certain benchmarks you need to hit and maintain in order to achieve Top Seller status on Fiverr. These include prompt customer response rates, a minimum average rating of 4.7 on your gigs, plus total sales figures of $20,000. But we don’t really understand exactly how freelancers can attain this status.

Fiverr’s level system starts out pretty straightforward. All newbies are assigned “New Seller” status, which is automatically upgraded to “Level 1” and “Level 2” when achievements are accomplished. However, there is no automatic leap from Level 2 to Top Seller. It involves some kind of mysterious input from the Fiverr team that nobody has yet figured out.

We do know that buyers receive a private survey a few days after an order has been completed. Of course, it’s possible to leave a public review for freelancers and clients usually do. But this hidden feedback seems much more likely to be honest, as it’s withheld from the seller. And these reviews almost certainly play a big role in the selection of Fiverr Top Seller freelancers.

What Top Seller Means For Me

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know what achieving the Top Seller ranking means for my Fiverr account. I guess time will tell. My understanding is that I can now create more gigs and have access to increasingly complex add-ons. In truth, these features are useless to me.

What could be helpful is that I now “only” have to wait a week for my gig earnings to clear. And apparently, I gain access to priority customer support. Given how notoriously dreadful Fiverr support is, I won’t be holding out much hope with that one.

I think I’ll use this newly acquired Fiverr status to apply for Fiverr Pro. That almost certainly would be useful to me, as you gain access to exclusive clients and can charge much more for your Fiverr gigs. I don’t know if being a Top Seller has any effect on the likelihood of a successful Pro application or not. As a betting man, I’d say it probably doesn’t. But it certainly can’t hinder my chances.

What’s the Point of This Post, Dominic?

Well, shameless self-promotion aside, it’d be nice if I could help someone new to the world of freelancing understand a little more about the Fiverr Top Seller ranking. It’s taken me almost exactly two years to acquire it. But it’s not stopped me from having a fantastic 18 months in my new life as a digital nomad.

I see a lot of new freelancers in various groups on the internet who pin all their hopes on Fiverr. I’d advise them not to do that. As I mentioned, a little over 20% of my 2022 earnings have come from this particular platform. I’ve actually had a lot more joy through my Upwork profile than Fiverr. Not to mention the clients acquired privately through LinkedIn and other social networks, where you don’t need to pay commissions on your work.

Take Your Time

I’d also advise new freelancers that it’s not a race. I’m not going to divulge figures here, obviously. But I am now earning more money than I ever did in a 9-5, and I had a pretty decent career in the gambling industry before taking the digital nomad route.

When I quit my last job, my targets were quite humble. It was never about the money for me, but acquiring freedom and reducing stress. Because ultimately, life is too short to be slaving away for people who don’t care about you and don’t respect you. But I quickly realised that I could do pretty well and my numbers have gone from strength to strength.

Consistency is the key. Keep grinding away. There will be downs as well as ups and I certainly don’t think I’ve cracked it just yet. But since I became a full-time freelance iGaming writer and editor, I’ve managed to maintain this growth pattern whilst living my life to the fullest.

Digital Nomad

For instance, I spent the whole of June and July travelling through Panama, El Salvador and Mexico, before heading to the beautiful island of Aruba, home to one of my oldest friends. But this wasn’t a vacation, it’s my life now. I have the flexibility to work from the beach. Or take a random day off to visit Chichén Itzá, for instance, which I had always wanted to do.

I could never have done any of this if it weren’t for the freedom afforded to me by platforms like Fiverr.

At the end of the week, I’ll be off to Kigali, Zanzibar and Cairo to tick a few more things off my bucket list. Later in the year I’ll be attending eight matches in the opening week of the FIFA World Cup. I’m sure that’ll upset a few people, given the controversy around the event. But I’ve never been to a World Cup before and the tournament’s going to go ahead anyway. So I figure I might as well.

And speaking of football, my newfound freedom has allowed me to watch Sheffield United disappoint me in the flesh an awful lot more than in recent years. Something that’s very important to me, for some reason.

I don’t think I’ll ever shut up about how great the digital nomad life is and I’d encourage everyone to look into it. It’s much easier to achieve than ever before. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Because if I can achieve Fiverr Top Seller status as a gambling writer, anyone can do it!

It’s October 2008. I’m about to turn 26 and I’m unemployed.

When I went to university, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life. After leaving with a pretty worthless degree in politics, I worked a string of part-time jobs. But I had no real clue what I wanted to do career-wise.

At that time, I was writing a sports betting blog with a bunch of like-minded friends from uni. I was also about to start a job with William Hill as a level 1 cashier, earning slightly above minimum wage. But right now, I’m sat in Dublin having a pint with an old friend from university.

A group of us have travelled over for the Irish Poker Open, which doubled up as a 21st birthday party for another old mate of mine. I won’t mention what happened with him and the gold-coloured thong.

I don’t remember exactly what we were discussing. It must have been something to do with my lack of career direction. Cammy had been living in London and working with Betfair for the past couple of years, but had just moved to Ireland to join Full Tilt Poker. He asked me why I hadn’t been writing for money. I didn’t know what he was talking about.

Advice

He told me that loads of people in the gambling industry were looking for content writers. They would even pay me reasonably well to do it, apparently. I just had to ask them.

I didn’t really know where to begin, but I took that advice back to Blighty and had a look around. There were no platforms like Upwork or Fiverr back then, but I took to randomly searching for things on Google. By chance, I stumbled across a few internet forums, such as Digital Point, and landed a small job.

My first ever writing gig was preparing 300 word Premier League match reviews, for which I would receive the princely sum of $5 each. I loved that job, it was like getting paid to participate in my hobby.

Soon after, I ended up stumbling onto a long-term partnership with an affiliate site. I worked part-time for those guys for around four years, in what was my first job as an iGaming writer.

Rounders Palace, as it was then, later rebranded to BetPal.com and I really enjoyed working for them. I would provide casino, sports betting and poker content in return for good beer money, topping up my meagre income from William Hill. In parallel, I was building my own little career in the gambling industry.

After my promotion to Head of Online for EDITEC in 2014, I had to stop moonlighting as a gambling writer. It was just too much. I was constantly exhausted trying to do both.

I was at a crossroads and I chose to focus on my career with EDITEC. With hindsight, I regret that decision.

Today

Fast forward to August 2021. I’m now done with full-time, stressful jobs in the gambling industry. I’ve thrown it all in in favour of a return to getting paid for pursuing my hobby.

Naturally, most of what I write about is still related to sports, betting and gambling, for they are my main interests, after all.

It’s funny though. I successfully bid on a sports betting project on Upwork, and it turned out to be for BetPal.com, which is now under new ownership. What a neat little turn of events.

In addition to writing weekly football content for BetPal, I also reconnected with the chap I used to write for when he co-owned the site, before they sold it . I’m now giving him a helping hand curating the content on Casino.zone, his latest venture. I had a lot of fun reviewing Play’n GO’s ZZ Top slot last week, what a banging soundtrack that game has!

Full Circle

Where am I going with this? I don’t really know, I just find it amusing how I’ve come full circle and wanted to scribble something down.

A simple conversation over a pint with a mate led to me realising what I should be doing with my life. I started out on that path, the right one, but became distracted by climbing the corporate ladder. That’s just what you are supposed to do, isn’t it?

Only now do I realise I’ve been living life wrong for many years. Perhaps if I’d stuck to the content creation, I could have spent the last few years as an iGaming writer, producing content from the beach. Not to worry though, I got there in the end. And in fairness, I had an amazing time of it, travelling around Africa and Southeast Asia for work, meeting some awesome people.

Now, I just try to remember that I’m lucky enough to live in a place where other people go on holiday, and I’m working for myself, doing what I love. But it all started on a lads weekend away, between trips to the bar and Abrakebabra.

Cheers Cammy, I think I owe you a pint.

Fiverr and Upwork are arguably the biggest freelancing websites in 2021, but which is the better platform for a freelance writer? I’ll share my opinions on the debate about Fiverr vs Upwork for writers, as well as my own experiences around commission, customer services and finding new clients.

Brief History of Fiverr and Upwork

Fiverr is an Israeli operation, set up in February 2010 by Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger. Initially, all services cost $5, hence the name of the company. This was a gimmick, and in fact, most of the services sold on the platform to begin were also novelties. It was the place to be if you wanted someone to record a funny video or sing a silly song. But these days, Fiverr is serious business. It generates $189.5 million in revenue.

Upwork was born out of a merger between earlier freelancing websites oDesk and Elance. In 2013, the platforms joined forces to create the imaginatively titled Elance-oDesk. Unsurprisingly, the new company eventually rebranded in May 2015, bringing us Upwork. They generated $373.6 million in revenue during 2020.

But which of the platforms should freelancers choose?

Fiverr vs Upwork For Writers

Since I’m a freelance gambling writer, I can’t really comment on the difference between the platforms from any other perspective. I feel like other freelancers, such as designers or digital marketing professionals, should still get some use out of my article, but it’s very much written with writers in mind. 

You can learn more about my own freelancing story, as well as how to start on Fiverr, elsewhere on my blog.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Pricing

The service fee is 20% for both Upwork and Fiverr. However, Upwork offers freelance sellers a greater advantage over Fiverr. As you do more business with a client, the fees decrease.

While Fiverr’s rates remain permanently fixed at 20% of sales, Upwork adopts a sliding scale, which is advantageous for freelancers:

Total Business	Freelancer Commission
$0.00 to $500.00	20%
$500.01 to $10,000.00	10%
$10,000.01 and above	5%

NB: Both Upwork and Fiverr also impose these fees on any tips provided to the freelancer by clients.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Finding New Clients

Both Upwork and Fiverr take a totally different approach when it comes to matching up freelancers with a potential project. But the burning question is this: Fiverr vs Upwork for writers, which is better?

Upwork

The main idea with Upwork, is that you as a writer must reach out to possible clients with an offer. A client will post a job first, then the freelancers will bid for that job or project. Although clients who are actively seeking to hire freelancers may occasionally contact you directly, most of your Upwork business will come as a result of you bidding on a job contract.

As a freelancer, you will need to search for a project or job based on keywords and phrases. You can filter out more relevant jobs based on the amount you will be paid, or the client’s own reputation. I’ve found this to be a great way to secure long-term business. Often, an Upwork project can last for months. Since the client has already chosen you from a list of applicants, you are more likely to be approached for further work.

Upwork also allows you to create a specialised freelancer profile, separate to your main profile. This new profile can be customised to give potential clients a more specific look into your skills and achievements when applying for a job. You can apply for work in different areas using your different profiles, to keep things more relevant.

Connects

Upwork is free to use as a seller, but freelancers are only allowed to make an application for a limited number of jobs per month. The platform manages these applications using a virtual token called Connects. 

Freelancers use their tokens to bid on a job, but when they run out, they have to pay for more. They don’t come cheap, either. It’s $1.50 for 10 but if you want to buy in bulk, you’ll be billed les per connect. The most you can request to purchase is 150, which costs $22.50.

Each month, freelancers are given 10 free Connects, so they should be used wisely. This is the one limitation that Upwork has, compared to Fiverr.

Fiverr Gigs

Finding business on the Fiverr platform is completely different to Upwork. Here, the freelancer is the one specifying the terms of work, not the client. 

When you set up a gig, you can specify how much you will be paid, how long you have in which to deliver the work and other key factors. A client who wishes to hire a freelancer will then browse through services offered by every seller, selecting the most appropriate one. This is the main difference with Fiverr vs Upwork, where the freelancer scrolls through adverts, before settling on a relevant job.

I find that maintaining my own Fiverr gigs is one of the hardest aspects of being on Fiverr. One week I will see thousands of impressions. But a week later, the analytics graph falls off the proverbial cliff, with no explanation as to why. 

I’m sure that Fiverr does it on purpose, to share the love around all of the other freelancers, but I’ve never seen anything to prove this other than internet forum conjecture. The only solution is to go back into the market and spy on the competition. Tweak your description keywords, adjust the pricing and add-ons, and hope for the best.

Buyer Requests

Although just a small section of the Fiverr website, these projects within this miniature marketplace are crucial when you are getting started on Fiverr. The hiring process here is different to the usual Fiverr model and actually works more like Upwork. Anyone looking to hire a freelancer can post a job request and then the freelancers can scroll through and bid on a suitable project.

However, the difference is that you will only be shown certain projects, based on your gig characteristics. For example, if you only offer services relating to blog posts on music, you will never see a job writing press releases for a sports clothing company. There is no way for a freelancer to search the entire database.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Customer Support

I have contacted Fiverr support on no fewer than seven different occasions. Only once have they provided any worthwhile help. The first five times, my actual concern was never addressed. It was as if the agent couldn’t be bothered to read my query and tried to give me some cut-and-paste, scripted answer.

After finally getting them to read and understand my problem, they were able to assist me satisfactorily less than half of the time. In fairness, they handled my last query swiftly, successfully and professionally. One out seven is not a great look, though.

I’ve also heard, through Freelancing various groups and forums, many tales of completely unreasonable clients complaining about Fiverr freelancers, only for Fiverr to side with the customer. I’ve actually heard lots of stories about buyers acting absolutely wild on there, generally. At times, it seems like as soon as they see that Fiverr logo, they have a license to abusive to you. I haven’t really heard of anything bad like that with Upwork, personally.

I haven’t had to deal with Upwork’s customer service team as often, on account of the site seemingly having fewer crazy buyers than Fiverr. On the two occasions I’ve been forced to deal with them, I’ve found them to be knowledgeable, helpful and more importantly to me, a lot quicker at replying than the Fiverr support team.

Fiverr Pro vs Upwork Plus

So far, we have only discussed the free-to-use elements of Fiverr vs Upwork. But both Fiver and Upwork offer a freelancer the chance to upgrade their profiles. Let’s take a look at these services now.

Upwork Plus

I talked before about Connects, the “currency” of Upwork. Well, the main benefit of a subscription, which costs $14.99 per month, is a monthly supply of 80 Connects. This allows Upwork Plus freelancers to bid for more work.

The other benefits I find to be negligible. One of them allows you to see information relating to the bids of other freelancers, to help you gauge whether or not it might be worth applying. I don’t think this offers $14.99 worth of value, personally.

You also have access to improved reporting tools, but I find it quite easy to report on my own sales just by pulling the data from my regular Upwork account and copying into Excel. That way I can track sales data from multiple other freelancing platforms in one place, rendering Upwork’s reporting fairly redundant. 

Fiverr Pro

It is free to make an application for Pro status on Fiverr, but if you do decide to apply, it can be very difficult to get through the vetting process. I recently applied and was turned down. Although I was not given a reason why, I was expecting this result since my portfolio is not big enough as I only just quit my full-time job.

I ghost write almost all of my work, meaning that I do not have by-line or any way to demonstrate that it really was written by me. This is on my list of problems to rectify in the coming months, before I decide to reapply for Pro. I’m sure this will help me to pass through the vetting process next time around.

The main benefit of being a Pro freelancer is that your services will appear in a separate section of the website, away from the novelty jobs and the lower quality freelancers. In this section, you’ll find high-end business owners and other clients seeking sales copy, or other content for their websites. 

Additionally, Pro users can browse for projects in a manner similar to that of Upwork and the rates are a lot higher.

Fiverr vs Upwork: Which is the Best Platform For Freelancer Writers?

In my experience, Upwork is the best platform of the two for freelance writers.

When I first quit my job to go freelance, I had no choice with Fiverr but to offer insultingly low prices, in order to attract business from potential clients. I had to go with lower prices than I would have liked when starting out on Upwork too, but nowhere near as low as on Fiverr.

Not only did I find that clients were willing to pay more reasonable rates to beginners on Upwork vs Fiverr, but now that I am more established as a freelancer, I find that Upwork is better for long-term project collaboration. Since the commission fees drop over time with Upwork, you get to keep more money for yourself. That can only be a good thing.

The one positive that the Fiverr platform has over Upwork, is that clients bring their business to you. Although a freelancer can put in offers on the Buyer Requests section, that’s just a minor part of Fiverr’s website. 

The Fiverr model of creating a gig and selling that specific package to a client is great for creating lots of one-off or short term collaborations. Personally, I find this particularly useful when business is slow, as it keeps things ticking over between longer-term projects.

In my experience, Upwork is the better of the two freelancing platforms for writers. 

Dominic Field – Freelance writer and editor

Fiverr vs Upwork – FAQs

Is Fiverr better than Upwork for freelance writers?

Generally, no. Upwork is a better platform for long-term partnerships, as the commissions decrease over time. It’s usually easier for new freelance writers to get started on Upwork too. But Fiverr is good for keeping work ticking over, with lots of short-term projects.

Which has lower commission, Fiverr or Upwork?

Both freelance platforms charge freelancers a 20% service fee. The key difference with Upwork, which is an advantage for freelancers, is that their prices drop the more you work with a client. Once you sell more than $500 to the same client, commission falls to 10%. If you do business together for a total of $10,000 in sales, the rate falls even further, to 5%. Fiverr’s service fee remains 20% indefinitely. 

Is Upwork better for beginners than Fiverr?

From my own experience as a freelancer, Upwork is preferable to Fiverr for beginners. To get started on the Fiverr platform, you have to offer incredibly low prices. You must also work extremely hard for little money and be very patient. It took me more than 6 weeks to book my first project on the Fiverr platform, and it was editing a 1,500 word blog post for just $5. Upwork clients seem willing to pay more reasonable rates to new freelance sellers than those found on Fiverr. I am yet to use sites like Contra and Freelancer, so I have no opinion on those as yet.

Which has more sellers, Fiverr or Upwork?

If you’re looking to hire talent to work for your business, you might prefer to start with Fiverr. It’s hard to find exact statistics for the number of freelancers on either platform. Upwork certainly used to have more registered freelancers, but a recent change of business plan, coupled with a purge of millions of inactive accounts, has seen the number of freelancers fall. Fiverr on the other hand, has more than 3 million active buyers annually and continues to grow at 80% year on year (compared to Upwork’s 18%).

Upwork vs Fiverr vs Freelancer

There are now dozens of freelancing platforms and sites, including People Per Hour, Contra and Freelancer. I haven’t really spoken about any of them in this article. Perhaps that’s a future article. But away from Upwork, Fiverr and the rest, Freelancer is undoubtedly the biggest platform. Established in 2009, the job posting model is closer to Upwork than Fiverr, with clients posting requirements and freelancers bidding on jobs.

I am yet to use Freelancer myself, hence not going into any detail. But from my experience of Fiverr & Upwork, it seems like Fiverr freelancers work for far less money than the others to begin with, due to the nature of the platform.

How hard is it to get Pro status on Fiverr?

The main thing you need to know about achieving Pro status as a freelancer is that, although it is free to apply, it is very hard to obtain. No matter what type of work you do, you are free to apply, but only the best freelancers will be selected. In order to apply, you must complete some basic paperwork, submit a portfolio of work and record a 60 second video explaining exactly why you think you deserve it ahead of other freelancers. It is worth the effort though, as you will be able to charge much higher rates and reach out to elite business owners and other VIP clients.

How do I know I will get paid on sites like Fiverr?

Freelancing sites act as an escrow between the seller and the client. The fact that a site like Freelancer, Contra, Fiverr or Upwork provides payment protection for freelancers is undoubtedly one of the best features. Getting paid is just so much easier with these platforms than without. It takes the pain out of chasing up clients for payments and is one of the main justifications that Fiverr offers for having such a high processing fee.

Does Upwork Plus have a free trial?

At the moment, there is no free trial available for Upwork Plus. A month’s subscription costs $14.99.

How can I win more Fiverr Buyer Requests?

Getting your first Fiverr jobs is hard. You need to obtain social proof, in the form of positive reviews, but getting reviews without already having reviews is extremely difficult. It’s a Catch-22 situation. So the key is to make extremely competitive bids. Offer unlimited revisions, the cheapest possible rate and super-fast delivery. You usually only need a couple of 5-star reviews on your gigs before you start to gain momentum, so offer to work extremely hard on a couple of early projects and take the short term hit for the longer term gain.