Affiliate Industry

Gaming Innovation Group acquires AskGamblers

Published

2 years ago

December 15, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG) has today signed an agreement to acquire the casino affiliate websites Askgamblers .com, Johnslots .com, Newcasinos .com and several smaller domains from Catena Media Plc. The total consideration is EUR 45 million, of which EUR 20 million will be paid in cash on closing, EUR 10 million twelve months after closing and the EUR 15 million balance 24 months after closing. Closing is expected in Q1 2023.

Askgamblers is an award-winning website recognised as a well-trusted website source in the iGaming industry with strong brand recognition by users. Johnslots and Newcasinos build on GiG Media’s strategy to diversify its business. With this acquisition, GiG Media cements its position in the industry as the leading casino affiliate.

The acquired websites generated revenue of EUR 12.9 million in the first nine months of 2022 with an EBITDA of EUR 8.4 million. GiG expects to have an EBITDA margin between 60-70% from the assets going forward. The assets are expected to generate around 53.000 FTDs in 2022.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The acquisition will diversify GiG Media’s business further in line with the strategy to create sustainable long-term growth and provide the business with several key strategic assets and multiple revenue opportunities. The acquired websites are strong in markets that currently are non-core markets for GiG Media, therefore expanding our current geographical reach. Further to the revenue growth potential, operational synergies are expected to be realised after the acquisition via the shared use of marketing technologies, business intelligence systems and key functions.

The transaction is structured by way of a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with GiG’s subsidiary Innovation Labs Ltd. (part of GiG Media) and includes the acquisition of the two companies Catena Publishing Ltd (Malta) and Catena Media D.O.O. Beograd (Serbia). These companies currently employ around 90 people.

GiG will finance the initial consideration through a combination of own cash, a revolving credit facility (RCF) and a share issue. Existing shareholders have committed to participate in the share issue and the RCF, securing sufficient financing to complete the transaction at closing.

Morten Hillestad, Director of Business Development in GiG Media, said: “After three years of consolidating and expanding the GiG Media business – realising strong annual organic growth – the time was ripe to act when this acquisition opportunity emerged. GiG Media has developed world class marketing technology and operational capabilities over the preceding years, and we feel that bringing the AskGamblers brand into the company structure will provide multiple opportunities for it to flourish.”

Jonas Warrer, Managing Director of GiG Media, said: “We are very pleased to welcome quality websites such as askgamblers.com into the business and look forward to integrating with the skilled teams that have built up the websites acquired. We want to be the leading casino affiliate in the industry, and this acquisition cements our position.”

Catena Media CEO Michael Daly said: “Today’s agreement is a major step in our journey to focus the business on online sports betting and casino affiliation in high-growth, regulated markets in the Americas. I am confident that in GiG we have found a buyer that will provide a strong environment for AskGamblers and the other brands and their talented people to develop and grow.”

Richard Brown, CEO of Gaming Innovation Group commented: “GiG is extremely excited to take over the premium AskGamblers brand from Catena. Combining the assets with GiG’s media technology and operational capabilities, provides us with a great opportunity to expand our global reach and to deliver a path for the brand to continue with its strong evolution. The expansion of our strategic position in conjunction with the deal structure gives the group another great blueprint for growth. We look forward to integrating the assets and current staff into Gaming Innovation Group.”

Affiliate Industry

Gentoo Media reports Q3 2024

Published

5 days ago

November 13, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Gentoo Media Inc., now solely an affiliate-focused business, reports record high revenues for the 15th consecutive quarter

Gentoo Media Inc. presents its Q3 2024 financial report, with record-high revenue of EUR 30.4 million, up 35% year-over-year, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of growth. During the quarter, the company completed the spin-off of its Platform & Sportsbook division and formally rebranded from Gaming Innovation Group Inc. to Gentoo Media.

Q3 highlights

Gentoo Media reported all-time high revenues of € 30.4m, up 35% YoY, of which 12% organic growth.
EBITDA before special items reached €14.6m, with an EBITDA margin of 48%.
EBITDA after special items increased by 36% to €14.0m, with an EBITDA margin of 46% (46%).
EBIT reached €10.0m, with a margin of 33% (32%).
Focus on higher-value markets continued in Q3. Value of deposits increased 36% for the player base, while player intake reached 112,000, down 2% YoY.
Gentoo Media is now purely an affiliate-focused business after distribution of the Platform & Sportsbook division to shareholders on 30 September 2024.
Cash flow from operations will improve post-split, expanding capital allocation options moving forward
Gentoo Media is now better positioned to deliver meaningful returns and create substantial value for our investors.

Investor presentation and webcast

CEO of Gentoo Media, Jonas Warrer, will host a presentation of the Q3 2024 results via livestream at 09:00 CET today.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A-session, and investors, analysts and journalists are welcome to participate. The presentation will be given in English.

The post Gentoo Media reports Q3 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Affiliate Industry

Increase Redirect Speed by 5 Times with Affilka New Feature

Published

3 weeks ago

October 31, 2024

George Miller

increase-redirect-speed-by-5-times-with-affilka-new-feature

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SOFTSWISS, a global tech company with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, introduces a new Geo-Distributed Redirect feature of Affilka by SOFTSWISS that helps operators improve engagement and conversion rates by reducing user redirect times.

The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature intelligently routes users to destination landing pages via regional clusters closest to their location. This geo-optimised infrastructure minimises redirect times, increasing successful website visits from referral links. The feature is designed for seamless scalability across multiple regions and enhances performance globally, wherever needed.

With the new feature, Affilka by SOFTSWISS reduced redirect duration by 2.5 to 5 times. At one of the regions, for example, extensive simulated tests showed a decrease in redirect times for users from 1.5 seconds to 300-500 milliseconds – this is one of the fastest responses available in the market. As a result, the feature implementation leads to a 3.5% to 7% growth in users successfully reaching casino sites. This increase in site traffic, in turn, directly contributes to more registrations and deposits.

The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature boosts conversions, accelerates redirects, enhances fault tolerance and high availability, and improves service reliability for users globally. Even during unexpected challenges, the system dynamically reroutes traffic to alternative resources, ensuring a seamless experience.

Gleb Bichan, Product Lead at Affilka by SOFTSWISS, shares his excitement: “With the launch of our Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, we are addressing the needs of clients targeting users worldwide. By reducing redirection times and increasing reliability, we enable our partners to deliver a superior user experience that drives traffic delivery and conversions. This feature is a significant improvement for customers looking to expand their global reach.”

Along with affiliate marketing, SEO website advancement helps operators promote their projects. Considering this, SOFTSWISS issued a comprehensive Casino SEO Audit: The Ultimate Guide, providing tips for increasing any iGaming project’s visibility.

The SOFTSWISS team looks forward to sharing the details of the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature and other product updates at the upcoming SiGMA Europe Expo. Current and potential partners can book a meeting with company representatives at stand 2145 through the contact form.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.

The post Increase Redirect Speed by 5 Times with Affilka New Feature appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.