This quarter witnessed significant corporate activity in the affiliate sector, particularly with the acquisition of Oddschecker Global Media by Bruin Capital for £155m. This follows the notable acquisition of the Action Network by Better Collective for $240m in the previous quarter.
Oddschecker’s primary focus is on European odds comparison markets. However, the deal was strongly driven by the potential of the US market, which was also a significant factor in Better Collective’s acquisition of Action Network and Catena’s acquisition of lineups.com and I5Media.
In addition to these acquisitions, there were other noteworthy deals in the industry during this period. Raketech acquired Infinileads, expanding its presence in the Latam market. Similarly, XLMedia acquired Blueclaw, a digital agency specializing in igaming.
It’s worth highlighting that the third quarter was not solely characterized by mergers and acquisitions. Two notable companies, Gambling.com Group and Playmaker, successfully listed on the New York and Toronto exchanges respectively, providing increased earnings visibility for the sector.
A Jefferies initiation note on GAMB estimated the value of the US gaming market to be between $2.4-$3bn annually. Part 2 offers analysis on this market valuation.
Stephen Carter, Editorial director, InnovateChange
