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Affiliate Monitor Sign of the times : Oddschecker changes hands
Sign of the times : Oddschecker changes hands
● Keeping the suits busy ● Check your odds
● The US pressures ● Catena doubles down
PART ONE
KEEPING THE SUITS BUSY
It has been a busy few months for the gaming affiliate sector , over and above the usual quarterly reporting . First , there have been a number of high-profile M & A deals , not all involving the listed players . And then , specifically with the listed sector , there have been two notable floats in the US , a signal as much as with the operators of where the interest in the sector now lies .
CHECK YOUR ODDS
Just ahead of the results season , news came through that Oddschecker Global Media ( OGM ), the affiliate business nestled within Flutter Entertainment , had found a new home . Bruin Capital ’ s £ 135m acquisition ( with £ 20m of deferred consideration depending on performance post-acquisition ), is one of the biggest the sector has seen and offered some insight into the economics behind one of the leading affiliate brands in Europe .
Launched in 1999 , the company services over 120 operators in key markets in the UK , Italy and Spain . But it is the US opportunity which is perhaps the biggest driver behind the deal .
Guy Harding , head of commercial strategy at Oddschecker , told Affiliate Monitor that the US network that Bruin and its founder George Pyne brings to the table was – alongside the company gaining full independence and adding capital to OGM – one of the key reasons for going with this deal .
“ George Pyne is deep down a sportsman ,” Harding says . “ He is from the first family with three generations of NFL players . With his network , he knows all of the commissioners , the teams , the franchises . He is also a big investor in The Athletic .”
The key for Harding is how the company executes on its further ambitions in the US where Oddschecker US is starting to make headway . In recent weeks , Harding has posted on social media that the product is now quickly scaling up the Google rankings and beginning to establish itself as one of the leading sports betting affiliate brands there as well as in the UK . iGB Market Monitor