Gambling.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: GAMB) (“Gambling.com Group” or the “Company”), a leading provider of player acquisition services for the regulated global online gambling industry, announced today that it completed the previously announced acquisition of Freebets.com and related assets. The Company anticipates these assets will generate revenue of approximately $10.0 million and incremental Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $5.0 million over the balance of 2024.

Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gambling.com Group, commented, “While expansion of gambling in the U.S. grabs all the headlines these days, many of the industry’s most attractive markets remain in Europe, the historical home of the industry. I expect this acquisition to fundamentally change the balance of power within the European online gambling affiliate market and provide Gambling.com Group with a clear path to drive further growth in both our existing European markets as well as new ones. As part of the transaction, we are gaining a number of new colleagues in the region. I look forward to sharing our leading technology platform and high performance culture with our new team members.”

The Company acquired Freebets.com and the related assets for total consideration of between $37.5 million and $42.5 million, consisting of $20.0 million that was paid on the closing, with an additional $10.0 million to be paid on the six-month anniversary of closing and between $7.5 million and $12.5 million to be paid on the one-year anniversary of the closing subject to the revenue performance of the assets during the remainder of 2024.

As affiliates grapple with the challenge of higher player acquisition costs and the subsequent need to build player loyalty, SBC Summit North America will serve as the ideal platform to acquire insights into content creation strategies, brand building and the power of big data, all of which can help affiliates solidify their standing in the market.

Scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, the ‘Affiliate & Marketing’ track promises engaging discussions encompassing mergers and acquisitions in the affiliate space, gamification, the rise in popularity of online influencers, artificial intelligence (AI) and customer relationship management (CRM) strategies to foster player loyalty, among other topics.

Kicking off the conference track is the panel titled ‘Affiliate Leaders Panel: Building Brands Through Content and Customization’, which will feature Andrew Garven (Head of Marketing, Covers), Rome Smith (Head of Marketing – North America, Betsson), Marcos Oliveira (Chief Operating Officer, Clever Advertising) alongside panel moderator Michael Daly (Former Chief Executive Officer, Catena Media). The panel will delve into how leading affiliates harness branding and compelling content to build unique and recognizable affiliate brands, optimize acquisition rates and strike successful operator partnerships.

The ‘Big Data at the Center: How Affiliates & Operators Can Make Sense of Their Customers Across Multiple Channels’ panel will delve into the strategic use of big data in understanding customer behavior. Experts Gil Bushkin???? (Senior Director of Interactive Marketing, betPARX), Zachary Sold (Vice-President of Marketing, Caesars), Elizabeth Lodge (Chief Marketing Officer, Winible) and panel moderator James Fox (Industry Manager, Google) will discuss big data’s role in identifying common trends in player acquisition and retention as well as profiling customer archetypes that aid in enhancing player engagement and meet operator partner expectations.

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The panel ‘It’s an Influencer’s World: Charting the Success of Ambassadors, Streamers and Other Social Media Stars’ will examine the growing influence of alternative affiliate channels such as influencers, streamers and sports ambassadors. Industry luminaries Kelly Koffler (Influencer/YouTube Content Creator, Slot500Club and Beyond Blackjack), Josh Duffy (SM Influencer /YouTube Creator, Slotaholic), Jon Della Terza (Social Media Influencer/Content Creator, NJ Slot Guy), Josh Margolis (Vice-President of Marketing, Prize Picks), Grant Flannery (Head of Marketing, Rivalry) and panel moderator Lazar Miucin (Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, iGaming Advisor) will delve into the distinctive acquisition strategies and content approaches employed by influencers and examine how they can effectively collaborate with operators. Additionally, the panel will discuss adaptation strategies for traditional affiliates to capture the interest of the next generation of players.

The session panel titled ‘Affiliate Diversification: Success Strategies for the Slower Years’ will delve into innovative approaches affiliates can employ to reach new audiences. Affiliate and marketing experts Noam Klivitsky (Vice-President of US Marketing, 888 Holdings), Shmulik Segal (Chief Executive Officer, MediaTroopers) and Max Bichsel (Vice-President, Gambling.com Group) will explore such strategies while emphasizing the significance of strategic media partnerships in ensuring a strong market presence.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the North American market through dedicated conference tracks covering leadership, sports betting, iGaming, industry and growth, compliance and regulation and payments and technology.

Additionally, the conference will include a dedicated tribal symposium, as well as two pre-day conferences; the Capital Market Forum (entry requires a separate ticket) and the Player Protection Symposium.

Purchase your ‘early bird’ ticket at the discounted price of $795 and gain access to all three days of SBC Summit North America (including the Player Protection Symposium) including the exhibition, the conference and exclusive networking parties. Additionally, operators and affiliates can apply for a free pass to the event.

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You can keep up-to-date with the latest news, speakers and exhibitor additions and conference content by subscribing to the bi-weekly SBC Summit North America LinkedIn newsletter.

Half of all SEC states do not have legal sports betting. On The Edge with Larry Henry, Gambling.com Group’s Steve Bittenbender predicts sports betting legislation could be approved during this year’s legislative sessions in Alabama and Georgia in part because of ‘more acceptance among some conservative’ lawmakers.

Sports betting then would require a public vote in Alabama and possibly Georgia. Bittenbender said those two states stand a good chance of legalizing sports betting. “Those are the two, I think, I’m most bullish on,” Bittenbender said of Alabama and Georgia.

In Missouri, ‘rancor’ in the state Senate means a sports betting bill probably won’t pass, Bittenbender said, but the state’s major sports leagues are circulating a petition among registered voters to let the public decide on the November ballot.

The pro sports teams aren’t waiting for the Legislature, Bittenbender said.

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“They’ve been down that road before and they’ve seen how that story ends up,” he said. “The best chance that it’ll have is through this referendum process.”

On Alabama and Georgia:

“In Georgia, it passed the Senate and it’s now going over to the House. And in Alabama, it’s the other way around. It cleared the House first and now it’s going to the Senate. The Senate in Alabama; there’s going to be some opposition to it (sports betting legislation), some conservative opposition.

“But you’ve got Governor Ivey who’s a big supporter of this and I think that’s going to help tip the scales in gaming’s favor.

“And it’s not just sports betting in Alabama, it would give them a lottery. They’re one of five states that don’t have a state lottery so it would give them that. It would give them fully-fledged casinos. There’s a couple of tribal casinos in the state but now they would have, I think, seven Class 3 casinos across the state. And then you would also have sports betting as well.

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“That kind of omnibus legislation, especially with the people that are supporting it, will help get that through in Alabama.

“Georgia is a similar situation but they’ve actually scaled it down. There had been talks in recent years about doing casino resort legislation but they’re just focused right now on doing sports betting, getting that through and maybe looking at other expanded gaming later on down the road.

“In Georgia the question is going to be whether or not it will need a constitutional amendment. There are proponents for it that cite a former Supreme Court judge from the state, who says: sports betting is a lottery game, the lottery is legal under the constitution, so you don’t need an amendment.

“Some people though are kind of concerned, they fear a legal challenge might happen. So, they want to see a referendum on it.

“If it requires a referendum, that would require essentially two votes in the legislature. One to pass the enacting legislation, which would need just a simple majority in both chambers. But a second one for a resolution calling for the referendum, that would require a two thirds majority in both chambers. That’s a little trickier.

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“The way the vote came down in the Senate earlier this month, they had the votes for the two thirds majority in Georgia in the Senate, but I don’t know if they would have that in the House and that’s a key concern that needs to be addressed.”

On Missouri:

“I think it’s happening already (the sports betting petitions having success). The proponents have already started in St Louis, right around the time of the Cardinals FanFest event earlier this month.

“So, they’re not waiting for the legislature, they’ve been down that road before and they’ve seen how that story ends up. And with the way that there’s a lot of rancor right now in the Missouri Senate, not just about sports betting but a lot of things in between, there’s a real fracture between Republicans in that chamber and that’s stalling a lot of things.

“I’m not optimistic at all that a sports betting bill would pass the legislature even though there’s support for it in Jefferson City. The best chance that it’ll have is through this referendum process.”

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