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Affiliate Industry

BALLY’S ENTERS INTO MERGER AGREEMENT WITH AFFILIATES OF STANDARD GENERAL L.P.

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Bally’s Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement (the “Merger”) pursuant to which Standard General L.P. (“Standard General”), the Company’s largest common stockholder, will acquire the Company’s outstanding shares for $18.25 per Bally’s share (the “Cash Consideration”). The price represents a 71% premium over the Company’s 30-day volume weighted average price per share as of March 8, 2024, the last trading day before the public disclosure of Standard General’s initial cash acquisition proposal of $15.00 per share. In lieu of receiving the Cash Consideration, Bally’s stockholders may elect to retain all or a portion of their Bally’s stock by means of a rollover election. Bally’s stockholders electing to retain all or a portion of their Bally’s investment will continue as stockholders of the Combined Company (as defined below). The transaction values Bally’s at approximately $4.6 billion in enterprise value. The Combined Company will remain a publicly traded registrant under the Securities Act of 1934.

Pursuant to the Merger, Bally’s will combine with The Queen Casino & Entertainment Inc. (“QC&E”), a regional casino operator majority-owned by funds managed by Standard General (together, the “Combined Company”). QC&E is a regional gaming, hospitality and entertainment company that currently owns and operates four casinos across three states, including DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, IL, the Queen Marquette in Marquette, IA, and the Queen Baton Rouge and the Belle of Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge, LA. QC&E is in the process of executing on transformational redevelopment projects at two of its four properties which are expected to be completed in 2025 and generate meaningful organic growth. The combination will expand the Company’s Casino & Resorts segment to 19 gaming, entertainment and hospitality facilities across 11 U.S. states and enhance the Company’s development pipeline with several exciting projects.

Jaymin Patel, Chairman of the Special Committee, said, “After a detailed consideration by the Special Committee, with the assistance of our outside financial and legal advisors, it was determined that the Cash Consideration from Standard General delivers a meaningful and immediate value to stockholders. We look forward to working with the team at Standard General and QC&E as we move through the process to complete the merger.”

Robeson Reeves, Bally’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “Our team is well positioned to continue to execute on our initiatives to drive growth across all our segments including in our International Interactive business, North America Interactive and our Casinos & Resorts (“C&R”) segments, while proceeding with our development pipeline, including construction of our permanent casino resort in Chicago, for which we recently announced a comprehensive financing plan. The addition of four complementary properties through this merger to our existing 15 domestic casino properties will add further geographic and market diversity to our portfolio. With QC&E’s development pipeline recently completed or already well underway, we see a path toward additional revenue and EBITDAR growth and value accretion as those projects are completed in 2025. We look forward to bringing our ultimate vision to bear and to working closely with the Standard General team to execute on that vision.”

Soo Kim, Managing Partner of Standard General, said, “The Transaction provides Bally’s stockholders with a significant cash premium along with certainty of value for their investment or, if they elect to retain their shares, the opportunity to participate in the longer-term growth prospects of our expanded portfolio and significant development pipeline. The addition of the complementary QC&E assets builds upon the Company’s attractive growth profile. We look forward to working with the Board of Directors and the Company’s senior management team as they continue to execute on their business plan.”

In connection with the transaction, in addition to Standard General, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (“Sinclair”), and Noel Hayden have committed to support the Merger and to make rollover elections. As a result, at least 47% of Bally’s outstanding fully-diluted equity interests will be rolled over into the Combined Company.

A special committee of independent and disinterested directors (the “Special Committee”) of Bally’s Board of Directors, which has been advised by its own independent financial and legal advisors in evaluating the Merger and the Cash Consideration, determined that the Merger is in the best interest of Bally’s and its stockholders (aside from Standard General, Sinclair and Noel Hayden) and unanimously recommended that the Company’s Board of Directors approve the Merger. Acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, Bally’s Board of Directors approved the Merger and recommends that stockholders approve the Merger. The factors considered by the Special Committee in arriving at its unanimous decision will be outlined in public proxy filings to be made by Bally’s. The Bally’s Special Committee and Board of Directors are making recommendations with respect to the Cash Consideration and are not making recommendations with respect to the rollover election.

Affiliate Industry

44 New Brands Growth in Q1’25: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results

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Affilka by SOFTSWISS reports its business performance in Q1 2025, continuing its steady growth as one of the industry’s leading affiliate marketing platforms.

The first quarter of the year marked a period of significant achievements for Affilka by SOFTSWISS. In January, it was named Affiliate Company of the Year at the International Gaming Awards 2025, highlighting its growing recognition in the industry. 

In the first three months of 2025, 44 new brands joined the Affilka platform, bringing the total number to over 450 brands. During the same period, affiliate GGR rose by 2.7%, the number of visits increased by 3.1%, and affiliate payments grew by 13.2% compared to Q4 2024. Overall, Affilka now supports over 400 thousand affiliate accounts (+23.1% vs Q4 2024) and tracks more than 98 million registered players, up from 87 million in Q4 2024.

Alongside its financial gains, Affilka maintains an active pace of product development. The team is now preparing to release a new feature: Cross-Brand Player Duplicate Detection. It will enable operators to detect identical player accounts across multiple brands within a single affiliate program. The tool will allow operators to optimise their marketing costs and improve traffic quality. 

The innovation is the third major update released by Affilka in the last six months. Earlier, the platform introduced the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, which reduces user redirect times by fivefold and boosts player conversion. The most recent tool, the Cohort Analysis Report, enables operators to track and evaluate player behaviour more effectively.

“Affiliate marketing is evolving fast, and Affilka evolves with it,” says Anastasia Borovaya, Head of Affilka by SOFTSWISS. “We’re focused on helping our partners meet emerging challenges – whether that means offering new ways to analyse player behaviour, refine traffic strategy, or cut costs without losing efficiency. The Cross-Brand Duplicate Detection tool is one more example of how we turn real-world operator needs into functional, high-impact solutions.”

Anastasia Borovaya recently participated as a guest lecturer at the Academy of Gaming Operations, where she led a session on the Affiliate Management course. She is expected to return to teach the course again in the second half of 2025.

 

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS complies with 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 27,800 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 44 New Brands Growth in Q1’25: Affilka by SOFTSWISS Results appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Affiliate Industry

Casino Guru shortlisted for prestigious SBC Awards Europe 2025

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Casino Guru has been shortlisted for the inaugural SBC Awards Europe 2025, joining a competitive field of contestants in the “Casino Affiliate of the Year” category. SBC Awards Europe 2025 is the first edition in what will be a recurring event, celebrating excellence at the SBC Summit Malta, which was rebranded from CasinoBeats Summit.

The event ceremony is due to take place on Thursday, June 12, at the Hilton Malta and will reunite 300 industry guests. Casino Guru is honored to have been distinguished by making the shortlist and competing against other industry leaders such as Gentoo Media, Gambling.com Group, and Brian Christopher’s Flip the Switch.
Casino Guru is more than an affiliate, with a distinguished track record for favoring player safety and empowering consumers to make the right choices about the casinos they play at.

With a review database that exceeds 8,296 casinos, 17,414 bonuses, and 20,194 casino games, Casino Guru is constantly growing as the Internet’s largest and most reliable database for anything that has to do with iGaming.
Commenting on Casino Guru’s shortlisting in the ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ category at the SBC Awards Europe 2025, Daniela Sliva, Public Relations and Creative Projects Director, said:

Being shortlisted for the inaugural SBC Awards Europe is a testament to Casino Guru’s impact and recognition as a trusted voice in the industry. Through continuous efforts to educate both industry professionals and players, we have consistently promoted the core values that should define the entire iGaming industry – transparency, fairness, and openness. Casino Guru is proud to be considered for the Casino Affiliate of the Year award, a reflection of our unwavering commitment to player protection and ethical industry standards.

Casino Guru is an outlier with groundbreaking initiatives, including the Complaint Resolution Center, which returned more than $40,000,000 to players by February 2025, making it an unmatched industry specialist.

Casino Guru is one of the few industry companies – and possibly the only one – to actively champion industry-wide improvement of casino standards through its unique Safety Index reviewing methodology.

Each of the more than 8,296 casinos in the Casino Guru database is reviewed manually and scrutinized for the fairness of their terms and conditions.

Ratings are fluid and are continuously subjected to reassessment to ensure that players looking for recommendations will get the most up-to-date and reliable information.

Casino Guru has spearheaded sustainable efforts in responsible gambling through the launch of the Gamtegrity platform and has worked with sector leaders to advance the importance of safe & positive play.

Casino Guru continues to set industry standards by taking a truly player-centric approach, one that challenges industry practices and upholds transparency, fairness, and openness as core principles of play.

The post Casino Guru shortlisted for prestigious SBC Awards Europe 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Affiliate Industry

Voting is open: Boomerang nominated in 2 categories at the AffPapa Awards 2025

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Boomerang is a  contender for Sportsbook Operator of the Year and Bonus Offer of the Year

Boomerang, a rapidly growing global brand behind the annual Golden Boomerang Awards, has been shortlisted for the AffPapa Awards 2025 in 2 categories: Boomerang Bet on Sportsbook Operator of the Year and Boomerang Partners on Bonus Offer of the Year.

Inclusion in the Sportsbook Operator of the Year nomination is a testament to Boomerang’s success in the online betting industry. Over 2024-2025, the brand has achieved great results: the betting segment has grown fivefold (5x), and the number of sports betting offers surged more than 6 times. Six new brands were added to Boomerang’s portfolio in 2024, contributing to an almost 1.5-fold increase in end-users. In addition, Boomerang is the Official Regional Betting Partner of AC Milan, one of the world’s most famous and titled football clubs.

The Bonus Offer of the Year nomination confirms the high level and detailed elaboration of Boomerang’s bonus policy. Its portfolio includes more than 15 brands, each operating in strict compliance with the Terms and Conditions, including Bonus rules. Boomerang ensures fairness, transparency, and visibility of key bonus information for partners and users. It regularly collects feedback to improve its bonus policy and make it consistent with the expectations of its audience.

Boomerang actively develops community and works on building long-term trusting relationships with partners. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the second annual tournament for affiliate teams – Golden Boomerang Awards 2025. It will run until May 11. The top 30 teams on the leaderboard will be invited to Milan. There, the best of the best will be named, and 11 awards will be presented, including the main one – the Grand Prix.

The voting phase of the AffPapa Awards has started and will run until May 11. Users can choose their favorites in the nominations and influence the final results. Vote on the AffPapa Awards 2025 website. The award ceremony will take place on May 28 in Malaga during the AffPapa – iGaming Club Conference Malaga 2025.

 

About Boomerang

Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global brand offering a wide range of services. Boomerang is the Official Regional Betting Partner of AC Milan and collaborates with women’s football star and influencer Alisha Lehmann. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards 2024, the first annual global affiliate tournament. Boomerang Partners’ betting segment surged 5x, and gambling — 2x in 2024. Its affiliate program demonstrated a 120% increase in partners, and the number of sports betting offers surged more than 6 times. Six new products were launched by Boomerang in 2024, which contributed to an almost 1.5-fold increase in product users.

Boomerang’s portfolio contains 15+ gambling brands, including sportsbooks. They cover over 35 GEOs and offer a wide range of betting options with favorable odds. These products provide personalized bonuses and 24/7 multilingual support.

The post Voting is open: Boomerang nominated in 2 categories at the AffPapa Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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