The CEO of Gaming Innovation Group (GIG), a M&A driver in the affiliate marketing arena, will be starring in the first day Affiliate Leaders panel at Betting on Football 2017.
Group CEO Robin Eirik Reed will be discussing the M&A focused strategy for GIG, the relationship between bookmakers and affiliates, the scope for new market entrants and whether affiliates are now in a position to start challenging operatorsโ marketing strategies.
Earlier this month, GIG confirmed the โฌ11.5 million acquisition of online casino review portal Casinotopsonline.com, the biggest acquisition for its marketing subsidiary Innovation Labs. Last year, the Group acquired the assets of a Swedish-based affiliate network from Magenta Media and paid a consideration of โฌ4.2 million for Dutch affiliate network Delta Markets.
Reed commented: โThere’s a lot of change in the affiliate side of the business, but at GIG we believe that the gambling industry should be more connected as part of a large eco-system rather than segmented as it tends to be at the moment. We also believe that it is incumbent on the affiliate side of the business to reach out to new areas and new demographics and get them to recognise gambling as a fun leisure pursuit, which is why I’m pleased to be able to discuss this with my fellow panelists at Betting on Football.โ
Reed will be speaking at #bofcon2017 alongside Better Collective Board Member Henrik Lykkesteen, Easyodds CEO James Garmston and Richard Moffat, the CEO for UK-based sports betting affiliate OLBG who last year launched its international player referral services in Spain, Australia, Ireland and Romania. The session will be chaired by Income Access Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Lee-Ann Johnstone.
Moffat added: “Having been a leading UK sports betting affiliate for many years, it’s important for us to attend international conferences such as Betting on Football to aid our expansion into global markets. I’m looking forward to exchanging views on M&A, regulatory bodies, advertising and new market entrants with GIG, Better Collective and Easyodds at Stamford Bridge.โ
Garmston commented: โFor me there are two really interesting areas of discussion for Betting on Football 2017. Firstly, with the impending restriction on TV advertising, the bookmakers need to open up to more data sharing with affiliates to allow for a greater understanding of the users to help drive conversion rates. Secondly, the opportunity for affiliates to potentially make a better return than their standard affiliate terms on some users with a simple turnkey bookmaker solution.โ
Johnstone said: “The affiliate space is ever changing and it’s vital to keep your finger on the buzzer if you want to stay ahead of the curve. Whilst established affiliates such as Betting Expert and OLBG are becoming smarter – there is always room for an innovative game changer to enter the ring. Squawka, having recently secured a UKGC licence could lead to a number of similar moves by the bigger affiliates, and it will be interesting to see how this will affect their relationships with bookmakers over time.โ
โThe affiliate leaders panel at Betting on Football is well timed and much needed to discuss this disruptive change. I look forward to chairing what is sure to be a lively discussion with some of the industry’s most experienced panellists GIG, Better Collective, OLBG and EasyOdds.”
The list of registered affiliates for the three day event at Stamford Bridge (3-5 May) also includes 365scores, 90min.com, BadMan Tipsters, Baybets, bestbetting, bet2go, BetBrain, Bettingexpert, Bookmaker-Ratings.ru, Clever Advertising, Clever Connect, Digitonic, Dreamworx Online, Easyodds, Gazzetta dello Sport, Google, Itech Media, LiveSport Media, LuckyLabz, Moneta, Natural Intelligence, Oddschecker, Oddslife, OLBG, Perform, Racing Post, Rebel Penguin, Smartbets, Sport1Media, Sportlobster, SportsbookReview, Squawka, SuperScommesse.it, Weekend Football, Betgenius, WinDrawWin.com, Dugout and BetXpert.
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For more information about the event, or to get in touch with the speakers, contact SBC MD Andy McCarron at [email protected] or SBC Founder Rasmus Sojmark at [email protected].