Grandstand

About Grandstand

Gambling.com Group is a performance marketing firm that provides digital marketing services to the online gambling industry. It does not offer gambling services directly but connects online gambling operators with players through a portfolio of over 50 websites. The company was founded in 2006 as World Sports Network (WSN) by Charles Gillespie and Kevin McCrystle, who were high school and university classmates. Initially funded by personal savings and angel investments, the business first focused on covering soccer for the East Asian market before shifting to European casino affiliate marketing in 2010. The firm rebranded from KAX Media to Gambling.com Group in 2017 to better reflect its core business.

The company's business model is centered on earning commissions from online gambling operators. This is achieved primarily through three revenue models: Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), where it receives a one-time payment for each referred player; Revenue Share, where it gets a percentage of the net gaming revenue from referred players; and a hybrid model combining both. The CPA model is the most common, accounting for 58% of performance marketing revenue in 2023. In recent years, the company has diversified its revenue streams to include subscription services, content syndication, and advertising. A significant part of its strategy involves partnerships with major media companies like Gannett and The McClatchy Company, providing sports betting content to networks such as USA Today and sharing in the resulting revenue.

Gambling.com Group operates globally, with North America being its largest market, contributing 56% of revenues in 2023. A pivotal moment for the company was its strategic entry into the U.S. market in 2018 following the repeal of a federal ban on sports betting. This expansion was supported by a series of strategic acquisitions, including Bookies.com in 2018, RotoWire.com in 2022, and BonusFinder.com in 2022. In July 2021, the company went public on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker GAMB. The founders, Charles Gillespie (CEO) and Kevin McCrystle (COO), remain at the helm, holding significant personal stakes in the company. Headquartered in Saint Helier, Jersey, the group maintains offices in Ireland, the United States, and Malta.