Oddschecker to headline new Stars Group affiliate business
Stars’ acquisition of SBG sees Oddschecker merge with iBus Media to become Oddschecker Global Media
Oddschecker is set to combine with affiliate business, iBus Media, and rebrand as Oddschecker Global Media, EGR Intel has learned.
The combined business will be led by current Oddschecker MD Toby Bentall, who becomes Oddschecker Global Media CEO.
Oddschecker Global Media will be split into three departments; starting with Oddschecker UK, which will continue as the group’s core UK odds comparison sports betting business.
This will be led by current Oddschecker COO Andy Towers who has been appointed MD of the Oddschecker UK vertical.
The second department is a hybrid of Oddschecker’s international business and iBus Media’s portfolio of affiliate networks and brands, including PokerNews.com, with the department led by Oddschecker’s current head of international, Andy Lulham.
The third department will be iBus Media’s Barcelona-based digital marketing agency.
Rob Wilson, current CEO of iBus Media, will become COO of Oddschecker Global Media and Oddschecker financial director Nick Barnett has been made CFO.
A rationalisation process has largely been concluded, with the integration resulting in a reduction of between 15% and 20% of the group’s employees.
According to Bentall, the new combination will allow Oddschecker to “optimise existing international territories in a multi-vertical way”, with Oddschecker’s European and Australian businesses set to benefit from the addition of PokerNews.com and iBus Media’s performance marketing agency.
The Oddschecker Global Media headquarters will remain in Hammersmith.
Bentall, who has been in ongoing discussions with Stars CEO Rafi Ashkenazi, said: “The idea is to leverage the reputation that Oddschecker has in the industry and its strong relationship with operators to build a media group that is far more global than Oddschecker has ever been.
“The plan is to utilise the deeper expertise acquired in poker and casino gaming, with a much bigger geographic footprint than the one we currently have, to drive accelerated growth.
“As was the case with Sky Betting & Gaming, The Stars Group leadership understands we must continue to run as an independent business, working autonomously from our own offices”
Cross-sell between poker and sports will also be key strategy particularly in the US.
Bentall also revealed that the long-term strategy of Oddschecker Global Media will include a focus on deals in the US gambling market after the firm applied for a full ancillary New Jersey licence.
The imminent launch of Oddschecker’s B2B live analytics platform will go ahead as planned.
Oddschecker and iBus Media ranked fifth and 25th respectively in EGR Marketing’s 2018 Power Affiliates list.