Power Affiliates

To view the EGR Power Affiliates rankings, please click HERE
Welcome to this year’s Power Affiliates 2022 rankings.

Following the enormous disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 represented somewhat of a return to normal.

While casino affiliates were not overly affected by the pandemic, sports betting firms will have been glad to see the reappearance of a relatively regular sporting schedule in 2021, which saw the return of major sporting events including the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and the Olympics as well as many others.

The affiliate space has continued to look across the Atlantic as more states legalise sports betting at a rapid pace. Louisiana and New York most specifically joined the party just after the reporting period for these rankings, with Ontario north of the border an incredibly exciting proposition having launched in April.

North American M&A activity not surprisingly made the headlines over the past year, with Better Collective (BC) leading the pack by snapping up US sports betting media platform Action Network in its largest ever deal, forking out a cool $240m.

BC was not, however, the only firm making waves in North America with plenty of affiliates included in this list investing seven and eight-figure sums in multiple deals across Canada and the US. Catena Media bolstered its US position with the $40m purchase of Lineups and a $45m deal for i15 Media in May and September 2021 respectively, while XLMedia spent $26m on Sports Betting Dime in March 2021 and $23m on the acquisition of Saturday Football in September 2021.

The US gold rush shows no sign of abating with new states readying to legalise online sports betting throughout the rest of the year. The North American free-for-all was offset somewhat, however, with continued strict regulation in Europe.

Headwinds in the Netherlands and Germany, specifically, have had an effect on affiliate operations in those countries. An eye-watering 5.3% turnover tax was introduced on slots and poker in Germany, as well as a €1,000 per month deposit limit across the board, while in the Netherlands only 10 companies were provided with a licence when the re-regulated market launched in October 2021.

Sweden has also seen continued regulation on and off throughout the year on the back of Covid-19 restrictions and will certainly have affected a number of affiliates that work alongside the big operators in the Nordic market.

Once again, EGR has joined forces with accountancy and business advisory firm BDO to crunch the numbers for a second year running. Having worked on numerous editions of the Power 50 rankings, BDO works impartially to sift through the financials of each company, where available, to most accurately place those that have made the grade.

BDO uses this information to create a growth score which is then cross-referenced against last year’s performance using EGR’s affiliate expertise to provide a position.

EGR would like to thank BDO for its collaboration in compiling our rankings and bet365 Partners for its continued support in sponsoring this year’s list.

Proudly sponsored by:

“Bet365 Partners is delighted to sponsor the EGR Power Affiliates list for 2022 and we look forward to continuing to develop our long-standing partnerships with all that appear.”

The Power Affiliates rankings are compiled in partnership with BDO, one of the world’s leading accountancy firms and is a leading service provider to the online gaming sector.

Previous years Power 50s

EGR Power Affiliates 2021
EGR Power Affiliates 2020
EGR Power Affiliates 2019
EGR Power Affiliates 2018
EGR Power Affiliates 2017