Affiliate Industry
BonusFinder granted Michigan licence

With online sports betting coming to Michigan imminently, local gambling fans will be delighted to learn that BonusFinder.com has been granted an affiliate licence for the US state.
The move could not have been timed better, with sports betting on the verge of being made legal either by the end of 2020 or early in the new year. And with upwards of 10million people living in the state, Michigan has the potential to be a significant online gaming market.
BonusFinder managing director Fintan Costello explained what the new licence means for players: âWe are now legally allowed to operate in the state, which means that once sportsbooks start launching, BonusFinder can list them on the site, write reviews and provide the people of Michigan with the best bonus codes for the sites that are due to launch.â
Michigan sportsbook licence applications were invited in summer 2020, open to commercial land-based casinos and tribes within the state. Following this announcement, many of the worldâs leading online sportsbook and gaming suppliers entered into agreements with Michigan casinos, including Kambi with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Rush Street Interactive with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians/Little River Casino, and DraftKings with Bay Mills Casino.
Costello was also enthusiastic about the ease of the licensing process. He said: âIt was a relatively straightforward process compared to some other states, so we are very grateful for the Michigan Gaming Control Board â the whole process took a little over two months.â
The latest licence comes after a big year for the company, who have already been granted permission to bring BonusFinder to players in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Colorado, Tennessee, and Illinois.
Michigan is home to 24 tribal casinos under 12 tribal compacts, while Detroit has three further casinos; the 27 casinos generated a combined ÂŁ2.87bn in revenue in 2019.
The freshly-minted online gaming and sportsbook regulations have arrived with a competitive tax rate for casinos, so analysts expect Michigan to be a major market. Figures in the region of $650m in revenue for the first year have been touted in some corners, which would generate significant tax revenue.
BonusFinder.comâs Fintan Costello is available for interview on the subject of US state licensing. Contact Jon Bruford for information.
Affiliate Industry
Affiliates in the US Sports Betting Market – Has The Game Gone Cold?

A lot has changed since the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA (The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992) as being unconstitutional, effectively ending Nevadaâs near-monopoly on sports betting in the country. With every US state now free to legalize and launch its own sports betting market, in-person, online, and mobile sports betting grew at a neck-breaking pace.
This explosive growth saw the emergence of âaffiliate companiesâ – marketing agencies specializing in performance marketing and promoting licensed sports betting operators. However, as the market entered a new phase and growth slowed, some affiliates have been seeing mixed results in the past year.
We sat down for a chat with Shmulik Segal, Founder and CEO of Media Troopers, an advertising agency specializing in sports betting and iGaming in North America, to hear his views on the gambling marketplace and what the future holds for affiliates. Segal takes a realistic approach and acknowledges the days of insatiable growth are gone, but he still sees great potential in the market.
Looking at the bigger picture, how bad were things for affiliates in the past year?
Segal: âI wonât tell you the past year hasnât been challenging for marketing agencies like ourselves. Looking at 2024 earning reports of publicly traded marketing agencies in the gambling industry, the results are a mixed bag, Segal says. âWhile some of the largest players in the space saw their US revenues drop by over a third compared to 2023, the earnings of others just flatlined.â
What causes you to be optimistic then?
âBut on the flip side of the coin, there were also companies that saw double-digit growth in earnings,â Segal compares. âSo what does that mixed bag of results tell us? Although the days of explosive growth are over, the market is certainly not on a one-way street. I still see tons of opportunities for companies that are adjusting and doing the right things.â
So what are the main challenges the affiliate market is facing?
âI can divide the challenges into two main categories: objective and subjective. Objective categories would be anything thatâs âman-madeâ, such as legislation (new states that open up), increased regulation (restrictions on advertising, increased taxation), the evolution of technology (Artificial Intelligence and further mobile personalization), competition (both operators and other marketing channels and companies), and all other factors that are created by governments, companies, and individuals,â he explains.
âThe subjective factors are more geographical or permanent. Letâs take sports betting as an example. According to the American Gaming Associationâs state tracker, Out of 51 potential jurisdictions across the country (50 states + Washington DC), 38 have legalized sports betting. However, only seven states have legalized iGaming.â
So, how do you treat these challenges differently?
âAs an affiliate, you understand the fundamental difference between the two types of challenges: your level of control. While you can mitigate objective challenges, you must adapt to subjective ones.â
How do you stay relevant as an affiliate amidst these challenges?
âThe first thing we must always keep in mind is that we make a living out of providing our customers with additional value, i.e. unique knowledge and expertise that the operator doesnât have and fits perfectly into its marketing mix. We must provide our customers with a competitive, cutting edge.â
âCase in point: we constantly strive to be ahead of the curve in everything we do. Our technology platform constantly adapts and upgrades to include more powerful AI tools for segmentation, targeting, and personalization. A huge part of our media teamsâ job is to look for the ânext big thingâ be it a fresh marketing channel or a new source that will enable us to expand our reach and tap into new markets.
Our commercial teams work closely with existing and potential operators to find new ways to bring value to players, be it new games, news, or promotions. And it goes without saying that our compliance team takes great care of ensuring we adhere to the highest standards of safe advertising and responsible gaming.â
âBut no less important,â he concludes, âis the operations team that ties all the pieces together and executes everything. Thatâs one of the biggest challenges, given operations can be slow-moving, we constantly need to improve our execution to keep up with the changes the other parts of the team bring.â
What about other types of challenges? The ones you canât mitigate?
âWhen it comes to subjective challenges, however, you have much less control, and this is where companies must brace themselves and adapt quickly. Case in point, there are 38 sports betting states, while a portion of the remaining ones, such as Hawai, Utah, Texas, and California, wonât introduce sports betting or iGaming in the foreseeable future.
With fewer states regulating gaming in the foreseeable future, is the market bound to shrink?
âI donât see it that way. Long gone are the days when a new market opened every few months. What would you do? You canât âmagic upâ more states. But you can certainly adapt and brace yourself to improve and grow your share in existing markets, which is exactly what we are focusing on doing,â he explains. âAlong with acquiring new players through new and existing markets, we are constantly looking for new channels that will bring our customers (operators) loyalty and higher lifetime value.â
You are talking about increasing share and value, does that mean there are no new opportunities?
âWe see huge potential, with opportunities constantly coming to knock on our door. North Carolina and Vermont were the two new markets that launched in 2024, and we are already seeing a lot of growth there. For example, North Carolina, which only went live with sports betting in March 2024, but by the end of the year, already clinched ninth place in the Top 10 sports betting states, reporting revenues of over $583.
This is why we treat every state as a standalone ecosystem with its unique set of challenges, requirements, and potential. The next exciting challenge (and opportunity) we are preparing for is Missouri, which legalized sports betting at the end of 2024 but has yet to launch. We have already been hard at work since the ballot was approved in November, so we can hit the ground running and start sending our MO sportsbook partners newly depositing customers from day one.
What about organic growth in existing markets?
âThereâs certainly that also. While every new state that launches sports betting can potentially bring a spike in growth, we are certainly seeing organic growth and improved results across the board year after year. Take as an example the Super Bowl. In 2025, legal US bets on the Super Bowl grew 10% year-on-year. Or March Madness, on which best are expected to grow 13% from last year.
So, is there still organic growth in existing markets? For us, itâs a big, fat yes.â
Are you planning on staying within the iGaming and sports betting markets in the near future?
âThatâs a very good question I ask myself every day, Segal smiles and immediately corrects himself. âActually, scratch that. I ask myself this question many times over the course of a day in the office.â
He elaborates: âiGaming is tangent to other gaming verticals, and sports betting has an overlap with a whole universe of sports and its related verticals. Every website in these verticals needs traffic, and we know how to provide it. So new opportunities knocking on our door. But how do we capitalize on these without losing our focus and commitment to our core business? We keep our ears and eyes open, but never lose focus.â
Affiliate Industry
MetaBet inks Gentoo Media partnership to enhance flagship sites

MetaBet, the pioneering provider of sports betting engagement tools, has partnered with Gentoo Media, a leading affiliate, to integrate its cutting-edge sports betting widgets into two of Gentoo’s flagship websites, World Sports Network (WSN) and Time2play.
MetaBet’s proprietary widgets are designed to nurture engagement, increase sportsbook conversions, and maximize affiliate revenue, all through seamless integration with just one line of code. With market-setting load speed and contextual placements, MetaBet’s products will empower Gentoo to focus on what they do best.
WSN and Time2play are trusted platforms for sports betting and casino enthusiasts in the US and Canada. Between them, they have captured an audience of millions of sports fans on the back of expert reviews, exclusive offers, and accurate content. As Gentoo amplifies its presence in the US, MetaBet’s innovative technology will be a key element in their success.
MetaBet Founder, Mark Phillip, said:Â “Partnering with Gentoo Media, a data-driven company with a new name but long track record, is a testament to our market-leading status. Our technology, leveraged through their trusted platform will enhance engagement and conversions to accelerate Gentoo’s growth strategy within the US and beyond.”
Affiliate Industry
AGS Announces Expiration of Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Waiting Period for Acquisition by Affiliates of Brightstar Capital Partners

PlayAGS, Incorporated (NYSE: AGS) (âAGSâ or the âCompanyâ), a global gaming supplier of high-performing slot, table, and interactive products, today announced the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the âHSR Actâ), in connection with the previously announced agreement for the Company to be acquired by affiliates of Brightstar Capital Partners (âBrightstarâ) for $12.50 per share in cash (the âProposed Transactionâ).
The HSR Act waiting period expired at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on December 9, 2024, satisfying an important condition necessary for the completion of the Proposed Transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to other conditions and regulatory approvals.
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