In the fourth part of this year’s winner interview series, Owen Watters traces his journey from Sportingbet to Gambling.com Group, outlines the affiliate’s disciplined M&A strategy behind its double win and shares ongoing campaigns that continue to define its future success.
Like founder Charles Gillespie, iGBA winner Gambling.com Group’s VP commercial Owen Watters entered the iGaming landscape right after college, joining the US-focused Sportingbet as its customer support supervisor in 2003. With online poker launches and casino expansion, the early 2000s was a time of frenetic energy.
“I was drawn in straight away – the pace, the energy, the constant evolution of the space – it was thrilling,” Watters recalls.
A turning point was 15 April 2011, the Black Friday in the US online poker landscape, not where good prices were slashed on sale, but when the federal government cracked down on the industry and millions of dollars in player funds were frozen. This prompted Watters to move to Spain, where he helped a gaming software supplier expand across Europe until competition stiffened.
I was drawn in straight away – the pace, the energy, the constant evolution of the space – it was thrilling
Owen Watters
Returning to Dublin in 2017, Watters discovered an opening for a senior account manager at Gambling.com Group. The opportunity offered a new vantage point on growth while keeping him deeply connected to the operator space.
“I’d always been familiar with this side of the industry, but I’d never worked in it directly. The role offered a whole new perspective on acquisition and growth,” he explains. As the business grew, he stepped up to his current role last year, overseeing the group’s rest of the world markets.
Disciplined M&A
With regulatory changes, Google updates and AI disruption, recent years have been rocky for listed affiliates. Many have suffered revenue declines, spun off assets and announced broad layoffs, with the former industry giant XLMedia exiting the landscape completely.
But Gambling.com Group is doing surprisingly well. Despite struggles in its North American market last year, the business has since fully recovered, announcing 30% revenue growth in the most recent quarter. While M&A has generally slowed across the sector, the group is on an acquisition spree, going beyond the traditional affiliate scope and buying the booking platform Spotlight.Vegas. Its WhichBingo brand, bought from XLMedia in 2024, won the iGBA Best Bingo Affiliate award this summer, ending the five-year reign of BingoPort.
Nevertheless, Watters says the company “has always been picky when it comes to M&A”. Rather than chase scale at any cost, the company takes what Watters calls a “disciplined acquisition approach” to ensure strategic alignment.
The company has always been picky when it comes to M&A. We’re not making acquisitions just for the sake of doing so
Owen Watters
“We’re not making acquisitions just for the sake of doing so,” Owen says. “The opportunity to purchase WhichBingo, for example, was pursued because it was a strong complement to our business and presented a highly accretive opportunity, giving us a clear path to drive further growth in both our existing European markets and new ones.”
Integration is the other half of the equation. The group looks for brands that not only add reach but can also be plugged seamlessly into its centralised tech stack. Since joining the group, WhichBingo has been aligned with its AdTech platform and scalable infrastructure, which Watters believes is leading to year-on-year organic traffic growth and improved domain authority.
The philosophy is not limited to European markets. The group’s US fantasy sports veteran RotoWire, acquired in 2022, recently relaunched with a new brand identity and enhanced fantasy football app built for smarter drafts, faster decisions and weekly wins. As the NFL season approaches, Watters is expecting the relaunched RotoWire to gain traction among players and further establish it as an industry leader.
Creative campaigns
Beyond acquisitions and tech development, Gambling.com Group has also made its mark with creative campaigns. A standout example is International Casinos Day, launched by Casinos.com this last May. With the backing of Las Vegas mayor Shelley Berkley, the campaign was designed to highlight both the economic and cultural significance of casinos worldwide.
Watters’ favourite element was the awards. Voted for by players, the categories ranged from “Best Casino in Las Vegas” to quirky accolades such as “The Royal Flush” for casinos with the best bathrooms and “The Most Annoying Casino Influencer”.
No matter what part of our portfolio, we are always working to innovate and bring something new to the table
Owen Watters
“The campaign helped put a spotlight on the industry while elevating our brand in a fun way as part of the process,” Watters explains. “No matter what part of our portfolio, we are always working to innovate and bring something new to the table.”
The WhichBingo Awards showed another angle of that innovation. Hosted aboard the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Gibraltar, this year’s event drew around 265,000 votes – almost triple the number from the previous year. Much like Oddschecker’s Endorsed initiative, Watters believes the awards have become a mark of credibility for operators while reinforcing WhichBingo’s role at the heart of the UK’s online bingo and slots community.
Recognition and moving forward
Although Gambling.com Group is no stranger to iGBA Awards, Watters is delighted that the team’s efforts led to a double win this year.
We are fortunate to have won many industry awards, but winning two in one year from a well-recognised authority such as iGB is extra special
Owen Watters
“We are fortunate to have won many industry awards, but winning two in one year from a well-recognised authority such as iGB is extra special. We’re fortunate to have such a talented, innovative team, and it's always special to see their hard work recognised and celebrated,” he says.
Looking ahead, he suggests the focus will remain on accelerating growth in established markets such as the UK and Europe, while keeping an eye on opportunities that fit the group’s disciplined model. As Gillespie revealed in earnings calls this year, the business is also “spending a lot of time looking at prediction markets”, awaiting regulatory development and “hoping for the best”.
With a growing portfolio, Watters hints at launching more inventive campaigns in the months ahead. Now eight years into his time at the company, he says he has “fully embraced” the affiliate sector and looks forward to taking on new challenges, leading the group at the helm of a fast-paced, data-driven industry.
Watch the Gambling.com Group team's reaction to being crowned Best Casino Affiliate and Best Bingo Affiliate at the 2025 iGB Affiliate Awards below: