Gambling Industry Expands Reach Through Stealth Media Partnerships

19 October 2026

The gambling industry is aggressively leveraging quiet media partnerships to expand its digital reach, carving new ground in a strategy that's gaining pace.

The latest high-profile deal is Gambling.com Group's July 2023 agreement with London-based Independent Digital News and Media, the publisher of The Independent. The UK-based international publisher has 20.8 million monthly unique users - a prime target for expansion, according to the company. The deal is described as a "first international media partnership."

Beyond the reach

The numbers compare: Independent Digital News and Media's audience far outpaces that of mainstream U.S. outlets like the Chicago Sun-Times (a McClatchy affiliate) or the USA Today owner Gannett - companies that struck similar journalism and affiliate deals with the gambling company previously. The U.S. deals started in 2022 and have expanded to more than fifty local newspapers that serve 139 million users.

Notably, this is Gambling.com's first deal outside the U.S. According to the agreement, it will deliver sports betting and online casino content for a special section of The Independent's website. Independent's managing director called the section created by the gambling media company "multiyear, strategically important". The outlet depends on income beyond traditional advertising, after experiencing challenges following a merger.

Expanding media affiliate portfolio

The deal is a significant move for Gambling.com, which has been expanding its media affiliate portfolio since late 2022. Initially, the company paired with small- and mid-market outlets like The Oklahoman and The Des Moines Register. By September 2023, it had struck marketing and monetization agreements with U.S. mainstream outlets including the Courier Journal, the Hershey-based Patriot-News (a Gannett affiliate), and the Arizona-based Wilmington Business Journal. In the same month, The Independent was the largest yet to take the gambling money.

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And the publisher will not be alone - but it may be first of many in the UK encountering balance between gambling content and growth strategies. Publishers are also bringing gambling content in-house, maneuvering to balance proper journalism procedures with the acceleration of monetization. For example, North Star Network, a monetization service, has an open role for a Head of Content focused on English-language markets and the gambling industry.

Lucrative arrangements

More lucrative arrangements may be in the offing. ClickOut Media acquired Gambling Insider in a £12 million deal in October 2023, according to an industry report. The acquisition signals risk tolerance and growth potential in the industry. And ClickOut Media is still shopping its gambling content. Last year, they posted an executive role for a gambling content manager.

The deals signal a new balance point between gambling content, media ambition and sound fiscal business in the gambling industry. Traditionally, gambling content has been less integrated with media sales strategies and audiences, constrained by regulatory boundaries, public sensibilities and sometimes a reluctance to expand into more mainstream non-gambling audiences. Gambling communities may be more enthusiastic about the partnerships. On Reddit, users envision "often politically liberal" Independent readers discovering "either new betting options or simply some specific system/strategy they've never tried. Some of them might even get addicted to it." On Twitter, one muses: "I wanna see when USA Today starts putting out daily selections for their playbook. Cash rates unlimited."

The heavy tempo suggests these partnerships are becoming a standard-issue growth channel, not just one-off experiments. Publishing professionals should expect to get more courted.