Catena Media
Catena Media is an online gambling information and affiliate-marketing company that generates leads for betting and casino operators.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Catena Media is a digital publishing and lead-generation company focused primarily on online gambling, sports betting, casinos, and related comparison and information services. The company was established in 2012 by childhood friends Erik Bergman and Emil Thidell after the pair had first operated a web-consulting agency. Their earlier business began in 2008 and initially ran from Thidell's parents' basement; in 2010, they relocated to Malta, a major European center for online-gambling businesses. Catena Media was subsequently created with a more specific focus on directing prospective customers toward online gambling operators. The business expanded quickly across Northern Europe. In 2013, it entered Norway, Finland, and Sweden, building a portfolio of websites intended to attract users searching for betting information, casino comparisons, bonuses, sports statistics, and related services. Its growth strategy combined organic website development with acquisitions. The first reported acquisition was Finix Invest in October 2014. During 2015, Catena Media acquired eight additional companies in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and ended that year with approximately 50 employees. By the first quarter of 2017, the company reported revenue of EUR 15.23 million, although the available reference does not specify the comparable period or provide a primary financial filing. Catena Media broadened its portfolio through the acquisition of recognizable digital properties. AskGamblers.com, acquired in April 2016 for EUR 15 million, became one of its largest sites and included a player-complaint resolution service through which users could lodge disputes with gambling operators. The reference material states that, by 2022, the service had helped return approximately USD 47 million to more than 16,781 players. The company also acquired i15Media, the British betting and statistics site SBAT.com, CasinoUK.com, the football publication Squawka, Baybets, BonusSeeker.com, and the foreign-exchange news site LeapRate.com. These transactions reflected a strategy of assembling specialist audiences and monetizing them through affiliate relationships and related digital advertising or lead-generation arrangements. Over time, Catena Media also rationalized its portfolio and withdrew from some markets. In 2022, it agreed to sell the AskGamblers business and associated global casino brands to a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group. In 2023, it agreed to sell its United Kingdom and Australian online sports-betting brands to Moneta Communications, including the UK brands Squawka and GG.co.uk and the company's Australian subsidiary. Later that year, it agreed to sell its Italian-facing online sports-betting and casino assets to two buyers, marking its exit from Italy. These disposals indicate a more selective approach to geographic coverage and asset ownership than the company's earlier acquisition-led expansion. The company has operated internationally, with personnel reported in Malta, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States. Its current public-facing identity is therefore best understood as a specialized online gambling media and performance-marketing group rather than a consumer gambling operator itself.
History
Catena Media's origins can be traced to a web-consulting agency founded in 2008 by childhood friends Erik Bergman and Emil Thidell. The early operation was run from Thidell's parents' basement. In October 2010, the founders moved to Malta, where the regulatory and commercial environment offered proximity to the international online-gambling sector. They established Catena Media in 2012 and concentrated the new company on lead generation for online gambling operators. The company began international expansion in 2013 by entering Norway, Finland, and Sweden. It then adopted an acquisition-led growth model. Finix Invest became its first reported acquisition in October 2014. In 2015, Catena Media bought eight more businesses in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The expansion increased its workforce to about 50 people by the end of 2015 and extended its reach across several European affiliate markets. Catena Media continued to build a portfolio of online publishing properties in the following years. In April 2016, it purchased AskGamblers.com for EUR 15 million. AskGamblers combined gambling information with a complaint-resolution service that allowed players to submit disputes to operators. The service later became an important part of the site's identity; the available reference reports that it had helped return approximately USD 47 million to more than 16,781 players by 2022. In December 2016, Catena Media acquired i15Media and also bought the British websites SBAT.com and CasinoUK.com. SBAT.com focused on sports statistics and betting tips, while CasinoUK.com served the online-casino audience. The company refreshed or expanded its media portfolio during 2017. It relaunched the casino-comparison website JohnSlots.com and acquired Squawka, a football-news site that had been experiencing financial difficulty. Baybets was also acquired during that year. In 2018, Catena Media added the US-based BonusSeeker.com and completed the acquisition of LeapRate.com, a website covering foreign-exchange-market news. These transactions broadened the company's editorial and audience footprint beyond strictly casino comparison, although gambling and betting remained central to its commercial model. The company's development was accompanied by changes in governance. In 2020, chair Kathryn Moore Baker and several other board members departed in a leadership shake-up. The business later entered a phase of portfolio rationalization. In December 2022, Catena Media announced an agreement to sell AskGamblers and related global casino brands to Gaming Innovation Group for EUR 45 million on a cash-free and debt-free basis. In August 2023, it agreed to sell its UK and Australian online sports-betting brands to Moneta Communications for EUR 6 million. The transaction covered the UK assets, including Squawka and GG.co.uk, as well as all shares in the group's wholly owned Australian subsidiary. In November 2023, the company announced agreements to sell its Italian online sports-betting and casino assets for a combined EUR 19.8 million, thereby leaving the Italian market. These disposals marked a shift from broad geographic and asset expansion toward a narrower, more selectively managed international portfolio.
- 2023
UK, Australian, and Italian asset disposals
[1]Catena Media agreed to sell its UK and Australian sports-betting assets and later announced the sale of its Italian sports-betting and casino assets.
- 2022
AskGamblers divestment announced
[1]The company agreed to sell AskGamblers and related global casino brands to Gaming Innovation Group.
- 2018
US and financial-media additions
[1]Catena Media acquired BonusSeeker.com and completed the acquisition of LeapRate.com.
- 2017
Expansion into sports and football media
[1]The company relaunched JohnSlots.com and acquired Squawka and Baybets.
- 2016
AskGamblers acquisition
[1]Catena Media acquired AskGamblers.com and added its player-complaint service to the group.
- 2015
European acquisition expansion
[1]Catena Media acquired eight companies in the UK, Netherlands, and Belgium and reached approximately 50 employees by year-end.
- 2014
First reported acquisition
[1]The company completed its acquisition of Finix Invest in October.
- 2013
Northern European expansion
[1]Catena Media entered the Norwegian, Finnish, and Swedish markets.
- 2012
Catena Media founded
[1]The company was established with a focus on online-gambling lead generation.
- 2010
Move to Malta
[1]The founders relocated their operation from Sweden to Malta in October.
Products and positioning
A performance-marketing and digital-media group serving the online gambling ecosystem through comparison, editorial, statistics, affiliate, and player-support properties.
Casino information and player dispute resolution
AskGamblers.com
AskGamblers was a casino-information and comparison website acquired by Catena Media in 2016. Its distinctive service allowed players to submit complaints and disputes involving gambling operators, who could respond through the platform. The business was sold to Gaming Innovation Group in 2022 together with associated global casino brands.
Sports betting information
SBAT.com
SBAT.com was a British website centered on sports statistics and betting tips. Catena Media acquired it in late 2016 as part of its expansion of sports-betting content and affiliate properties.
Online casino comparison
CasinoUK.com
CasinoUK.com was a UK-focused online-casino website acquired by Catena Media in late 2016. It formed part of the company's portfolio of market-specific comparison and affiliate properties.
Football news and sports media
Squawka
Squawka was a football-news and statistics publication acquired by Catena Media in 2017 after experiencing financial difficulties. It was later included among the UK sports-betting assets sold to Moneta Communications in 2023.
Gambling bonuses and comparison
BonusSeeker.com
BonusSeeker.com was a US-based gambling-information property acquired by Catena Media in 2018. Its subject matter aligned with the group's use of comparison and bonus-oriented content to attract users to gambling operators.
Foreign-exchange financial news
LeapRate.com
LeapRate.com was a foreign-exchange-market news website acquired by Catena Media in 2018. The acquisition extended the company's digital publishing portfolio into financial-market news.
Brand decisions
2023
Sell UK and Australian sports-betting assetsM&ABackground
Catena Media reviewed its geographic and brand portfolio and agreed to dispose of its UK and Australian online sports-betting operations.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell the UK and Australian sports-betting brands and related assets to Moneta Communications for EUR 6 million.
Aftermath
The transaction included UK brands such as Squawka and GG.co.uk and all shares in Catena Media's wholly owned Australian subsidiary.
Agreed transaction value. EUR 6 million (2023)
2023
Exit the Italian marketStrategyBackground
Catena Media decided to withdraw from its Italy-facing online sports-betting and casino activities.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell its Italian sports-betting and casino brands and related assets to two buyers.
Aftermath
The transactions marked Catena Media's exit from the Italian market.
Combined agreed transaction value. EUR 19.8 million (2023)
2022
Sell AskGamblers and associated casino brandsM&ABackground
Catena Media entered into an agreement to dispose of the AskGamblers business and associated global casino brands.
Action taken
The assets were agreed to be sold to a wholly owned subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group for EUR 45 million on a cash-free and debt-free basis.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced Catena Media's ownership of casino-focused media assets and formed part of its portfolio rationalization.
Agreed transaction value. EUR 45 million (2022)
Recent events
Catena Media reports record first-quarter revenue and earnings[2]
Reported:
Catena Media reported record revenue and earnings for the first quarter of its 2021 financial year. Revenue for the three months to 31 March was €40.7 million, up 52.4% year on year.
Catena Media appoints Göran Blomberg interim CEO[3]
Reported:
Catena Media announced the appointment of Göran Blomberg as interim CEO, replacing Per Hellberg, who is leaving the company.
Sources3 sources
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