Buying scale cheaply in betting media
Listed affiliates trade at low multiples and several face balance-sheet pressure. For well-capitalised owners, that creates a window to consolidate.
Independent corporate finance & strategy
Senior advice for the betting and gaming industry.
Powell Consulting advises boards, owners and investors on mergers and acquisitions, strategic options, capital and investor relations. We bring board-level experience of the sector and the analytical depth of an investment bank, without the conflicts.
- Focus
- Betting, gaming & sports data
- Coverage
- Europe and North America
- Based
- Ireland
Our approach
Why independent advice
Large banks cover betting and gaming as one sector among many. We work only in this industry, so every recommendation starts from how these businesses actually make money: margin, handle, player value, regulation and tax.
Conflict-free
We do not lend, trade or sell research. Our only interest is the outcome for our client.
Senior attention
The person who wins the mandate does the work, from first analysis to the board meeting and the negotiating table.
Sector depth
Board experience at leading operators, and a live view of who owns what across the European and US value chain.
Advisory
What we do
Engagements range from a single discussion paper for a board to running a full transaction alongside legal and accounting advisers.
Mergers & acquisitions
Buy-side and sell-side advice, from target identification and valuation to process management and negotiation.
- Acquisition strategy and screening
- Sale preparation and buyer outreach
- Valuation and synergy cases
Strategic options reviews
An independent view for boards and shareholders on growth, consolidation and exit routes, with a clear recommended path.
- Organic versus acquisitive growth
- Merger and combination analysis
- Exit timing and routes
Capital & refinancing
Advice on raising equity or debt and on reshaping balance sheets ahead of maturities or strategic moves.
- Refinancing and maturity planning
- Equity and growth capital raises
- Lender and investor materials
Investor relations strategy
For listed operators: closing the gap between the business and how the market prices it.
- Equity story and segment reporting
- Valuation and sum-of-the-parts work
- Capital markets day preparation
Due diligence & model review
Rigorous review of business plans and financial models for investors, lenders and acquirers.
- Model stress-testing
- Commercial and financial diligence
- Investment committee papers
Have a transaction or a board question in mind?
Discuss a mandateSector coverage
The betting and gaming value chain
We maintain our own M&A monitor of around 100 companies across Europe and the US. It tracks ownership, balance sheets and strategic fit, and it is the starting point for most of our ideas.
| Segment | What we cover | Current themes |
|---|---|---|
| Operators | Sportsbooks, online casino and multi-brand groups, listed and private | US scale and profitability, European consolidation, market exits |
| Exchanges & prediction markets | Betting exchanges, sharp books and event-contract platforms | Liquidity, regulation, competitive pressure on fixed-odds |
| B2B & platforms | Platform, content, payments and risk technology suppliers | Platform consolidation, refinancing, carve-outs |
| Data & media | Sports data, betting media and affiliate businesses | Low valuations, ownership change, data licensing |
| Racing | Racing media, data and wagering businesses | Brand value, distribution, strategic ownership |
Coverage: Europe + United States · refreshed weekly
Perspectives
Recent thinking
Our discussion papers are written for boards and owners. Summaries of recent themes are below; full papers are available on request.
The equity story gap in listed sportsbooks
Why markets misprice multi-segment operators, and how clearer reporting and a sum-of-the-parts lens can close the gap.
Online casino, not sports betting, is the US growth engine
The case for weighting acquisition strategy toward iGaming as state legalisation and margin profiles diverge.
Bobby PowellFounder
About
Board-level experience, banker-grade analysis
Bobby Powell founded Powell Consulting to give companies in betting and gaming the kind of advice usually reserved for the largest clients of global banks.
His background spans corporate finance, strategy and investor relations. He has held board-level roles in the sector, including at Pinnacle and Sporting Index, giving him a view of these businesses from the inside as well as from the market.
- Disciplines
- Corporate finance · Strategy · Investor relations
- Board experience
- Pinnacle · Sporting Index
- Clients
- Boards, owners, private equity and investors
- Location
- Ireland, working across Europe and the US
Contact
Discuss a transaction or a strategic question in confidence.
We are happy to start with an informal conversation. All enquiries are treated as strictly confidential.
Email Bobby Powell
bwpowell@powellconsulting.org