Game Lounge, the performance-based marketing division of Swedish gambling group Cherry AB, today announced the launch of its first Japan-facing affiliate website. As the company itself revealed, it has become the first within its business area to enter the Japanese affiliate market on a professional level.
To comment on the new direction their business has taken, Game Lounge CEO Jonas Cederholm said that they consider it very important to pay careful attention to the Japanese market and the needs of local customers as the environment there is very different from what they have got accustomed to operating around European jurisdictions.
Mr. Cederholm also noted that the newly launched affiliate website is handled and will be handled by well-seasoned Japanese marketers, content writers, and designers, all boasting considerable experience in the iGaming industry.
Founded in 2011 by Mr. Cederholm and Fredrik Langeland, the Malta-based company has been focused on performance-based online marketing with particular focus on the online gambling industry. Since established, Game Lounge has expanded its portfolio in the Nordics and other parts of Europe. Early in 2015, Cherry acquired a 51% stake in the company, adding another well-performing business to its operations.
In August, Game Lounge announced that it would expand its European footprint through the acquisition of affiliate business Interclick Ltd. The purchase deal allowed the performance-based marketing company to extend its presence into the UK and German markets.
Game Lounge bought the company for the total amount of $1.5 million. It said that it expected Interclick to increase its full-year revenue by €1.3 million and EBITDA by €1 million.
Part of Cherry AB, Game Lounge’s quarterly, interim, and full-year financial results are posted together with those of the whole group. The gambling operator reported overall revenue of SEK214 million, up 39% year-on-year, for the third quarter of the year. EBITDA was up 78% year-on-year to SEK30.9 million.
Game Lounge alone saw revenue increase of 167% as compared to the third quarter of 2015. EBITDA rose 104% year-on-year to reach SEK6 million.
Interim report for the nine months ended September 30, showed overall group revenue of SEK583 million, reflecting a 64% increase from the prior-year period. EBITDA grew 472% to SEK71.4 million. Game Lounge’s nine-month revenue was up 173% and EBITDA totaled SEK13.6 million, up from SEK7 million in the same nine months of 2015.
