Gambling.com Group Taps Co-Founder McCrystle as CEO in Strategic Shift

CHARLOTTE, NC – March 26, 2026 – Gambling.com Group has announced a significant, planned leadership transition, positioning the company for its next phase of growth by appointing co-founder and current Chief Operating Officer Kevin McCrystle as its new Chief Executive Officer. The move, effective after the company's Annual General Meeting in mid-May 2026, will see current CEO and co-founder Charles Gillespie step into the newly created role of Executive Chairman.

The transition marks a pivotal moment for the Nasdaq-listed affiliate marketing and sports data services provider, signaling a strategic doubling-down on diversification, technological innovation, and market expansion. While ensuring leadership continuity with its founding team, the shuffle is designed to leverage each co-founder's strengths to navigate an increasingly complex and technology-driven global gambling industry. McCrystle will lead day-to-day operations from the U.S. headquarters in Charlotte, while Gillespie will focus on high-level strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and artificial intelligence.

A 20-Year Legacy and a New Strategic Focus

Charles Gillespie's 20-year tenure as the company's first and only CEO is a story of remarkable growth, transforming an idea conceived in college into a publicly traded powerhouse. He guided the firm from its origins as World Sports Network through pivotal moments, including the strategic $2.5 million acquisition of the Gambling.com domain in 2011 and its successful 2021 Nasdaq listing, becoming the first online gambling affiliate to go public in the United States. His leadership was instrumental in navigating the monumental market shift following the 2018 repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which opened the floodgates for legal sports betting in the U.S.

"Under Charles’ leadership, Gambling.com Group has grown from just an idea to become the first publicly traded online gambling affiliate in the United States that today is a large, highly profitable, global marketing and data services business," said Michael Quartieri, Lead Independent Director. "Quite simply, his vision, accomplishments and 20-year tenure as CEO of Gambling.com Group make him one of the longest-serving and most successful CEOs in the history of the online gambling industry."

In his new capacity as Executive Chairman, Gillespie will pivot from daily operational management to shaping the company's long-term trajectory. His mandate will be to actively evaluate strategic M&A opportunities and ensure the company remains at the forefront of the AI revolution, a key priority for efficiency and product innovation. Quartieri added that Gillespie's "insights and guidance will continue to benefit the Company" in this new role.

"I have spent my entire adult life building Gambling.com Group with Kevin and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we move into the next phase of the Company’s growth," said Gillespie. "As we continue to grow our sports data services business, reinvent our marketing business and embrace an AI led future, now is the right time to refresh our leadership team."

The Operator Takes the Helm

Kevin McCrystle, who has served as COO since 2007, is poised to take the operational reins. Described as working in "lockstep" with Gillespie since the company's inception, McCrystle brings deep institutional knowledge and a proven track record of execution. He has been a driving force behind the company's primary revenue verticals, product development, and the successful integration of key acquisitions.

His international and domestic experience is extensive. McCrystle relocated to Dublin in 2015 to spearhead the development of the European team and business before moving to the Charlotte headquarters in 2020 to oversee the critical expansion into the burgeoning North American market. This hands-on experience across the company's core markets positions him to lead its next operational chapter.

"Kevin is an incredible leader, and with his vast knowledge of our business and the industry he is highly respected by all of our internal and external stakeholders," Quartieri stated. "The Board is highly confident he is ideally suited to become our next CEO to continue to lead and execute on the initiatives already in place."

McCrystle himself framed the transition as a natural evolution. "Over the years, we have had many different phases of growth, from the early startup days right out of college, to developing our early international headquarters in Ireland, to PASPA pivoting our focus to our home country in the U.S., to becoming a publicly traded company," he said. "With our fast-growing sports data services business, the ongoing diversification of our marketing business and the powers of AI rapidly changing how we operate, it’s clear we are now in a new growth execution phase."

Navigating a Shifting Industry Landscape

The leadership reshuffle comes at a time of both significant opportunity and challenge for Gambling.com Group and the wider industry. While the company boasts a gross profit margin above 90% and recent 30% revenue growth, its stock has been trading near a 52-week low. This reflects broader investor apprehension and specific headwinds, including a U.K. tax hike and unfavorable regulatory changes in Finland. Analysts at Stifel, while maintaining a Buy rating, recently lowered their price target, citing these challenges.

However, the transition is viewed by many observers as a logical and well-timed response to these market dynamics. The industry is rapidly maturing, moving away from a pure reliance on search engine optimization (SEO) toward a more diversified, data-driven model. Competitors like Better Collective and Catena Media are also heavily investing in AI and expanding their North American footprints, making strategic agility paramount.

The company's pivot is already underway. For the first time in its history, non-SEO revenue sources exceeded SEO-related revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025, a testament to its strategy of scaling a multi-platform digital media presence that is less volatile, albeit with potentially lower margins. This diversification is crucial as search engines increasingly prioritize content with deep expertise and user intent, a trend that rewards the company's investment in high-quality review sites like Gambling.com, Bookies.com, and Casinos.com.

A Strategic Pivot to Data and Diversification

Under McCrystle's operational leadership, Gambling.com Group is expected to accelerate its transformation into a comprehensive technology and data services provider. A cornerstone of this strategy is the aggressive expansion into sports data, a market projected to exceed $3.9 billion globally in 2026. The company's January 2025 acquisition of Odds Holdings, which includes the consumer-facing OddsJam platform and the enterprise solution OpticOdds, was a landmark move. These brands provide recurring subscription revenue and powerful data tools for bettors and operators alike, with sports data services already expected to contribute over 20% of 2025 revenue.

This push into data is complemented by Gillespie's M&A focus in his new role as Executive Chairman. With an expanded credit facility of $165 million as of early 2025, the company has the financial flexibility to pursue further strategic acquisitions that can bolster its technology stack or expand its market reach.

Looking ahead, the company has projected revenue between $170 million and $180 million for the full year 2026, with adjusted EBITDA of $50 million to $58 million. This guidance reflects continued investment in product development and diversification. The new leadership structure, combining McCrystle's operational acumen with Gillespie's strategic vision for M&A and AI, is designed to execute this plan effectively, steering the company through its next chapter of growth in the dynamic online gambling ecosystem. Both founders are scheduled to jointly host the company's first-quarter 2026 earnings call in May, where they will offer further details on their collaborative vision.