MediaTroopers Review
7.6/10A Philadelphia media buying agency that works for US regulated online gambling operators under its own state gaming licenses, with the Pennsylvania GCB certification running to 07/25/2028 and Indiana sports wagering registration SWR-000116 among them. Clients include BetMGM, DraftKings, bet365, and Caesars, and the scope stops at the US, Ontario, and Puerto Rico.
Our read
- Pennsylvania GCB Certified Gaming Service Provider status to 07/25/2028, Indiana Sports Wagering Registrant SWR-000116, and a Colorado license from the Limited Gaming Control Commission.
- A new licensed market almost every year since launch: New Jersey (2019), West Virginia (permanent supplier license, 2021), Arizona (2021), Maryland and Washington (2022), Puerto Rico (2023), and Maine (2024).
- Total gaming specialization: the entire proposition is planning, running, and optimizing acquisition for US regulated online gambling operators, with fantasy sports and event wagering covered under the Arizona supplier license.
- Clients include BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, MGM, bet365, PokerStars, BetRivers, Caesars, Golden Nugget, Betway, and 888, and the customer count stood at over 60 in 2021.
- The rev-share option runs on assets the agency owns.
- No case study carries performance metrics.
- Every commercial number is on request, from fees and minimums to contract terms.
US regulated sportsbook and casino operators that want paid acquisition run by a vendor already licensed in the states they target, especially when entering new states.
Operators targeting the UK, Europe, Latin America, or any offshore market, or buyers who need case metrics and rate cards before a sales conversation.
Markets & licensing
MediaTroopers runs paid acquisition for US regulated operators under gaming licenses it holds itself. In Pennsylvania it holds Certified Gaming Service Provider status for affiliate marketing service, the deeper of the state's vendor classes, above Registered, and that certification expires 07/25/2028. Indiana carries it as Sports Wagering Registrant SWR-000116, and Colorado licenses it through the Limited Gaming Control Commission. The rest of the stack came one market at a time: New Jersey first in 2019, a West Virginia temporary supplier license in June 2020 that went permanent in March 2021, the Arizona supplier license of September 2021 covering 13 licensed jurisdictions, the Pennsylvania revenue-share license and the Maryland and Washington grants of 2022, Puerto Rico in July 2023, and the Maine affiliate license in February 2024. Today that adds up to 21 licenses, 13 state supplier plus 6 ancillary, across 19 states, with campaigns also running in 11 more states and Ontario where affiliate-level licensing is not required.
The US regulated map is not a market MediaTroopers serves, it is the whole business: paid acquisition for licensed sportsbooks and casinos, run under the agency's own supplier and ancillary licenses. The 2019 to 2024 grants cover the major early-legalization states, and the client list runs from BetMGM and DraftKings to bet365 and Caesars. In a state that has just regulated, the agency-side filing is either already done or a process it has been through a dozen times.
No UK or European work. A UKGC operator only shortlists MediaTroopers for its US expansion, where the licensing stack is the draw, and looks elsewhere in this lane for anything targeting the UK or Europe.
- Certified Gaming Service ProviderPennsylvania (PGCB)
- Affiliate marketing service under the Certified class, on top of gaming service provider status held since 2019 and a revenue-share license announced April 2022 · Certification expires 07/25/2028
- Sports Wagering Registrant SWR-000116Indiana (Indiana Gaming Commission)
- Sports wagering registration for MediaTroopers Inc.
- Gaming licenseColorado (Limited Gaming Control Commission)
- MediaTroopers, Inc., licensed in Colorado, one of the 13 jurisdictions covered by September 2021
- State licenses, 2019 through 2024NJ, WV, AZ, MD, WA, VA, PR, ME and the 13 jurisdictions of 2021
- New Jersey since 2019, West Virginia permanent supplier 2021-03-01, Arizona supplier 2021-09-09 (covering NJ, PA, CO, IN, TN, IL, MI, Washington DC, WV, VA, IA, WY, AZ), Maryland 2022-06-14, Washington 2022-10, Virginia vendor license, Puerto Rico 2023-07, Maine affiliate 2024-02
Licensing tier: 21 licenses in total, 13 state supplier plus 6 ancillary, across 19 states, with Pennsylvania Certified to 07/25/2028 and Indiana registrant SWR-000116 among them.
Everything outside the US regulated states, Ontario, and Puerto Rico is out of scope.
Clients, partners & engagement
Agencies are judged on the accounts they already run and the platforms and registries they work through. The delivery model shows how the team is staffed day to day.
A licensed media buying engagement rather than a software integration: MediaTroopers buys under its own state supplier and ancillary licenses, so the operator plugs a campaign into an existing regulatory footprint. The affiliate side works the other way around, with the agency's own casino-offer properties feeding traffic on CPA or revenue-share economics.
The regulatory half of a campaign start is already done, since the agency holds the state licenses itself, which leaves kickoff as a commercial and creative question.
Services & market access
Two revenue lines under one license stack: client campaigns, and a revenue-share affiliate side built on properties the agency owns, with a marketing strategy layer over both.
Paid Media
Paid search, paid social, and display media buying for US regulated online gambling operators, executed under the agency's own state gaming licenses rather than a client's vendor registration.
- 12B+ ads served, 61 advertisers, and 128 brands
- Licensed in 19 states, with operations in 11 more states and Ontario where affiliate-level licensing is not required
- Fantasy sports and event wagering covered under the Arizona supplier license (announced September 2021)
- Campaigns for BetMGM, DraftKings, bet365, and Caesars
Affiliate Marketing
The other half of the hybrid model: MediaTroopers is a paid affiliate marketing agency that operates its own state-level casino-offer comparison properties, with the revenue-share commercial model backed by a dedicated Pennsylvania revenue-share license from April 2022.
- MI Casino Offers is one of the agency's own properties, run as a revenue-share affiliate asset
- Reached all possible US revenue share licenses in February 2023
- Maine affiliate license from the Maine Gambling Control Unit (announced 2024-02)
State Licenses
Licensing the agency carries itself instead of borrowing from a client, built up from New Jersey in 2019 through Maine in February 2024.
- Pennsylvania GCB Certified Gaming Service Provider for affiliate marketing service, certification expires 07/25/2028
- Indiana Gaming Commission Sports Wagering Registrant SWR-000116
- West Virginia permanent Sports Wagering Supplier License granted March 2021, after a temporary license from June 2020
- Licensed in 13 jurisdictions by September 2021: NJ, PA, CO, IN, TN, IL, MI, Washington DC, WV, VA, IA, WY, and AZ
- Maryland (2022-06), Washington state (2022-10), Puerto Rico (2023-07), and Maine (2024-02) followed
The history
Longevity in this industry usually comes with a change of owner somewhere in it.
MediaTroopers launched in 2019 in Philadelphia, with the founding tied to a license acquisition process the founders had already begun and New Jersey as the first market. That sequencing is the company in miniature: licensing first, media second. Co-founders Shmulik (Sam) Segal, CEO, and Benjamin Truman, COO until October 2023, built a hybrid model that pairs licensed media buying for US regulated operators with the agency's own affiliate assets. The license stack grew from West Virginia in 2020 to Maine in 2024. The company remains private and founder-led with a 45-plus team and no investors.
Brands & clients on the platform
Corporate
Leadership
Milestones
- 2019
MediaTroopers launches in Philadelphia after the founders begin the license acquisition process, with New Jersey as the first market.
- 2020
West Virginia grants a temporary sports wagering supplier license (2020-06-16).
- 2021
West Virginia makes the supplier license permanent (March), and the Arizona Event Wagering and Fantasy Sports Supplier license lands in September, taking the licensed map to 13 jurisdictions: NJ, PA, CO, IN, TN, IL, MI, Washington DC, WV, VA, IA, WY, and AZ.
- 2022
Pennsylvania adds a revenue-share license (April), Maryland grants a Casinos and Sports Wagering Vendor License (2022-06-14), and Washington state grants an Ancillary Sports Wagering License (October).
- 2023
By February the agency holds all possible US revenue share licenses. The Puerto Rico Gaming Commission licenses it in July, and co-founder COO Benjamin Truman steps down in October.
- 2024
Maine's Gambling Control Unit grants an affiliate license (February), and the long-time SBC sponsor exhibits at SBC Summit North America for the first time.
Where they're pushing next
- Newly regulating US states, where the licensing-first playbook has repeated since 2019
- Ontario, live alongside the US footprint
- Puerto Rico, licensed by its Gaming Commission in July 2023
Longevity and ownership
Switching vendors is expensive, which makes the company's staying power part of the purchase. What the contract says about your data decides how expensive an exit gets.
MediaTroopers vs alternatives
Most buyers in this market shortlist three or four vendors long before they take a single sales call.
| Attribute | MediaTroopers | BugsyEmpire | NinjaPromo | Samba Digital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 | 2019 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Team | 45+ | — | 300+ | 51+ |
| US market | Available | — | — | — |
| Pricing | On request | On request | Public | On request |
| Market posture | Licensed only | Mixed | Mixed | Licensed only |
| Minimum engagement | On request | On request | $4,000/mo | On request |
Pricing & terms
MediaTroopers quotes pricing per project. Here's how the model and the terms are structured.
Flat fee, CPA, or revenue share per engagement, with the revenue-share model backed by the agency's own affiliate assets
The engagement
Flat fee and CPA cover the agency-service side, and revenue share covers the affiliate side. Budget conversations start from scratch in a sales call.
Path to launch
- 1Start with an intro call and a market brief, where the states you target decide how much of the 21-license stack is in play
- 2Choose the channel mix, and whether the affiliate side on the agency's own casino-offer properties joins the plan
- 3Pick the commercial shape, with terms quoted per engagement
- 4Clear compliance without an agency-side vendor filing
- 5Launch campaigns under the licensed footprint