What Clever Advertising does

Clever Advertising is a multinational performance marketing agency founded in Porto, Portugal in 2007, operating as an affiliate-driven customer-acquisition partner for the global iGaming and online betting industry. The company serves 13+ named enterprise operators including bet365, Stake, Betway, 888, Superbet, Hollywoodbets, Codere, Premierbet, Solverde, Winbet, Yajuego, Esporte da Sorte, bet9ja, and XM/FXPro (Forex), delivering first-time depositing customers through four service lines: Media Buying, SEO, PPC, and Influencer Marketing across 5 continents.

Its core technology consists of a proprietary library of more than 24 ad formats — including 3DBOX, Cube, Sticky Footer, Topscroll, Pushdown, Interstitial, Offerwall, and multiple Sponsored Click variants — engineered for desktop, mobile, and in-app environments, several of which are documented at product-page granularity with IAB-standard viewability and animation limits. Underlying delivery is a custom ad-tech stack, complemented by AWS EMEA infrastructure and IAB Europe TCF v2.2 consent signaling (Vendor ID 1070) for GDPR-compliant data handling.

The business model is performance-based affiliate economics: Clever buys media and SEO/influencer placements, drives qualified traffic to operator landing pages, and is compensated on first-time depositing customers delivered. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to tier-1 operators. The company operates through wholly-owned legal entities in Portugal, Malta (Playhill Limited — primary international entity), Brazil (Playhill Brasil Ltda) and the US (Playhill US Inc.), and reports 251–500 employees with offices in Porto, Aveiro, Madeira, Msida, Gzira, São Paulo and Wilmington. In 2025, the company reported 22.1B impressions, 1.5M registrations and 727K first-time depositors generated for operator clients, with no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Clever Advertising

Legal name

Clever Advertising

Website

https://cleveradvertising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Clever Advertising is a Porto-founded (2007) performance marketing agency that drives first-time depositing customers to 13+ enterprise iGaming and online betting operators globally via affiliate-based media buying, SEO, PPC, and influencer campaigns across 5 continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performance Marketing & Affiliate Services for iGaming

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Affiliate/Acquisition Tech, Tracking & Marketing Automation (MPAEAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Paid Media/Media Buying Networks for Betting Leads (MPAEAMAF), Paid Social Advertising (BPAFACAB), Performance Creative & Ad Production (Dynamic/Iterative) (BPAFACAI)

Keywords

• Performance marketing services
• Affiliate marketing agency
• Media buying solutions
• IGaming customer acquisition
• Digital advertising formats

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Performance-Based Advertising (Affiliate Model): Revenue generated through affiliate partnerships with iGaming operators. Company increases acquisition by sending first-time depositing customers through digital channels, operating on performance-based metrics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clever Advertising is a performance marketing agency that acquires first-time depositing customers for iGaming operators through Media Buying, SEO, PPC, and Influencer Marketing delivered on an affiliate, performance-based commercial model. The company serves 13+ enterprise iGaming operator clients across 5 continents and supports its service delivery with a proprietary portfolio of desktop, mobile, and in-app display and video ad formats.

Product overview

Clever Advertising is a multinational performance marketing agency founded in Porto in 2007, operating as a Premium Acquisition Partner for the iGaming industry. The company delivers its core services — Media Buying, SEO, PPC, and Influencer Marketing — across 5 continents, serving 13+ iGaming operators. The product portfolio centers on a suite of proprietary ad formats (including 3DBOX, Sticky Footer, Cube, Topscroll, Pushdown, Interstitial, Offerwall, and various Sponsored Click variants) available across desktop, mobile, and in-app placements, complemented by the Teamtailor-powered recruitment platform and the Clever Launchpad talent development programme. The company measures performance by impressions, registrations, and first-time depositing customers driven for operator clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Media Buying Performance-driven media buying across digital channels (websites, apps, and other digital platforms), including identification, negotiation, and securing of high-value advertising placements to drive first-time depositing customers for iGaming operators.
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Search engine optimization services to improve organic visibility and traffic for iGaming and sports betting brands across US and global markets, including keyword research, content optimization, technical SEO, and link-building.
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Pay-per-click advertising services across digital channels to drive targeted traffic and acquisitions for iGaming operator clients.
• Influencer Marketing Influencer marketing campaigns across digital platforms to promote iGaming brands and drive customer acquisition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22.1B impressions generated in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Malta GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025Clever Advertising launched Clever Launchpad, a funded work experience programme for Maltese youth, in partnership with Malta government and industry stakeholders to develop local digital talent. Malta's Minister for Economy and Gaming Malta's CEO publicly welcomed the investment, citing alignment with Malta Vision 2050.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Income Access (Paysafe): iGaming-focused affiliate software platform owned by Paysafe that competes in the operator-acquisition tracking and affiliate-management stack Clever relies on.
• Oddschecker: UK odds-comparison and sports-betting affiliate site that funnels FTDs to operators via SEO and media buying — partially overlapping acquisition channel mix.

Broad incumbents

• Awin: Global affiliate-marketing network with a gambling vertical offering operator-acquisition services; larger and broader than Clever but operates adjacent performance-channel infrastructure.
• WebGains: European affiliate-marketing network with iGaming and finance clients, offering performance-based customer acquisition as part of a broader publisher programme.

Others

• Partnerize: SaaS affiliate-marketing platform used by brands to manage partner programmes including iGaming; an enabling technology layer adjacent to Clever's service offering.

Direct peers

• Catena Media: Listed Norwegian iGaming lead-generation and affiliate-marketing operator with similar FTD-driven revenue model and operator client base across multiple jurisdictions.
• Better Collective: Public Danish iGaming affiliate-marketing group that buys traffic and monetises sportsbook and casino operator relationships via performance and media-buying channels — directly comparable business model.
• Gambling.com Group: Listed US-headquartered iGaming performance-marketing and affiliate company generating FTDs for operators via SEO, PPC and media buying — same customer-acquisition thesis as Clever.
• Raketech: Public Malta-based performance-marketing and affiliate operator focused on iGaming and fintech lead generation across European and emerging markets — comparable scale and vertical focus.
• XLMedia: AIM-listed digital performance-marketing group with significant iGaming exposure via owned media and media-buying services for operator clients — comparable FTD-driven affiliate model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playhill

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clever Advertising