Clickout Media makes journalists redundant but bylines revived with AI

Key Points:

• Several journalists have been made redundant at sites owned by parasite SEO company Clickout Media, including Gambling Insider and Esports Insider, with AI-generated articles now appearing under their bylines.
• Clickout Media, a UK-based SEO firm, acquires journalistic outlets to leverage their Google search reputation to boost online casino links, a highly profitable strategy known as parasite SEO.
• Following manual Google penalties that lowered these sites' search rankings, many journalists were laid off and replaced by AI-generated content or anonymous editorial bylines to maintain the appearance of active newsrooms.
• Clickout Media denies owning Esports Insider despite employee claims and online evidence linking the site to the company, which reportedly owns up to 300 websites and has recently acquired additional gaming-related domains.
• The company has seen a sharp decline in revenue and reported significant losses, with all employees terminated by the end of 2024, suggesting a restructuring amid ongoing Google penalties for search abuse related to parasite SEO tactics.