Follow-up Release Details TFL’s Multi-Channel Revenue Streams, Expected TicketSmarter Alignment, Festival Integration, and Casino/Resort Expansion Opportunities Following Contemplated Completion of the Acquisition
OLATHE, KS, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kustom Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: KUST) (“Kustom”) today issued a comprehensive operational briefing detailing TFL’s multi-channel revenue streams, enterprise technology platforms, and significant synergy targets defining its pending acquisition of TFL, LLC (dba Tickets For Less) (“TFL”).
Building upon the definitive acquisition agreement previously announced (the “Unit Purchase Agreement”), this strategic overview provides investors and industry partners with an in-depth look at TFL’s high-margin business model. The update outlines an expected execution roadmap to integrate TFL’s established infrastructure into Kustom’s broader ecosystem—specifically accelerating anticipated gross margin expansion across the TicketSmarter platform, internalizing primary ticketing fees across Kustom’s live music festival portfolio, and unlocking scalable cross-promotional and enterprise hospitality opportunities across national venue and casino networks.
Comprehensive Overview of TFL, LLC Operations & Revenue Streams
TFL operates as a diversified live event technology, wholesale distribution, and consumer ticketing enterprise. Its revenue model is anchored by five distinct, high-margin pillars which generated in excess of $238 million of full-year 2025 revenue:
- Direct-to-Consumer Marketplace: TFL’s fully owned and managed TicketsForLess.com marketplace provides consumers with access to sports, concert and theater tickets nationwide through a transparent, no-hidden-service-fees purchasing experience.
- Official Rights Holder Partnerships: Relationships with professional teams, collegiate athletic programs, venues and other rights holders provide access to ticket inventory and supports tailored pricing and distribution strategies. TFLConnect enables participating rights holders to manage pricing and distribute inventory across primary and secondary markets.
- Enterprise SaaS & Ticketing Solutions: Customized ticketing solutions for corporate loyalty, employee-benefit and customer-reward programs, using TFL’s private-label technology and inventory access to provide live-event tickets through branded websites and integrations.
- B2B Wholesale and Inventory Distribution: Large-scale aggregation, real-time pricing and wholesale distribution of sports, concert and theater ticket inventory across extensive partner feeds.
- Corporate Hospitality & VIP Packages: Specialized B2B sales delivering turnkey corporate entertainment and premium VIP hospitality experiences to enterprise clients.
Driving Substantial Synergies Across the Kustom Ecosystem
Unifying Secondary & Wholesale Ticketing Infrastructure (TicketSmarter Alignment): TFL’s proprietary website software platform already serve as core backend infrastructure for Kustom’s existing ticketing subsidiary, TicketSmarter. Bringing TFL fully in-house is expected to eliminate technology fee redundancies, enhances operating scale, and drives significant gross margin expansion. Unifying TFL’s -proprietary multi-feed capabilities with TicketSmarter’s extensive partner network will enable the combined enterprise to optimize yield management and capture maximum margin per ticket across all inventory pools.
Supercharging Live Event Concert & Festival Production
The integration of TFL will transform Kustom’s live music festival and concert production division by replacing third-party ticketing dependencies with an internal, highly efficient distribution pipeline:
- Margin Internalization & Retention: Integrating TFL’s platform across Kustom’s music festival portfolio will enable Kustom to retain a greater share of ticketing revenue and capture secondary-market revenue.
- First-Party Data: Direct access to fan event preferences and ticketing data will enable Kustom to execute targeted cross-selling, promotional campaigns, and regional event marketing straight to verified live event attendees.
- Dynamic Pricing Execution: TFL’s real-time demand monitoring and dynamic pricing tools will optimize tier rollouts and early-bird sales cycles across all upcoming Kustom concert tours and festival properties.
Cross-Utilization of Venue Relationships and Festival Sites
- Expanding Kustom’s Festival Footprint: TFL will bring long-standing relationships with venues, arenas, collegiate athletic departments, and professional sports teams. Kustom will leverage these established relationships to secure prime physical sites for new music festivals, outdoor concerts, and touring entertainment series.
- Driving Content to TFL Platforms: Conversely, Kustom’s expanding portfolio of live music events and festivals will provide TFL with exclusive primary ticket inventory and reliable secondary access, increasing user engagement and transaction velocity across TFL marketplaces.
Hospitality, Casino, and Resort Expansion: Gilley’s Gambling House and the Phil Ruffin Portfolio
The pending acquisition provides a powerful operating framework to potentially scale Kustom’s recent strategic partnership with Gilley’s Gambling House in Wichita, Kansas, while establishing a bridge for broader multi-property monetization:
- Host Locations for Live Productions: Gilley’s physical properties provide turnkey host destinations for Kustom’s live music productions and festival events.
- Enterprise Ticketing Integration: TFL will embed its white-label e-commerce platforms, corporate hospitality programs, and VIP ticketing services directly into Gilley’s gaming and entertainment operations.
- Broader Phil Ruffin Casino & Resort Alignment: The partnership will open immediate pathways to explore enterprise ticketing, corporate access, and live entertainment distribution across the extensive casino, hotel, and commercial real estate portfolio owned by billionaire gaming executive Phil Ruffin. TFL is positioned to serve as the exclusive ticketing and VIP hospitality portal for gaming events, showroom concerts, and guest reward programs across premier properties.
Executive Commentary:
Stanton E. Ross, CEO of Kustom Entertainment, Inc. – “As we work toward closing our acquisition of TFL, our team is increasingly focused on the immediate operational value and margin expansion this combination unlocks. TFL is far more than a ticketing reseller—it is an engine powered by proprietary software, deep venue relationships, and multi-channel revenue streams that complement Kustom’s existing assets seamlessly. By bringing TFL under the Kustom umbrella alongside TicketSmarter, we will consolidate our tech stack, eliminate redundant third-party fee structures, and position our festival business to capture full margin across both primary and secondary ticket inventory. Furthermore, TFL’s enterprise platform will provide us with the infrastructure to support large-scale venue and resort partnerships, such as our recent alignment with Gilley’s, giving us an end-to-end live entertainment model that drives real, long-term shareholder value.”
Dan Rouen, Founder and CEO of TFL, LLC – “Since founding TFL, our mission has been centered on building scalable ticketing technology, transparent pricing models, and lasting relationships across sports, music, and venue management. Joining Kustom is a natural evolution for our business that allows us to deploy our enterprise tools, white-label software, and wholesale distribution networks on a much larger stage. Aligning our proprietary technology directly with Kustom’s festival footprint and TicketSmarter’s expansive partner network will unlock powerful cross-promotional capabilities and create fresh growth channels across live music, corporate hospitality, and gaming resort properties. We look forward to completing this transaction and combining our operations to power the next generation of live event experiences.”
About TFL, LLC
Founded in 2004 as Tickets For Less, TFL, LLC is a premier live event ticketing technology and inventory distribution platform headquartered in Overland Park, KS. TFL manages millions in live event ticket inventory on behalf of their team and venue partners using its proprietary distribution engine, and aggregates billions in inventory with its proprietary multi-feed. TFL is widely recognized for its transparent pricing model, strong asset base, and sustained operational profitability across regional and national markets. For more information, visit www.ticketsforless.com.
About Kustom Entertainment, Inc.
Kustom Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: KUST) specializes in large-scale live music festival production, event management, and ticketing technology solutions designed to maximize high-margin monetization across the entire live event lifecycle. For more information, visit http://www.kustoment.com/
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties including the ability of the parties to finalize definitive documentation and the satisfaction of closing conditions by the anticipated closing date. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated closing of the transaction contemplated by the Unit Purchase Agreement; the Company’s growth strategy; the integration of the acquired business; and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by words such as “continue,” “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “expected,” “plans,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, our business, operating results, financial condition, and stock price could be materially negatively affected. You should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based on the information currently available to us and speak only as of today’s date. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company’s performance or achievements to be materially different from any expected future results, performance, or achievements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Examples of such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the closing conditions and obtaining required consents; the success of integrating the business; any potential legal proceedings; or, the future performance of the Company’s common stock. Actual future results, performance or achievements may differ materially from historical results or those anticipated depending on a variety of factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, the risks described from time to time in the Company’s periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the risks described in the Company’s 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (as applicable). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. All information is current as of the date this press release is issued, and the Company undertakes no duty to update this information.
Media & Investor Contact:
Stanton E. Ross, CEO
Kustom Entertainment, Inc.
Phone: (913) 456-KUST (5878)
Email: info@kustoment.com
Websites: www.kustoment.com
