The Betting Startups Podcast
BettingStartups.com 257 episodes Nov 3, 2026
The Betting Startups Podcast features interviews and conversations with founders and CEOs of promising startups in the betting, fantasy sports, and iGaming industry. The show explores how new companies are competing in a multi-billion dollar market and gives listeners insight into the people building them. It is aimed at listeners interested in startup growth, innovation, and business opportunities across sports betting and related sectors.
Episodes
Ep. 234: Activating global fandoms through skill-based cash quizzes w/ Thomas Koller from Quiz2Coin
Ep. 234 features Thomas Koller, Founder of Quiz2Coin, to discuss the evolution of the platform from a free-to-play quiz game into a real-money, skill-based tournament product, its fan-focused approach to engagement, and its plans to scale globally.
Hear them discuss:
Thomas’s entrepreneurial background and how he transitioned from consumer goods into the gaming industry.
Quiz2Coin’s origins
Ep. 233: Raising $7m to build "the Shopify for iGaming" w/ Val Makovetskii from Maincard
Ep. 233 features Val Makovetskii from Maincard, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, Maincard’s evolution into a full-stack platform for launching gaming brands, its recently announced $7 million oversubscribed seed round, and its vision to expand into banking solutions and gamified commerce.
Hear them discuss:
Val’s entrepreneurial journey across logistics, electronics manufacturing, online e
Ep. 232: Turnkey tech for the $4B digital pack-ripping market w/ Viktor Atanasovski from B2Bux
Ep. 232 features Viktor Atanasovski, Founder of B2Bux, to discuss the rise of pack ripping and mystery boxes as emerging real-money gaming verticals, how B2Bux helps operators launch these experiences, and the company’s plans for growth through B2B partnerships and its own consumer brand, Riply.us.
Hear them discuss:
Viktor’s 10-year journey in iGaming, from affiliate marketing to launching and s
Ep. 231: Pioneering the "Studio as a service" model w/ Sandra Wong from Lucky Lady Games
Ep. 231 features Sandra Wong, Founder of Lucky Lady Games, to discuss Volt, an AI-powered platform designed to help casino operators and game studios create and launch original branded games in minutes. Sandra shares her journey from professional poker player and product designer at VGW to startup founder, how Volt aims to improve player retention through personalized gaming experiences, and how t
Ep. 230: Automating competitive market intelligence for iGaming operators w/ Hakon & Rishin from Gmonitor
Ep. 230 welcomes Rishin and Hakon, Co-founders of Gmonitor, following a whirlwind 10 days that took them from Zero Labs Cohort 9 in Las Vegas to winning the first First Pitch competition at SBC Summit in Lisbon. The founders discuss their competitive and market intelligence platform for iGaming operators, their AI-native approach, and their ambitious vision to become the intelligence layer for the
Ep. 229: Inside the raise to build "Expedia for sports betting" w/ Gino Donati from BetOpenly and OpenMarkets
Ep. 229 welcomes back Gino Donati, Founder of BetOpenly, for a bonus episode exploring the evolution of his peer-to-peer betting exchange and his ambitious new venture, Open Markets. Gino discusses building a universal betting marketplace, connecting liquidity across platforms, serving institutional clients, and the lessons he's learned about fundraising and scaling a business.
Hear him discuss:
Ep. 228: Reinventing free-to-play prediction games "without the bill" w/ Maksim Afanasev from Pixl.Bet
Ep. 228 features Maksim Afanasev, Founder of Pixl.Bet, to discuss his journey from sportsbook product leadership to entrepreneurship, and how he is building a free-to-play sports gaming platform designed to capture the excitement of betting without the financial risk.
Hear them discuss:
Maksim’s 17-year journey in the betting industry, from Coral to sportsbook product leadership and Sportradar.
Ep. 227: Meet the First Pitch finalists for SBC Summit in Lisbon
Ep. 227 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we meet the 5 startups selected to present at the SBC First Pitch Competition during SBC Summit in Lisbon on October 1st, 2026.
In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists:
Teemu Huuhtanen from Betsy
Rishin Kesarla from GMonitor
Cristian Barbosa from InsightPlay.ai
Eduardo Cesar Franceschett from Safefy
Alfonso González García
Ep. 226: Empowering prediction market traders w/ Justin & Cam from PredictQ
Ep. 226 features Cameron MacMillan and Justin Herzig, co-founders of PredictQ, to discuss their vision for building the expert layer of prediction markets. The pair share how their backgrounds in DFS, analytics, community building, and technology came together to create a platform designed to help traders discover, analyze, and trade prediction markets more effectively.
Hear them discuss:
Justin
Ep. 225: Unifying the messy sports data ecosystem w/ Amar Rao from SportsStack
Ep. 225 features Amar Rao, Co-Founder of SportsStack, to discuss the challenges of sports data infrastructure and how SportsStack is building a unified data layer for the industry. Amar shares insights from his experience at NumberFire, FanDuel, and Fanatics, along with SportsStack's approach to data normalization, settlement, and scaling sports technology.
Hear them discuss:
Amar's journey from
Ep. 224: Redefining sports prediction markets through rechargeable trading cards w/ Andrew Wood from RallyTabs
Ep. 224 features Andrew Wood, Co-Founder of RallyTabs, to discuss his transition from investment banking into entrepreneurship, the evolution of RallyTabs from a physical pull-tab concept into a digital product, and how the company is creating a new sports engagement experience that combines predictions, collectibles, and pack-ripping mechanics.
Hear them discuss:
How Andrew's experience coveri
Ep. 223: Launching the "Plaid for prediction markets" w/ Andrew Gonzalez from Parlay X
Ep. 223 features Andrew Gonzalez, CEO & Co-Founder of ParlayX, for a wide-ranging discussion on entrepreneurship, prediction markets, institutional trading infrastructure, fundraising, product-market fit, and the rapidly evolving relationship between sports betting and prediction markets.
Hear them discuss:
Andrew's journey from Southern California and UCLA to crypto investing, venture capi
Ep. 222: Bringing poker tournament mechanics to sports predictions w/ Robert McCall from The Sharps
Ep. 222 features Robert McCall, Founder of The Sharps, to discuss his journey from the cannabis industry into sports betting, building a skill-based peer-to-peer sports prediction tournament platform, and using AI to build the product from scratch.
Hear them discuss:
How Rob went from the cannabis industry and competitive gambling into sports betting, with poker and blackjack tournaments inspi
Ep. 221: At the intersection of sports betting and financial trading w/ Frank Li
Ep. 221 features Frank Li, Co-founder of ESX, to discuss building a next-generation sports prediction market for technical bettors. Frank shares how his background in quantitative trading led him to prediction markets, why ESX is focused on live sports trading, and how content, community, and customer feedback have fueled the company's early growth.
Hear them discuss:
Frank's journey from quant
Ep. 220: Solving the pain of manual marketing compliance w/ Neil Dillon from Solas Compliance
Ep. 220 features Neil Dillon, Founder of Solas Compliance, to discuss how AI is transforming marketing compliance for regulated industries. Neil shares his journey from Betfair and Flutter to launching Solas, explains why compliance remains one of the biggest bottlenecks for operators, and offers practical insights into building enterprise-grade AI products for the betting industry.
Hear them dis
Ep. 219: How the world's #1 sports betting operator accelerates startup partnerships w/ Edward & Robert from Flutter
Ep. 219 features Edward Lyttel and Rob Fulforth from Flutter to discuss the company's AlphaHub innovation program and the 2026 Affiliate Draft. They explore how Flutter collaborates with startups, what they're looking for in this year's applicants, and why community, AI-powered fan tools, and betting innovation are shaping the future of sports betting.
Hear them discuss:
How Flutter's AlphaHub
Ep. 218: AI-first sports intelligence infrastructure w/ Devon & Tejas from Blitz
Ep. 218 features Devon and Tejas, Co-founders of Blitz, an AI-powered sports intelligence platform transforming how broadcasters, analysts, content creators, and sports organizations access and utilize sports data.
Hear them discuss:
How two Duke graduates turned sports betting profits into a sports data startup
The PrizePicks strategy that grew a small bankroll into tens of thousands of dolla
Ep. 217: Turning sports narratives into "momentum markets" w/ Nick Meader from SpeedLabs
Ep. 217 features Nick Meader, Co-Founder & CEO of SpeedLabs, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss the company's $6.5 million seed round, the creation of "Momentum Markets," and why he believes the next generation of sports betting products will be built around live narratives rather than traditional betting markets.
Hear them discuss:
Nick’s journey from college bookmaker and betting entrepre
Ep. 216: Childhood games with adult stakes w/ Jackson Erminio from Spina
Ep. 216 features Jackson Erminio, Founder of Spina, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss building a skill-based gaming startup, solving the liquidity challenge, and creating a marketplace where players can compete head-to-head in games they already know and love.
Hear them discuss:
How Jackson went from selling sneakers and running a marketing agency to founding Spina, a real-money skill gaming p
Ep. 215: Unpacking WagerWire's new prediction market license w/ Travis Geiger
Ep. 215 features Travis Geiger, Co-Founder & CXO of WagerWire, joining Jesse Learmonth at SBC Fort Lauderdale to discuss the company’s transformation into its vision for building a regulated prediction market ecosystem. Fresh off securing a license-in-principle in Gibraltar, Travis shares how the company is positioning itself at the intersection of gaming, finance, and innovation.
Hear them
Bonus Episode: First place at First Pitch w/ Andrew Gonzalez from ParlayX
This bonus episode features Andrew Gonzalez, Founder & CEO of ParlayX, joining Jesse Learmonth moments after winning the SBC Summit Americas First Pitch competition in Fort Lauderdale.
Hear them discuss:
Winning the SBC First Pitch competition, and what it means to him
Andrew’s entrepreneurial story, including leaving his market-making career, navigating multiple pivots, and betting on him
Ep. 214: Combining responsible gaming with player retention to fix a leaky safety net w/ Alec Gehlot from PlaySignal
Ep. 214 features Alec Gehlot, Founder of PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform helping operators intervene earlier, reduce self-exclusions, and create healthier player experiences.
Hear them discuss:
The inspiration behind PlaySignal and why rising self-exclusion rates reveal a growing industry challenge
How PlaySignal’s traffic-light system helps identify at-risk behavior and intervene be
Ep. 213: Meet the intelligence layer for the outcome economy w/ Gregory Tolmochow from Trendline Labs
Ep. 213 features Gregory Tolmochow, Founder & CEO of Trendline Labs, a startup building what it calls the “Bloomberg Terminal for prediction markets.”
Hear them discuss:
Gregory’s journey from sports betting analytics and The Betting Insider to founding Trendline Labs
Why prediction markets represent a major evolution beyond traditional sports betting
The pivot from an AI-powered sports an
Ep. 212: Meet the First Pitch finalists competing for $100k in prizes
Ep. 212 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit Americas on June 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists:
Javier Troncoso, InsightPlay.ai
Matt Bresler, Odditt
Matt Paulton, OddsBlaze
Andrew Gonzalez, ParlayX
Robert McCall, The Sharps
SBC First Pitch brings together some of
Ep. 211: Building the AI-native orchestration layer for payments in gaming w/ Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments
Ep. 211 features Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments, an AI-native orchestration layer designed to simplify the complex payments stack for real-money gaming operators.
Hear them discuss:
Filip’s path from professional squash in the Czech Republic to Harvard AI data science and Fidelity Investments.
The "iceberg" of payments: Navigating the hidden layers of issuing banks, acquiring banks, and convo
Ep. 210: Building DFS 3.0 to prioritize "less spreadsheets and more friends" w/ Matt Kelley from Fast Draft
Ep. 210 features Matt Kelley from FastDraft, a fantasy sports platform recently merged with FantasySpin that focuses on high-velocity, mobile-first gameplay.
Hear them discuss:
Matt’s transition from building a million-dollar stats business to launching a platform for the 60M+ fantasy gamer market.
Why the "attention deficit economy" needs 5-minute drafts instead of the traditional hour-long comm
Ep. 209: Building the "aspirin" for casino game distribution headaches w/ David & Kavin from Hydrastack
Ep. 209 features David and Kavin from Hydrastack, a startup using AI to transform how casino games are developed, converted, and distributed across channels.
Hear them discuss:
The origin story of Hydrastack and how industry pain points around game distribution sparked the idea
Why converting casino games from land-based to online can take 6–8 months and how Hydrastack cuts that down to weeks
H
Ep. 208: Digitizing the Super Bowl squares concept w/ Nathan & Brett from GridGorilla
Ep. 208 features Nathan Thomas and Brett DeBari, the founding team behind GridGorilla, a digital platform that evolves the classic Super Bowl squares format into a year-round, player-stat-based prediction experience.
Hear them discuss:
Brett’s journey through tech sales at Dell and AWS to previous gaming startups, and Nathan’s 20-year engineering career ranging from biomedical startups to data
Ep. 207: Transforming traditional raffles into a B2B retention tool w/ Yaniv Spielberg from LuckyDraw
Ep. 207 features Yaniv Spielberg, founder of LuckyDraw, a B2B platform bringing prize draws and raffles into the modern gaming ecosystem.
Hear them discuss:
Yaniv’s journey from lottery businesses to building and scaling Bragg Gaming Group into a public company listed on the NASDAQ and TSX
The origins of LuckyDraw and identifying the gap in raffle-based gaming despite its global resurgence
How
Ep. 206: The journey scaling to 250 million games played w/ Jason White from TallyUp
Ep. 206 features Jason White, founder of TallyUp, a free-to-play global game show platform blending casual gaming, wagering mechanics, and the attention economy.
Hear them discuss:
The TallyUp concept: a free-to-play, ad-supported PVP gaming platform where players can win real money without risking their own capital
How exponential growth mechanics (inspired by childhood ping pong bets) shaped
Ep. 205: Restoring the winning edge for recreational poker w/ John Caldwell from i3soft
Ep. 205 features John Caldwell, Co-Founder of i3Soft, a gaming technology company building next-generation poker and casino products designed to improve player experience, increase liquidity, and bridge the gap between poker and casino gameplay.
Hear them discuss:
John’s unconventional journey from the music industry (Atlantic Records, Stone Temple Pilots, Hootie & the Blowfish) into poker
Ep. 204: Fixing the blind spots in sports betting marketing w/ Allan Stone from Intelitics
Ep. 204 features Allan Stone, CEO & Co-Founder of Intelitics, a marketing intelligence platform helping betting and iGaming companies better understand the true impact of their marketing spend and optimize performance across the full player lifecycle.
Hear them discuss:
Allan’s journey into betting, from online poker to affiliates and founding Intelitics
The origin story of Intelitics and th
Ep. 203: Bringing the 'Swipe Right' mechanic to fantasy sports w/ Toby Bucsescu from Blitz:Draft
Ep. 203 features Toby Bucsescu, CEO & Co-Founder of Blitz:Draft, which is reimagining the sports gaming experience by combining elements of daily fantasy, betting, and quick-play mechanics into a format built for speed and accessibility.
Hear them discuss:
Toby’s path into the sports gaming industry and founding Blitz Draft
The problem with traditional betting and DFS products
How Blitz Dra
Ep. 202: Breaking: Gambly and Unabated merge to create a new powerhouse w/ Cal Spears
Ep. 202 features Cal Spears, founder of Gambly, returning to the Betting Startups Podcast to share an update on the company’s progress since launch, insights from the NEXT Summit in New York, and a major milestone for the business.
Hear them discuss:
Cal’s return to the podcast and what has changed at Gambly since its launch in October 2024
Key takeaways from the NEXT.io Summit in New York
Ep. 201: Bootstrapping a niche content empire on quality alone w/ Taylor Caby from Establish the Run
Ep. 201 features Taylor Caby, Co-Founder of Establish The Run, sharing the story behind building the evolution of betting content, the business of premium sports analysis, and why high-quality information products continue to thrive in an increasingly crowded sports betting ecosystem.
Hear them discuss:
Taylor’s background in poker, daily fantasy sports, and the path that led to launching Estab
Ep. 200: Announcing the launch of BettingStartups Capital w/ Paris Smith
Ep. 200 marks a major milestone for the Betting Startups Podcast, featuring a special conversation between Jesse Learmonth and longtime industry leader Paris Smith to celebrate the 200th episode and announce a major new chapter for the platform.
Hear them discuss:
Jesse and Paris’s shared history at Pinnacle, how a startup acquisition led to a six-year partnership, and the full-circle moment t
Ep. 199: Turning crypto volatility into a pocket prediction game w/ Michael, Evan & Chris from FEEN
Ep. 199 features Michael, Evan and Chris from Feen, to discuss building a next-generation betting product, navigating early-stage product decisions, and finding differentiation in an increasingly crowded wagering landscape. The conversation explores Feen’s origin story, early traction, and how the founders think about product focus, user behavior, and long-term scalability.
Hear them discuss:
Th
Ep. 198: The long road to a breakthrough inflection point w/ Pierre Lindh from Next.io
Ep. 198 features Pierre Lindh, founder of NEXT.io, returning for his fourth appearance on the Betting Startups Podcast. Pierre reflects on NEXT.io’s breakout year, the transition from scrappy startup to growth-stage business, the role of investigative journalism in iGaming media, and why emerging betting products may go global in 2026.
Hear them discuss:
How 2025 became a “12-year overnight suc
Ep. 197: Automating savings through betting w/ Benson & Daniel from Regen
Ep. 197 features Benson Bleier and Daniel Prior, Co-Founders of Regen, an automated savings platform built specifically for sports bettors. break down how Regen helps bettors automatically save money on every bet — win or lose — and why they believe savings and investing can become a core part of sustainable gaming.
Hear them discuss:
Benson and Daniel’s paths from consulting, VC, and professio
Ep. 196: Enabling operator success using AI agents w/ Javier & Cristian from InsightPlay.ai
Ep. 196 features Javier Troncoso and Cristian Barbosa, Co-Founders of InsightPlay.ai, an AI-powered engagement platform using autonomous agents to help operators acquire, retain, and reactivate players at scale.
Fresh off a busy ICE Barcelona and a newly announced seed round, Javier and Cristian join Jesse Learmonth to break down how Insight Play is redefining player engagement through conversatio
Ep. 195: Powering the live betting watch-along w/ Jonathan and Gavin from Bettortainment
Ep. 195 features Jonathan Baxandall and Gavin Puszczalowskyi, Co-Founders of Bettortainment, for a deep dive into live betting watch-alongs, sportsbook retention, and why most operators still underinvest in in-play engagement.
Hear them discuss:
Jonathan’s decade-long career in iGaming, B2B data and acquisition teams
Gavin’s 20+ years in radio broadcasting and early in-play content work with Wi
Ep. 194: Building skill-based wagering infrastructure w/ Noah Fulk from EWagers
Ep. 194 features Noah Fulk, Founder and CEO of EWagers, for a deep dive into building compliant, skill-based wagering infrastructure and the hard lessons learned from pivoting a gaming startup from B2C to B2B.
Hear him discuss:
Noah’s background as a lifelong gamer and the early inspiration behind Ewagers
The original B2C vision for peer-to-peer wagering and why the model ultimately failed
The
Ep. 193: Poker-as-a-service w/ Scott Wilson & Warren Dombowsky from PokerLab
Ep. 193 features Scott and Warren, founders of PokerLab, for a deep dive into the evolution of online poker and how PokerLab is positioning itself as a modern “Poker as a Service” platform built for today’s operators and players.
Hear them discuss:
PokerLab’s origin story and the founders’ decades-long careers in poker and iGaming
What “Poker as a Service” really means and how PokerLab differs
Ep. 192: Ask Me Anything w/ Jesse from BettingStartups
Ep. 192 features Jesse Learmonth in a special "Ask Me Anything" edition of the Betting Startups Podcast, where he flips the script and answers questions from founders, operators, and builders across the gaming ecosystem.
Hear him discuss:
The biggest lessons from nearly 200 podcast episodes, including why industry experience and distribution matter more than ever for startup success
What surpris
Ep. 191: Why web betting is dead w/ Joshua Swerdlow from ChatBet AI
Ep. 191 features Joshua Swerdlow, from ChatBet AI, an AI-powered sports betting platform built to deliver smarter, more personalized betting experiences through data and conversational technology.
Hear him discuss:
Josh’s background and the leap he took moving from England to Tel Aviv
What ChatBet is and how he is using AI to reshape the sports betting experience
What his go-to-market strategy
Ep. 190: Inside the Retention Shift w/ Irakli “Marcus” Davarashvili from Promofy
Ep. 190 features Irakli “Marcus” Davarashvili, Founder & CEO of Promofy, for a deep dive into the global rise of AI-powered gamification and how operators are rethinking loyalty, engagement, and retention.
Hear him discuss:
His 13-year journey across advertising, brand building, and iGaming leadership and how operational pain points at scale inspired him to build Promofy
What Promofy is:
Ep. 189: Bringing the fun back to sports betting w/ Artie, Ben & Ryan from Golden Camel
Ep. 189 features the three co-founders of Golden Camel, Artie, Ben, and Ryan, for a lively deep dive into building a sports-betting lifestyle app rooted in community, fun, and authenticity.
Hear them discuss:
How a series of career pivots led them to partner up on Golden Camel a number of years after the original idea was sparked
Why Golden Camel rejects “beat the house” culture, instead leanin
Ep. 188: Building 'Zapier for iGaming' w/ James King from Flows
Ep. 188 features James King, CEO & Co-Founder of Flows, for a deep dive into building a no-code automation platform powering some of the biggest operators in global gaming.
Hear him discuss:
His 16-year industry journey across iGB Affiliate, Clarion Events, and Gaming Innovation Group and how industry-wide tech frustration inspired the founding of Flows
What Flows actually is: a no-code aut
Special Episode: The future of racing w/ Daniel O' Sullivan & Sebastian Butterworth
This special episode features Seb Butterworth from Flutter and Dan O’Sullivan from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), for a deep dive into the future of horse racing — and how the sport is preparing to engage a new generation of fans.
Hear them discuss:
The origins and findings of Project Beacon, and what the research reveals about younger and casual audiences
Why horse welfare, race educ
The Gamble & The Glory: S2 E2 - John Levy from theScore
The Gamble & The Glory showcases founders that built their companies into category leaders in the betting and gaming industry.
In S2 E2, we speak with John Levy, founder and former CEO of theScore. John shares the remarkable 25+ year journey behind one of Canada’s most iconic sports media and betting brands from its roots in cable television to becoming a digital powerhouse and ultimately e
Ep. 187: Finding a forever home as a prediction market w/ Jake Benzaquen from ProphetX
Ep. 187 features Jake Benzaquen, Co-Founder and CEO of ProphetX, for a deep dive into the company’s latest evolution from regulated exchange to sweepstakes model, to now filing with the CFTC to operate as a fully regulated marketplace for sports event contracts.
Hear him discuss:
The journey from launching in New Jersey as an OSB to building a national presence under the sweepstakes model
Why Pr
Ep. 186: The esports betting infrastructure layer w/ Marek Suchar from Oddin.gg
Ep. 186 features Marek Suchar, Co-founder and Managing Director at Oddin.gg, a leading B2B provider of end-to-end esports betting solutions for global bookmakers.
Hear him discuss:
His journey from nearly a decade in finance at Citibank to co-founding one of the industry’s fastest-growing esports betting platforms
How an early pivot from B2C to B2B set Oddin.gg on the path to success
Why esport
Ep. 185: Productizing a passion for baseball w/ Adam Rosenberg
Ep. 185 features Adam Rosenberg, co-founder of HandiGraphs, a betting analytics platform built by and for baseball fans.
Hear him discuss:
His journey from political fundraising and brand strategy to PR and marketing in the sports betting industry
How a friendship in the Outlier Discord led to co-founding HandiGraphs with CJ Buskey
Why baseball’s intimidating data landscape inspired the cr
Ep. 184: Fantasy football puzzles for the masses w/ Brian Birt from Griddy
Ep. 184 features Brian Birt, founder of Griddy, the fantasy football puzzle game bringing year-round engagement to sports fans.
Hear him discuss:
His journey from childhood sports fanatic to building products at Sleeper and launching Griddy
How Griddy turns fantasy football into a strategic, bite-sized mobile game playable 365 days a year
Solving the seasonality problem in fantasy sports with a
Ep. 183: Bringing gamified avatars to iGaming w/ Tom Lemke of Savage Tech
Ep. 183 features Tom Lemke, founder of Savage Tech, the world's first true gamified retention engine for the iGaming industry.
Hear him discuss:
His review of the recent SBC Summit conference in Lisbon
How his experience co-founding esports teams shaped his understanding of player engagement
How avatars, achievements, and progression systems improve retention and customer loyalty
Why being likea
Ep. 182: Tracking over $10 billion in verified bets w/ Pranav Tadikonda from Pikkit
Ep. 182 features Pranav Tadikonda from Pikkit, which is a social sports betting tracker that automatically aggregates bets, analyzes performance, and connects users through community and content.
Hear him discuss:
• Why he and co-founder Anthony Jonikas started Pikkit after learning big tech wasn't for them
• The switch from fantasy to sports betting after PASPA’s repeal
• How they validated the
Ep. 181: Creating the ultimate sports remote w/ Tony Ryan from Bet Caddy
Ep. 181 features Tony Ryan from Bet Caddy, which is building the ultimate sports remote to personalize and streamline the fragmented sports streaming experience.
Hear him discuss:
• How betting and fantasy sports make every game moment meaningful for modern fans
• The origin story of Bet Caddy, sparked by college sports bars and basement brainstorming
• How Bet Caddy delivers a RedZone-style exp
The Gamble & The Glory: S2 E1 - Einar Knobel from TXODDS
The Gamble & The Glory showcases founders that built their companies into category leaders in the betting and gaming industry.
In Episode 1 of Season 2, we speak with Einar Knobel from TXODDS, recorded in person at the SBC Summit Americas Conference in Fort Lauderdale.
Hear him discuss:
The early days of TXODDS and landing first customers like Betcris and World Sports Exchange
How a scra
Ep. 180: Infrastructure for sports betting creators w/ Zach Wick from BtrBet
Ep. 180 features Zach Wick from BtrBet, which is a SaaS platform offering a white-labeled tool stack for sports betting creators to manage content, engage audiences, and monetize their communities.
Hear him discuss:
• How legal sports betting in Ohio sparked his idea to build a personal betting tracker
• The pain points of spreadsheets and the inspiration behind automating bet syncing and analys
Ep. 179: Just merged: Pine Sports and SharpSports join forces w/ Vijay Dewan & Ryan Murphy
Ep. 179 features Ryan Murphy of SharpSports and Vijay Dewan from Pine Sports, who sit down to talk through their recent merger to form the new Pine Sports, a full-stack sports data and AI company serving both bettors and B2B partners.
Hear them discuss:
• The origin story and strategic rationale behind the Pine Sports and SharpSports merger
• How mutual investor Chris Grove sparked the deal by i
Ep. 178: The convergence of financial trading and sports betting w/ Trent Hoerr from BullRush
Ep. 178 features Trent Hoerr from BullRush, which is a gamified platform offering multi-participant competitions using virtual currency with real cash prizes.
Hear him discuss:
• His early days as a professional runner turned prop trader during the 2008 financial crisis
• The legal and regulatory path to proving BullRush competitions as games of skill
• Why he believes traders often overlap with
Ep. 177: Announcing the SBC Summit First Pitch Finalists!
Ep. 177 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit on September 18 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Sue Schneider, Co-founder of Defy the Odds, shares her perspective of the upcoming event, highlighting the global nature of this year’s competition with finalists representing 5 different countries across 3 continents, the evolution of Firs
Ep. 176: Scaling through a multi-brand rollup strategy w/ Reid Rooney from Betsperts Group
Ep. 176 features Reid Rooney from Betsperts Group, which acquires and builds brands with loyal, engaged communities in fantasy sports, golf, and sports betting.
Hear him discuss:
How Betsperts began by exploring crypto, cannabis, and sports betting before ultimately focusing on sports betting
Applying a Stanley Black & Decker “multi-brand” mindset to execute a roll-up strategy in sports med
Ep. 175: The odds feed opportunity w/ Rick Allec from OddsLogic
Ep. 175 features Rick Allec from OddsLogic, a classic odds screen platform delivering real-time betting data to both sportsbooks and bettors, built by one of the industry’s most experienced operators.
Hear him discuss:
How he’s launched 3 data startups over 25+ years, including Sports Options and OddsLogic
Why he merged Sports Options into Don Best after a decade of head-to-head competition
The
Ep. 174: Managing the grind of going from starting to scaling w/ Evan Fisher from Sparket
Ep. 174 features Evan Fisher from Sparket, which is a B2B platform helping operators reach new demographics through alternative betting markets and gamified slots.
Hear him discuss:
How he and co-founder Aaron built Sparket after work hours while still at Google and in finance
Why Sparket is doubling down on alternative markets like pop culture and reality TV to attract underserved bettors
New
Ep. 173: Bringing innovation to instant games w/ Kenny Huang from TinyRex Games
Ep. 173 features Kenny Huang from TinyRex Games, which is building next-generation instant games at the intersection of social and iGaming.
Hear him discuss:
How his experience at EA and Bluebat Games led to founding TinyRex Games during the pandemic
Why TinyRex focuses on “original, edgy, cheeky” instant games beyond traditional slots
How their catalog has grown from 3 to 12+ games in just the
Ep. 172: Productizing first-party sports data w/ Richard Acosta from VOR Interactive
Ep. 172 features Richard Acosta from Vor Interactive, a UK-based sports data provider creating proprietary first-party data and predictive models.
Hear him discuss:
How a soccer algorithm built by his co-founder sparked Vor's launch and first predictive model
Why their proprietary data now generates 2,000+ prediction points per soccer match across 50+ global leagues
How they’ve expanded f
Ep. 171: Turning winning models into a startup w/ Ben Howard from EdgeSports
Ep. 171 features Ben Howard from EdgeSports, which offers sports data and predictive AI at your fingertips. Ben shares how the company is capitalizing on the growth of live betting, building modular tech for both consumers and B2B clients, and bootstrapping the business using its own prediction engine.
Hear them discuss:
The journey from sneaker software to Penn Entertainment to founder
How a w
Ep. 170: Solving the revenue leak problem w/ John Wright from StatsDrone
Ep. 170 features John Wright from StatsDrone, a business intelligence platform helping affiliates eliminate revenue leak and unlock more value from their data. John shares how the company is centralizing fragmented affiliate stats, building tools for operators, and uncovering hidden opportunities in iGaming’s affiliate ecosystem.
Hear them discuss:
The origin story from professional gambler to
Ep. 169: The sports data platform for builders w/ Steven Kenway from Rolling Insights
Ep. 169 features Steven Kenway from Rolling Insights, a multi-sport data platform delivering reliable data to everyone from sharp bettors to startup founders. Steven shares how the team built powerful analytics tools and a developer-friendly API ecosystem to level the playing field in sports data access.
Hear them discuss:
• How Rolling Insights spun out of a real estate startup and consultancy
Ep. 168: Launching a non-dilutive capital model w/ Davis Catlin from Discerning Capital
Ep. 168 features Davis Catlin from Discerning Capital, which invests at the intersection of betting, sports, media, and technology. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.
Hear him discuss:
Why starting Discerning Capital gave him new empathy for founders
Building a deal-by-deal investor network in a regulated industry
The playbook behind thei
Ep. 167: Reduced juice for all w/ Gino Donati from BetOPENLY
Ep. 167 features Gino Donati from BetOPENLY, a peer-to-peer betting exchange eliminating the traditional sportsbook model by letting users bet directly against each other at true odds. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.
Hear him discuss:
Growing up in a sports-betting Italian family and booking bets in high school
How running numbers for sy
Ep. 166: When a merger becomes a multiplier w/ Steve “Dakota” Happas & Sahil Patel from FantasySpin
Ep. 166 features Steve “Dakota” Happas and Sahil Patel from FantasySpin, a real-money DFS platform reinventing the fantasy experience through a gamified, slot-style draft mechanic. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.
Hear them discuss:
How a friendly fantasy football bet led to the founding of BettorFantasy
Steve’s journey from online poker and
Ep. 165: SBC First Pitch recap w/ the 2025 Finalists
Recorded live at SBC Summit Americas 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this episode recaps the excitement of the First Pitch competition.
In this episode, you'll hear from all five startup finalists just hours before they took the stage, and at the end of the episode, we bring back the winner for a celebratory chat fresh off their victory.
The five startups that competed for a prize package va
Ep. 164: Life after selling for $160,000,000 w/ Alexander Monahan from OddsJam (acquired by Gambling.com)
Ep. 164 features Alexander Monahan from OddsJam, a data-driven sports betting platform acquired by Gambling.com Group in a deal worth up to $160 million. Alex returns to the podcast after first joining in early 2023 to share what has changed and what has stayed the same since the nine-figure exit.
Hear them discuss:
What life looks like after a $160M acquisition
Why he is still focused on he
Ep. 163: Building the Alexa of sports w/ Mark Antal from Staked AI
Ep. 163 features Mark Antal from Staked AI, which is crafting an Amazon Alexa-like AI for sports to deliver personalized, real-time audio content. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025 with guest host, Thomas Coiner.
Hear them discuss:
How his background in AI and machine learning at Vault AI led to building Staked AI
Why audio is a breakthrough for sports
Ep. 162: Using prize-linked savings for parlays w/ Owen Monagan and Oisin Tiernan from Layup
Ep. 162 features Owen Monagan and Oisin Tiernan from Layup, which is a FinTech company providing a gamified savings product that turns interest into free sports picks. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear them discuss:
Their journey from building a Fantasy Premier League app together to launching Layup
How growing up with “prize bonds” in Ireland ins
Ep. 161: Unlocking new fantasy insights with AI w/ Aishik Lala from Rotobot AI
Ep. 161 features Aishik Lala from Rotobot AI, an AI-driven platform tackling fantasy football’s information overload with personalized insights. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear him discuss:
How ChatGPT’s rise inspired a chatbot to answer fantasy football questions
The launch of a simple web app in 2023 and discovering chat alone wasn’t enough fo
Ep. 160: Building the Gambling as a service platform w/ Sebastian Lewis from Plucky
Ep. 160 features Sebastian from Plucky, which is pioneering "gambling as a service," enabling brands with an audience to offer real money gaming without getting involved in regulation. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear him discuss:
Winning the Starties award for Best Collaboration after partnering with Genius Sports to monetize free-to-play games
Ep. 159: Filling a void with live multiplayer skill games w/ Aman Agarwal & Jatin Narang from Toast
Ep. 159 features Aman Agarwal and Jatin Narang from Toast, building live multiplayer skill games with built-in player liquidity for real money iGaming. This episode was recorded at the World Trade Center during the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear them discuss:
Toast’s origins: uniting Aman’s gambling roots and Jatin’s free-to-play expertise
Blending gambling psychology with free-to-pla
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