The Betting Startups Podcast

BettingStartups.com
  • 5.0 (11)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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Meet the people building the most promising startups competing for a piece of the multi-billion dollar real-money gaming industry. Presented by Optimove.

  1. Ep. 198: The long road to a breakthrough inflection point w/ Pierre Lindh from Next.io

    1D AGO

    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 success” after more than a decade of compounding momentum The shift from runway preservation to investing aggressively in growth Why founders inevitably become bottlenecks and how to let go without losing vision The importance of finding a true operational counterbalance as a visionary leader Why sustainable scaling beats short-term overexpansion in a cyclical industry How AI is reshaping media and why human journalism may become more valuable, not less The commercial trade-offs of integrity-led investigative reporting Game theory, AI acceleration, and why safety may lose to competitive pressure The explosive growth of NEXT New York and what makes it a senior-level dealmaking event His 2026 prediction: emerging products like prediction markets and sweepstakes expanding globally   If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Next.io website ➡️ Pierre Lindh on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

    52 min
  2. Ep. 197: Automating savings through betting w/ Benson & Daniel from Regen

    FEB 10

    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 professional poker into building a betting-adjacent fintech startup How the founders met in Argentina through padel and decided to launch Regen How poker bankroll management inspired the original idea behind Regen What Regen does: automated savings triggered every time a sports bet is placed (win or lose) How the product works, including sportsbook connections, bank integrations, and user-set saving rules Why users save on both wins and losses and how typical saving percentages are set How Regen aggregates betting activity across multiple sportsbooks to provide simple performance insights Why Regen positions itself as a fintech, “gambling-adjacent” product for operators and bettors How Underdog’s Guard Dog fund discovered Regen and why it invested Regen’s roadmap, including operator integrations, investing products, and its vision for sustainable betting and financial education   If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Regen website ➡️ Ben Bleier on Linkedin ➡️ Daniel Prior on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

    28 min
  3. Ep. 196: Enabling operator success using AI agents w/ Javier & Cristian from InsightPlay.ai

    FEB 3

    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 conversational AI  and what it takes to build an AI-native startup in global gaming. Hear them discuss: Javier and Cristian’s paths from media, affiliates, and iGaming into building an AI-native startup How InsightPlay.ai was founded and why they went all-in on autonomous AI agents What InsightPlay.ai does: conversational AI agents that drive acquisition, retention, and reactivation Real-world use cases including win-back campaigns, VIP engagement, onboarding, and support A live demo showing AI agents making personalized outbound calls to bettors Why conversational AI changes sportsbook UX from static interfaces to 1:1 interaction Early traction in LATAM, rapid deployments, and lessons from launching with real operators Performance metrics, reactivation success, and how AI complements CRM and call centers Closing a $500K seed round, choosing strategic investors, and founder fundraising realities The roadmap ahead, global expansion plans, and why the World Cup is a major growth catalyst   If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/     Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ InsightPlay.ai website ➡️ Javier Troncoso on Linkedin ➡️ Cristian Barbosa on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

    30 min
  4. Ep. 195: Powering the live betting watch-along w/ Jonathan and Gavin from Bettortainment

    JAN 28

    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 William Hill The origins of Bettortainment and why “live” is the most valuable moment to engage bettors What a betting watch-along really is and why it’s more than just commentary Why retention consistently matters more than acquisition, yet remains underserved How sportsbooks lose customers during live play and how to prevent it The balance between data, entertainment, and betting prompts in live content Why community-driven engagement outperforms passive content The limitations of AI in live sports content and the importance of human reaction Bettortainment’s white-label approach and making premium content accessible to smaller operators How affiliates can use live content to drive engagement and differentiation Bootstrapping the company, founder risk, and early startup realities Why the 2026 World Cup represents a massive opportunity for live betting content   If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/     Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Bettortainment website ➡️ Jonathan Baxandall on Linkedin ➡️ Gavin Puszczalowskyi on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

    31 min
  5. Ep. 194: Building skill-based wagering infrastructure w/ Noah Fulk from EWagers

    JAN 20

    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 pivotal decision to pivot from consumer-facing product to B2B infrastructure What Ewagers does today, including payments, KYC, geofencing, and compliance tooling The underestimated complexity of building regulated gaming infrastructure Fundraising lessons, early structural mistakes, and navigating tougher capital markets Why profitability doesn’t necessarily make scaling easier The importance of advisors and experienced operators in avoiding costly errors Key signals that confirmed the pivot to B2B was the right move What’s next for Ewagers and the long-term vision for the platform   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ EWagers website ➡️ Noah Fulk on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   --- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

    26 min
  6. Ep. 193: Poker-as-a-service w/ Scott Wilson & Warren Dombowsky from PokerLab

    JAN 13

    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 from legacy poker platforms Why poker remains one of the stickiest products in gambling despite years of decline The rise of short-form poker and why attention spans are changing product expectations The overlap between poker players, sports bettors, DFS users, and prediction market participants Why poker can serve as a powerful acquisition and retention tool for operators Regulatory considerations, taxes, and the divide between professional and recreational players The upcoming Canadian Poker Network launch and what PokerLab hopes to prove Lessons learned from building multiple startups and navigating timing, conviction, and risk   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ PokerLab website ➡️ Scott Wilson on X/Twitter ➡️ Warren Dombowsky on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   --- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

    35 min
  7. Ep. 192: Ask Me Anything w/ Jesse from BettingStartups

    JAN 8

    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 surprised him most in 2025: prediction markets, the blurring lines between betting, finance, and speculation, and what that means for founders Common mistakes founders make, from confusing personal pain points with real market opportunities to poorly framing “use of funds” in pitch decks How bettors are evolving, why access (not tools) is now the biggest constraint, and how prediction markets are changing the landscape in 2026 Jesse’s vision for Betting Startups in 2026, including new products, events, a tech platform, and plans to raise strategic (non-institutional) capital   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇 ➡️ Jesse Learmonth on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   --- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

    40 min
  8. Ep. 191: Why web betting is dead w/ Joshua Swerdlow from ChatBet AI

    12/17/2025

    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 was and major lessons from launching  Why Josh believes that the user experience sits at the center of ChatBet’s product philosophy and why it is so key  The realities when it comes to gaining capital in the start up world  How Josh has navigated the startup ecosystem from working with startups to now running his own How Chat Bet AI uses data-driven insights to create better outcomes for bettors Key lessons learned as a first-time founder The vision for 2026 and ChatBet’s long-term growth and engagement strategy, hint the World Cup is involved   Catch the video version of this episode here.   Learn more 👇   ➡️ ChatBet AI website ➡️ Joshua Swerdlow on Linkedin     📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   --- This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

    31 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Meet the people building the most promising startups competing for a piece of the multi-billion dollar real-money gaming industry. Presented by Optimove.

Information

  • Creator
    BettingStartups.com
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    220
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Betting Startups Podcast

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