iGaming Real Talk

Surya Palli
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iGaming Real Talk is a podcast where real conversations take centre stage. We speak with founders, creators, and leaders. Most of them come from the iGaming world, and some from beyond. We talk openly about what it really takes to grow, lead, and keep going. If you're building something of your own, leading a team, or simply figuring things out, you'll find something here that resonates. Hosted by Surya Palli, suryapalli.com Join our community on WhatsApp igamingrealtalk.com

  1. 3d ago

    Can Casinos Bring the Online Experience Back to the Floor? | Joe Pasiono, Jade Entertainment

    The Philippines has one of Asia's most developed gaming markets, but Joe from Jade Entertainment believes licensed operators are still competing for only a fraction of the total opportunity. Speaking with Surya at SiGMA Asia, Joe looks back at a career in gaming that started in 1988 and covers the market's move from land-based casinos into sports betting, remote gaming and today's growing online sector. His view is that online gaming has now surpassed land-based gaming, creating a new challenge for traditional casinos: how to bring the online and physical experience together. A major part of the conversation is channelisation. Joe says legal gaming in the Philippines represents only 22% of revenue, with the rest going elsewhere. For him, licensed operators should not see each other as the main competition. The bigger challenge is moving players away from illegal and grey-market alternatives. The discussion then widens to Asia and other emerging markets. Joe sees further potential in Sri Lanka, East Africa, Vietnam and Malaysia, while remaining much more cautious about markets such as Thailand. He also argues that governments should consider regulation not only as a source of tax revenue, but as a way to introduce player protection, responsible gambling and KYC. Surya and Joe also discuss crypto casinos, tax structures and the importance of making regulated products competitive. Joe's wider point throughout the conversation is consistent: demand for gaming does not disappear because legal options are removed. If regulated gaming is not available, illegal alternatives will continue to exist.

  2. 4d ago

    Why Is Trust Breaking Down Between Affiliates and Operators? | John Wright, Nousviz

    Trust between affiliates and operators is becoming harder to maintain, and John Wright believes better access to data could force both sides to become more accountable. John, Co-founder of Nousviz, returns to iGaming Real Talk to speak with Surya about affiliate shaving, aggressive commercial deals, traffic quality and why the problem is not always one-sided. He argues that operators can lack transparency, but affiliates can also take advantage of operators through deals or placements that do not deliver what was promised. A large part of the conversation looks at whether industry-wide benchmarking could help. John explains how anonymised affiliate data could be used to show conversion rates, player value and operator performance more clearly. His view is that once affiliates can compare where their traffic actually performs best, operators will have more pressure to fix weak CRM, VIP programmes, payments and other parts of the player experience. They also discuss the technology behind affiliate management. John talks about fragmented APIs, the StatsDrone Affiliate Software Report, the number of affiliate platforms in the market and why standardised data is still missing. Nousviz is being built around bringing information from different systems into one place rather than trying to replace every individual tool. The final part turns to AI agents. John sees 2026 as the year agents become more important, particularly for companies that want better data, customer support and analysis without building large BI or engineering teams. But AI also creates a new problem for SaaS companies: if software becomes easier to build, every product needs a clearer moat and stronger reason for customers to stay.

  3. 6d ago

    Are CPA and RevShare Models Starting to Change? | Paul Puolakka

    Affiliates can spend time and money bringing in players, but what happens after that traffic reaches the operator? Surya speaks with iGaming Marketing Executive Paul Puolakka about the changing affiliate and operator relationship, especially as traffic becomes more expensive and player retention becomes harder. Paul explains that affiliates currently have limited control once they deliver the click. If the operator fails to retain the player, the value of that traffic is also lost for the affiliate. He believes this could lead to closer cooperation around CRM, retargeting, reactivation and the wider player lifecycle. The conversation also looks at the future of CPA, RevShare and hybrid deals, along with how affiliation may move beyond traditional SEO. Paul expects affiliates to work more like media businesses across different channels, while AI becomes part of areas such as testing, tracking and retargeting.

  4. Sep 3

    Is Overregulation in Sports Betting Giving the Black Market an Advantage? | Eric Su, DigiPlus

    Sports betting in the Philippines is growing, but Eric Su believes the next phase cannot simply be about chasing faster revenue. In Episode 79, Joining Surya on iGaming Real Talk, the former Head of ArenaPlus at DigiPlus explains why the market needs to move towards more sustainable growth, stronger compliance and responsible gambling without making the regulated product so restrictive that players move elsewhere. Eric argues that banning or heavily restricting betting does not remove demand. Black market operators are already present, and overregulation can give them a stronger position if legal operators become less attractive or harder to access. The conversation also looks at the large gap between sports fans and sports bettors in the Philippines. Eric explains why education and better fan engagement matter, and how ArenaPlus used its NBA partnership to connect betting content with the way people already follow basketball. Surya and Eric also discuss prediction markets, micro betting and the future of sportsbooks. Eric does not expect prediction markets to replace traditional sportsbooks, but believes different products could increasingly overlap as technology and player behaviour continue to change.

  5. Sep 2

    Is Cheap CPA Costing Operators Better Players? | Prash Patel

    In Episode 78 of iGaming Real Talk, Surya speaks with Prash Patel, Founder of DMR Strategic, about how the relationship between operators and affiliates needs to change as acquiring players becomes harder and more expensive. Prash has experience on both sides of the relationship. He previously built and sold an affiliate business and has also worked on the operator side. One of the biggest mistakes he sees is operators treating every affiliate and traffic source in the same way. SEO, PPC, social, streamers and communities all work differently, with their own costs, audiences and business models. The conversation also questions the industry's focus on cheap CPA. Prash argues that acquiring a player for less money does not automatically make that player more valuable. An affiliate that looks expensive initially may deliver players who generate far more value over the following months. For him, operators need to decide whether they are building around short-term acquisition costs or longer-term player value. Another major topic is communication. Prash says affiliates are often treated simply as traffic sources, with little personalization or understanding of how their businesses work. He believes stronger operator and affiliate relationships will become increasingly important as quality traffic gets harder to find. The episode then moves into AI and what it means for affiliates. Prash believes AI has made it much easier to launch websites and produce content, but that also makes it harder to stand out. His view is that trust, brand, personality and community will become more important, while the strongest affiliates will use AI for localization, personalization and translation rather than simply generating more content.

  6. Sep 1

    Are Crypto Casinos Chasing Volume Over Quality? | David Khutsishvili, FortuneJack

    In Episode 77 of iGaming Real Talk, Surya speaks with David Khutsishvili, CMO at FortuneJack, about why chasing bigger acquisition numbers does not always create a stronger casino business. FortuneJack has been operating since 2014 in a crypto casino market where new brands continue to appear. David says trust has been one of the main reasons the company has been able to keep players over time. The team focuses on player relationships, VIP management, loyalty programmes and creating an experience that encourages customers to stay rather than simply acquiring more users. The conversation also looks closely at streamers and affiliate traffic. David explains why views and screenshots cannot always be taken at face value. Fake views, bots and recycled promotional funds make verification important. FortuneJack uses a dedicated streamer management team, research tools and manual checks before deciding whether a partnership makes sense. For David, audience size is also not enough. A successful streamer still needs to fit the positioning of the brand. FortuneJack prefers longer-term streamer partnerships and looks at the audience, market and promotional approach before building a deal. The episode closes with the future of affiliate relationships. David does not believe CPA and RevShare will disappear, but he thinks the relationship between operators and affiliates needs to move beyond individual transactions. His view is that operators should understand the a

  7. Aug 31

    Can New Live Casino Suppliers Disrupt the Market? | Nadiya Attard | ImagineLive

    In Episode 76 of iGaming Real Talk, Surya speaks with Nadiya Attard, CCO at ImagineLive, about whether newer live casino suppliers can challenge the companies that have dominated the vertical for years. Nadiya sees a clear difference between live casino and the RNG space. Slots have become crowded with thousands of suppliers, while live casino is still led by a relatively small number of major companies. For her, that leaves room for newer suppliers that can offer strong product quality, modern technology, competitive commercials and faster delivery. A big part of the conversation is about flexibility. Nadiya explains why listening to operators becomes even more important as a supplier grows. When larger companies become slower or less willing to adapt, startups and newer operators may begin looking for providers that can respond faster and work around their needs. The episode also looks at localization and emerging markets. Nadiya highlights LATAM, Africa and Asia, explaining why local language and player behaviour need to be considered when building a live casino product. ImagineLive recruits local dealers in certain markets as part of that localisation strategy. Surya and Nadiya also discuss AI dealers and whether replacing human dealers could remove one of the main reasons people choose live casino. Nadiya explains how AI can instead work behind the scenes to monitor dealer behaviour and improve engagement. The conversation ends with ImagineLive's plans to bring new game formats and concepts to younger generations of live casino players.

  8. Aug 27

    Are Celebrity IP Games the Next Big Thing? | Celebrity Games, Player Engagement & The Next Generation of iGaming | Simone Bacchin, Kerma Games

    In episode 75 of iGaming Real Talk, our host Surya Palli was with Simone Bacchin, Head of Sales at Kerma Games.We discuss what makes a game stand out in an increasingly competitive iGaming market, why player experience matters more than releasing large volumes of titles, and whether celebrity IP games could be the next big thing.Simone explains why Kerma Games approaches game development more like entertainment, and why using a celebrity in a game needs to go beyond simply putting their face on the product.What the industry is facing:- Game studios competing in an increasingly crowded market- Players expecting more from the overall gaming experience- Celebrity IP becoming a new way for games to differentiate- Simply putting a celebrity's face on a game not being enough- A new generation of players changing expectations- Operators and studios looking for new ways to build player engagementWhat this conversation explores:- Why Kerma Games focuses on quality over quantity- How celebrity personality can become part of the game experience- How Snoop Dogg's personality is built into the Snoop Dogg Blackjack experience- Why celebrity communities can give games an existing audience and level of trust- Kerma Games' work with artists including Lil Baby- Why differentiation is becoming increasingly important in iGaming- How changing player generations could influence the next decade of the industry- What's next for Kerma Games and its celebrity game roadmap-------Brought to you by:Evoverse - https://evo-verse.com/ Wicked Games - https://www.wicked.games/ --------Hosted by Surya PalliConnect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suryapalli28/For podcast sponsorship and collabs: surya@igamingrealtalk.comCheck out igamingrealtalk.com--------Chapters00:00 - What Makes Kerma Games Different?01:02 - What Are Celebrity IP Games?02:25 - How Snoop Dogg Becomes Part of the Game03:56 - Kerma Games' Celebrity Lineup04:39 - Why Differentiation Matters05:03 - The Next Generation of Players05:30 - What's Next for Kerma Games?05:45 - Closing Thoughts

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About

iGaming Real Talk is a podcast where real conversations take centre stage. We speak with founders, creators, and leaders. Most of them come from the iGaming world, and some from beyond. We talk openly about what it really takes to grow, lead, and keep going. If you're building something of your own, leading a team, or simply figuring things out, you'll find something here that resonates. Hosted by Surya Palli, suryapalli.com Join our community on WhatsApp igamingrealtalk.com

Information

  • Creator
    Surya Palli
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Surya Palli
  • Show Website
    iGaming Real Talk

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