The Betting Startups Podcast

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-play innovation to shape their vision
Their thesis for how skill games can fill the U.S. iCasino regulatory gap
How they ideate on new game concepts and formats, including their latest skill-based basketball game
Their learnings from the last G2E conference that led to development of new core infrastructure
How interest in their games is converting into commercial traction
How growing interest in entrepreneurship has led to a startup boom in India
Securing a Lightspeed seed round pre-product in just six weeks
Check out a demo of one of Toast's games here: https://21-jack.playtoast.com/
 
Watch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Toast website 
➡️ Aman Agarwal on Linkedin
➡️ Jatin Narang 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/
 
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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.

Ep. 158: Bringing esports betting to the mainstream w/ Shivam Shorewala from Rimble

Ep. 158 features Shivam Shorewala from Rimble, a next-generation esports odds and analytics platform powering player props and beyond. This episode was recorded in person at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
 
Hear him discuss:
How his early days at SimpleBet sparked the idea for Esports micro markets
Why messy esports data forced a pivot to pre-game player props
Building a niche product filling the esports betting gap for operators
The surprising demand for Counter Strike and expanding to League of Legends
How official data deals and computer vision solved their data woes
Running a lean, bootstrapped team of seven engineers in San Francisco
Why skipping VC funding keeps them focused on product over hype
Expanding into cricket and kabaddi for Asian markets
Staying in the long tail of niche sports instead of chasing NFL
His five-year vision: powering esports and fan engagement with AI
 
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Rimble website 
➡️ Shivam Shorewala 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/
 
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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.

Ep. 157: Transparent betting on the blockchain w/ Will Martin from LiveDuel

Ep. 157 features Will Martin from LiveDuel, a decentralized blockchain-based betting exchange aiming to simplify sports betting with crypto innovations. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2024.
Hear him discuss:
How a $300 TikTok filter campaign for the 2022 World Cup won Marketing Genius at The Starties
The origin of LiveDuel from Will’s background in arbitrage, prop trading, and meme stocks
Why they’re creating a hybrid model between sportsbooks and betting exchanges
How liquidity pools and smart contracts enable a smooth betting experience
The evolution of their thesis amid the rise of prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi
Their go-to-market strategy, and who they see as their ideal target customer
Why they are focused on soccer only for the time being
Regulatory challenges of launching a crypto-based platform, especially in the U.S.
Their experience in Techstars, and current efforts to raise a new round of capital
Creative marketing approaches that stood out at The Starties awards
 
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ LiveDuel website 
➡️ Will Martin 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/
 
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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.

Ep. 156: Profitable from day one w/ KB from Pick The Odds

Ep. 156 features KB from Pick The Odds, which is a cutting-edge sports betting data platform providing real-time odds, arbitrage opportunities, and historical betting insights.
 
Hear him discuss:
How his background in eSports data and machine learning led to launching Pick The Odds
The conversation at an Eagles game that sparked the idea for his platform
How Pick The Odds collects and updates lines from over 100 sportsbooks in under 1.6 seconds
Why he focuses on building advanced betting tools rather than offering AI-driven picks
Why his pricing model ensures users get value while keeping the business self-funded
How he built a thriving, non-toxic betting community through Discord
His plan to introduce a bet-tracking tool to verify picks and combat misinformation
His vision for making Pick The Odds the go-to platform for sharp bettors
Why he has resisted outside investment and is committed to keeping the company independent
His take on the future of sports betting, regulation, and the rise of new platforms
 
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Pick The Odds website 
 
 
📩 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/
 
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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.

Ep. 155: Gamifying betting education w/w/ Ty D'Amore & Justin Järvinen from Bankroll U

Ep. 155 features Co-Founders Ty D'Amore and Justin Järvinen from Bankroll U, which is a platform designed to educate bettors while providing a gamified environment that mimics real-money betting.Hear them discuss:
How a barrage of sportsbook ads sparked the idea for BankrollU
Why simulated betting is the best way to learn without going broke
The unique progression system that lets users prove they can win before earning real cash bonuses
Justin’s journey from venture studios and fintech to jumping on board with BankrollU
Ty’s experience scaling a tech company to a NASDAQ public listing and what he’s applying to BankrollU
The months of legal hurdles they tackled to make this model work
Why they see BankrollU as an educational tool, not a sportsbook or affiliate
The early traction they’re seeing and why players keep coming back
Why self-funding the company gives them an edge in building the best product
How they’re building a sports betting community that’s all about learning and winning
Their five-year vision—making bettors wonder how they ever placed a bet without this
 
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Bankroll U website 
➡️ Justin Jarvinen 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.

Ep. 154: 'The Starties' finalists revealed w/ Travis Geiger from WagerWire

Ep. 154 features Travis Geiger, who joins Jesse in this special episode that zooms in on the upcoming Starties awards show on March 12. Hear them discuss:
Their reflections on the crazy journey in the last 30 days since The Starties were announced
A look into the 250+ nominations that were submitted for the 9 award categories
The creation of the Starties Academy, and the inspiration behind creating a voting committee to ensure fairness and transparency
The unique venue where The Starties will be held in NYC
An update on ticket availability (look below for a link to buy your ticket!)
The announcement of award finalists across each award category
 
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
 
🎟️ General Admission tickets for The Starties are now on sale, with very limited capacity: https://thestarties2025.eventbrite.com
💰 Claim your $200 discount on a Full Event Pass to NEXT Summit NYC with code SB2NYC52: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
📱 Follow The Starties on Linkedin and Twitter
 
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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.

Ep. 153: Converting sports fans into sports bettors w/ Tyler Amirault & James White from HotTakes

Ep. 153 features Tyler Amirault and James White from HotTakes, which is the ultimate free-to-play sports betting simulator.
 
Hear them discuss:
How their time at Western University led to HotTakes, starting as a passion project before becoming a full-time venture
The idea behind HotTakes—letting sports fans try betting for free, win real cash prizes, and learn without risk
Their business model, which monetizes user attention and shares value with players through an affiliate-driven rewards system
Why they've been so successful as affiliates at a time when so many other affiliates are struggling
The recent launch of their redesigned app as their entry point into the US market
Why they believe betting growth comes from new players, not competing for existing high-value bettors
How having top industry advisors such as John Gordon, Paris Smith, and Benjie Cherniak has unlocked new opportunities for HotTakes
Plans to raise $3M in Series A for user acquisition, key hires, and brand-building
 
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ HotTakes website 
➡️ Tyler Amirault on Linkedin 
➡️ James White 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.

Ep. 152: Using charitable giving to drive player retention w/ Tiffany Santisteban Lagos

Ep. 152 features Tiffany Santisteban Lagos from EmpowerYourPlay, which transforms gaming rewards by integrating micro-giving to charities of players’ choice.Hear her discuss:
EmpowerYourPlay winning the recent Pitch ICE competition, and the benefits that has brought
How EmpowerYourPlay is using charitable giving as a new player retention mechanism for operators
The insights she got from speaking to over 10,000 players before launching, and how that helped validate her hypotheses
Why Gen Z and Millennials are driving a shift toward purpose-driven spending
Why her experience building EmpowerYourPlay has been "like drinking water from a firehose"
How attracting top talent on equity-only roles has helped Tiffany bootstrap EmpowerYourPlay to this point
Current efforts to raise £750k in pre-seed funding to scale operations
The ambitious goal to donate over $50M to charities in the coming years
 
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ EmpowerYourPlay website 
➡️ Tiffany Santisteban Lagos 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.
 

Ep. 151: Extracting data at scale using computer vision technology w/ Simon Gerszberg from ShotQuality

Ep. 151 features Simon Gerszberg from ShotQuality, a sports data extraction company using CV, AI and data science to optimize pricing for Sports-books and syndicates.
 
Hear him discuss:
How a chance college roommate pairing sparked the beginning for ShotQuality
The strategy shift that saw them move away from selling analytics to colleges - despite having 25 Division 1 teams as clients
How their first sportsbook deal came from betting into the market using ShotQuality data
His experience successfully navigating the dreaded operator integration roadmap
News of their expansion from a basketball-only product to a multi-sport offering
His perspective on the sports data ecosystem, and where ShotQuality fits within it
The joint role of computer vision and human validation in their technology platform
How he successfully fundraised a seven-figure seed round as a first-time founder
 
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ ShotQuality website 
➡️ Simon Gerszberg 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.

Ep. 150: Building iGaming’s global community w/ Pierre Lindh of NEXT.io

Ep. 150 features Pierre Lindh from NEXT.io, the world’s iGaming community.
Hear him discuss:
The life and legacy of Nico Jansen
His retrospective on the ICE conference's debut in Barcelona
Why he feels like NEXT is only now hitting its stride after 12 years of perseverance
The risky shift in strategy that NEXT made last year, and how that's paid off since
The challenges of building a premium content business with a subscription model
His views and insights on how to build and grow community
Why he thinks about the NEXT NYC Summit as "the Davos for iGaming"
The recent announcement of The Starties, the awards show by startups, for startups that will be held alongside the NYC Summit
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
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/
 
--
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.