The Betting Startups Podcast

We're back with Ep. 3 of The Gamble & The Glory, where we meet founders that have built their companies to become stalwarts of the sports betting, fantasy, and iGaming industry.
In this one, we speak with Omer Sattar, co-founder & CEO of Sightline Payments.
Hear him discuss:
The importance of putting in the work, and why “10,000 hours is not enough” to become an expert in your domain
A crash course (and masterclass) on how payment networks function
The challenges he had establishing credibility in Sightline’s early days, and the role that his grit and tenacity played in helping it to break through
Sightline’s major innovation of building a bidirectional payments network for the gambling industry, which is now connected to 95% of all slot devices in the US
Why it's important for entrepreneurs to exercise patience
His major lessons learned from raising over $400 million in capital to fuel Sightline’s growth
Reaching 'unicorn' status, and what it means to be one of only ~700 private companies to reach that milestone
 
Learn more: 
➡️ Sightline Payments website
➡️ Omer Sattar on Linkedin
 
The Gamble & The Glory is made possible by Segev LLP, a full solutions law firm purpose built for the gaming and betting industry. To learn more, visit: www.segev.ca 

Ep. 92 features Ty Masterson and Dan Gentile from Bettle Fantasy Sports, which is the future of social sports gaming.
 
Hear them discuss:
The stickiness of the season-long format, as evidenced by their 20+ years playing in the same fantasy league
How Bettle is enhancing the season-long player experience by introducing DFS-style mechanics to it
The growth potential of season-long fantasy despite wider trends towards instant gratification and declining sports viewership amongst Gen-Z audiences
Their take on what the launch of ESPN Bet means for ESPN’s season-long fantasy product
What the current regulatory scrutiny on pick ‘em-style DFS means for Bettle
Their current efforts to raise $1.5 million, and what types of investors they are looking to reach
Their predictions for the NFL playoffs :)
 
Learn more👇
➡️ Bettle Fantasy Sports website
➡️ Ty Masterson Linkedin
➡️ Dan Gentile Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by InPlay.ai, the leaders in AI powered sports gaming technology.
Discover how they're using advanced AI to build the ultimate second screen experience, powered by the only full stack solution for micro same-game parlays, uninterrupted in-play markets, and fully-automated risk management.
To learn more about the future of sports gaming, visit www.inplay.ai

Ep. 91 features Mike Salvaris from Pro League Network, which is betable live sports.
Hear him discuss:
How thoroughbred racing inspired the idea for Pro League Network by creating betable content during off-peak times
What it looks like to launch and operate a “portfolio of leagues” like the World Putting League, Carjitsu, and Slapfight Championship
The revenue potential of owing everything “soup to nuts”, including IP rights, production, distribution, and wagering
Where PLN’s leagues fit within the wider landscape, and whether he thinks any of them have mainstream potential
The safeguards that PLN is putting in place to ensure that the integrity of its leagues are ensured at all times
Building a world-class roster of investors and advisors like Eberg Capital, Kevin Garnett, and Chris Grove
 
Learn more👇
➡️ Pro League Network website
➡️ Mike Salvaris on Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by InPlay.ai, the leaders in AI powered sports gaming technology.
Discover how they're using advanced AI to build the ultimate second screen experience, powered by the only full stack solution for micro same-game parlays, uninterrupted in-play markets, and fully-automated risk management.
To learn more about the future of sports gaming, visit www.inplay.ai

Ep. 90 features Malcolm Wilkinson and Steve Steck from We The Bookie, which is Ireland’s only truly socially-responsible bookmaker.
Hear them discuss:
Integrating social impact into stigmatized industries, including gambling
Their unique model that sees We The Bookie share its profits with customers that have a losing month
Why they picked Ireland as their go-to-market jurisdiction to prove out the model before expanding internationally 
Their experience going through the process of selecting a platform vendor, and the challenges associated with it
Why We The Bookie "won't ever have online slots"
Gaining experience pitching at industry conferences and events, including this week at SiGMA Malta
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ We The Bookie website
➡️ Malcolm Wilkinson on Linkedin
➡️ Steve Steck on Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by InPlay Innovation, the leaders in AI-powered sports gaming technology.
Discover how they’re using advanced AI to build the ultimate second screen experience, powered by the only full-stack solution for micro same-game parlays, uninterrupted in-play markets, and fully automated risk management.
To learn more about the future of sports gaming, visit inplayinnovation.com.
 

Ep. 89 features TJ Ross from Splash Sports, which is the leading sports gaming platform for peer-to-peer contests.
Hear him discuss:
His background working in tech in the Bay area, including as founder of a startup in the 500 Startups accelerator
Seeing opportunity in real-money gaming, and the “tremendously underserved” category of office pools
Why advice received from Joe Montana’s son compelled them to enter the space with a buy-versus-build strategy
The insane story of how they acquired RunYourPool.com and OfficeFootballPool.com
Their decision to operate in stealth mode for the first 2 years, and why they are now ready to operate more publicly
How they plan to grow the existing combined userbase of 86,000 commissioners and 2.3 million players
Where he sees the office pools category fitting into the wider real-money gaming landscape
The advantages and opportunities created through leveraging your network
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Splash Sports website
➡️ TJ Ross on Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by InPlay Innovation, the leaders in AI-powered sports gaming technology.
Discover how they’re using advanced AI to build the ultimate second screen experience, powered by the only full-stack solution for micro same-game parlays, uninterrupted in-play markets, and fully automated risk management.
To learn more about the future of sports gaming, visit inplayinnovation.com.

We're back with Ep. 2 of The Gamble & The Glory, where we meet founders that have built their companies to become stalwarts of the sports betting, fantasy, and iGaming industry.
In this one, we speak with Jason Trost, founder & CEO of Smarkets.
Hear him discuss:
His 16+ year journey starting and growing Smarkets, which has grown to become a £20m per year business
How his background in financial trading gave him the idea to launch Smarkets in 2007 to compete with Betfair in the UK
Taking 7 years before Smarkets "turned the corner" as a business, which required "the right combination of extreme hubris with extreme work ethic"
How his passion for politics led Smarkets to become one of the largest global prediction markets for politics
Why he thinks "with the benefit of hindsight, [he] really screwed up the strategy in the US"
Why the current state of the betting industry makes him "quite sad" and "bums [him] out"
Taking over as host of The Business of Betting podcast, and why he thinks about podcasting as "the next generation of AM radio"
 
Learn more 
➡️ Smarkets website
➡️ Jason Trost on Linkedin
➡️ Jason Trost on Twitter
 
The Gamble & The Glory is made possible by Segev LLP, a full solutions law firm purpose built for the gaming and betting industry. To learn more, visit: www.segev.ca 

Ep. 88 features Rourke Struthers from GameBlazers, which is empowering sports fans to create and manage their own experiences.
Hear him discuss:
The origins of GameBlazers as the ‘NFT League’, and the eventual pivot away from being a web3 product
GameBlazers’ unique concept as a hybrid between fantasy sports and non-fantasy game, which brings together “the best of two worlds”
Bringing the thrill of pack opening to a digital experience, and the need to ensure that it remained “very engaging and… tactile”
How the product gameplay was designed to allow users aged 13+ to access it in a compliant manner
The iterative process of designing a game from the ground up, and how they decided which mechanics to incorporate into the game
The importance of having a long-term time horizon and the ability to iterate and adapt within it
His experience raising capital from a single angel investor, and the trade-offs he sees with that strategy compared to raising from institutional investors
Learn more👇
 
➡️ GameBlazers website
➡️ Rourke Struthers on Linkedin
 
 
This episode is brought to you by the much anticipated NEXT Summit New York event, which returns March 6-7 2024 in a new state-of the-art venue in Manhattans financial district.
With 1,000 senior  delegates expected, the summit is focused on connecting startups with investors, and operators with suppliers, which makes it THE conference where serious business gets done.
Tickets are now available at www.next.io

Ep. 87 features Torey Korsunsky from Units, which is daily fantasy sports for the curious fan.
Hear him discuss:
His recent experience as a first-time attendee of G2E in Las Vegas
Always having the itch to start something of his own, but why he decided to “get a bit of professional experience under [his] belt” before founding a company
How Units is combining DFS with “helping fans focus in on the narratives that are most interesting”
His take on the current regulatory scrutiny being placed on DFS platforms, and what that means for his ambitions with Units
What he sees as “the 3 most important things in raising money” that led to him closing a pre-seed round for Units
Why he puts so much time and effort into investor updates, which are “some of the best investor updates” that his stakeholders have seen
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Units website
➡️ Torey Korsunsky on Linkedin
 
This episode is brought to you by the much anticipated  NEXT Summit New York event, which returns March 6-7 2024 in a new state-of the-art venue in Manhattans financial district.
With 1,000 senior  delegates expected, the summit is focused on connecting startups with investors, and operators with suppliers, which makes it THE conference where serious business gets done.
Tickets are now available at www.next.io

Ep. 86 is our quarterly Investor Vibe Check, where we chat with 3 industry investors to get their perspective on the landscape from their side of the table.
 
The vibe check for Q3 features Dave VanEgmond (Bettor Capital), Jon Von Deylen (Drive by DraftKings), and Lloyd Danzig (Sharp Alpha Advisors).
 
The discussion goes deep on the shifting operator landscape in Q3, the increasing role of AI and what excites them about it, and some actionable advice for founders looking to raise in a challenging environment
 
As always, if you're building within the space, the Investor Vibe Check is a must-listen episode.
 
Learn more 👇
 
➡️ Dave VanEgmond on Linkedin
➡️ Jon Von Deylan on Linkedin
➡️ Lloyd Danzig on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, which is the easiest way to keep up with the betting industry's early stage companies. 
It's a free weekly publication that gives you all the headlines around new fundings, partnerships, and product launches. It also includes the extremely popular deal corner, where we share investment opportunities in industry startups that are looking to change the game.
Take 10 seconds and subscribe now.

Ep. 85 features Joe Brennan and Adam Bjorn from Prime Sports, which is bringing an old-school bookmaking approach to the US market.
Hear them discuss: 
Being at the forefront of the lobbing effort that eventually led to PASPA’s repeal in 2018
Why they see big opportunity in bringing an old-school bookmaking approach to the US
“Doing a really crazy thing ahead of launching” and talking directly to customers that felt underserved by incumbent operators
The non-obvious reason why cutting into the existing operator market share isn’t their primary objective
Their long-term approach to Prime Sports, and why they won’t begin to think about it as a success or failure until after World Cup 2026
Why they see the current market leaders as being “the McDonald's and Burger King of betting”
Their #1 piece of advice for new entrants coming into the betting industry
The most surprising thing to each of them about how the regulated US market has unfolded
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Prime Sports website
➡️ Prime Sports on Twitter
➡️ Joe Brennan on Linkedin
➡️ Adam Bjorn on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, which is the easiest way to keep up with the betting industry’s early-stage companies.
It’s a free weekly publication that gives you all the headlines around new fundings, partnerships, and product launches. It also includes the extremely popular Deal Corner, where we share investment opportunities in industry startups that are looking to change the game.
Take 10 seconds and subscribe now at news.bettingstartups.com