Business of Betting Podcast
A podcast covering the sports betting industry from the perspective of bettors, operators, and industry insiders. Hosted by Jeff Edelstein, Senior Analyst at InGame.com. Presented by Optimove.
Episodes

Friday Feb 23, 2024
Friday Feb 23, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Will Martin from LiveDuel.Hear them discuss:01:22 - The Irish political landscape04:20 - Origin story of LiveDuel, and why Will felt a new exchange was needed in the market08:15 - How LiveDuel is differentiating itself from the incumbent exchanges09:54 - Will's opinion of what Smarkets could have done differently with its exchange13:02 - How LiveDuel is utilizing blockchain technology, and why it is the right technology for sports betting18:19 - The mechanics of DAO's and how that governance model can be applied to exchanges21:02 - Benefits of blockchain technology for transaction processing23:19 - How blockchain helps with liquidity provisioning through automated market making27:19 - Using oracles to resolve markets through consensus31:49 - Challenges of fundraising to build an exchange business 35:37 - Regulatory licensing strategy for LiveDuel⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Manu Gambhir from Xpoint.Hear them discuss:02:24 - Introduction to Xpoint03:45 - The geolocation provider landscape in the US market05:20 - Primer on geolocation regulatory requirements 07:50 - Competitive dynamic of geolocation providers in the US11:26 - The technical complexity of building geolocation solutions18:04 - Lawsuits and legal challenges around IP rights20:27 - The regulatory complexities of operators building their own geolocation solutions internally23:38 - Xpoint's commercial traction in the US market25:56 - Manu's view on the state of the industry in the US29:06 - Enforcement (or lack thereof) of offshore operators serving the US market33:07 - What Manu wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Feb 09, 2024
Friday Feb 09, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Paul King from OddsMonkey.Hear them discuss:01:45 - a primer on matched betting & Paul's background with it05:30 - the background and origins of OddsMonkey07:50 - Paul's view of the sports betting industry10:30 - bookmakers' attitudes towards matched betting12:30 - the change over time in the value of bonus offers, and Paul's outlook for the future of bonusing16:20 - the role that exchanges play in matched betting19:55 - the ethics and legality of stake factoring and restricting customer accounts27:07 - what Paul wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Feb 02, 2024
Friday Feb 02, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Joe Brennan Jr. from Prime Sports.Hear them discuss:02:51 - using restaurant metaphors to explain Prime Sports' position in the market10:52 - the parallels between the Costco shopping experience and sports betting14:40 - why cricket is an underappreciated sport for betting22:04 - the shift in how audiences are consuming live sports, and why that doesn't bode well for microbetting 24:37 - operating Prime Sports as "a reduced juice shop"27:57 - where the red line is before the low-margin model is no longer viable in the US market30:46 - why they think the current market leaders in US sports betting will change in the next 10 years34:25 - what Joe would have done differently for Smarkets' US entry strategy 40:22 - what Joe wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by David Frohardt-Lane from DL Trading.Hear them discuss:01:09 - David's background in high frequency market making03:22 - Why David invested in Sporttrade's Series A funding round05:20 - The price sensitivity of American bettors07:54 - Comparing financial trading to trading sports betting markets10:15 - Deep dive on DL Trading's role as Sporttrade's principal market maker14:22 - The challenges of trading sports at scale16:39 - Attracting liquidity to betting exchanges21:58 - Revisiting the 2020 US Presidential Election on betting exchanges, and thoughts on the upcoming 2024 election25:03 - David's thoughts on Smarkets26:44 - DL Trading's B2B ambitions 29:59 - What David wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saturday Jan 20, 2024
Saturday Jan 20, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Brad Allen from Eilers & Krejcik.Hear them discuss:01:34 - The origin of Brad’s weekly podcast, Zero Latency03:05 - Brad takes control of the host chair and asks Jason questions03:48 - Smarkets’ initial plans to enter the US market, and how that’s changed over time06:46 - How Smarkets is localizing its core product to the US market09:27 - Smarkets’ future prospects and opportunities in the US11:31 - The allure of high margin products like same-game parlays13:30 - Why Smarkets decided to build its own geolocation solution internally17:17 - The B2B opportunity for Smarkets to commercialize its geolocation solution18:58 - Brad’s view of the industry, and which operator he thinks could be a “game changer”21:27 - Where ESPN Bet fits into the landscape since its launch 25:04 - Why Brad thinks that Rush Street Interactive is a good acquisition candidate25:54 - What Brad wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Jacob Fortinsky, co-founder & CEO of Novig.Hear them discuss:02:43 - The current controversy at Harvard, Jacob's alma mater06:40 - Companies taking political stances, and how Jason and Jacob think about that within their companies09:31 - Jacob's experience meeting Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator12:04 - High concept overview of Novig13:35 - Raising $7 million from investors to build Novig15:30 - What Jacob thinks Jason should have done differently building Smarkets17:48 - Attracting institutional liquidity providers to sports betting exchanges20:05 - Sports betting as a zero sum game24:14 - Price sensitivity of different customer segments25:50 - Novig's recent launch in Colorado29:42 - The Novig business model31:09 - Why the Novig exchange had to launch as a fixed odds sportsbook32:47 - What Jacob wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest here---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Paris Smith, the former CEO of Pinnacle.Hear them discuss:00:47 - Thoughts on the US02:45 - When Paris beat Jason in a poker tournament06:42 - The low margin sportsbook model10:37 - Her tenure at Pinnacle13:53 - Comparing Pinnacle to bet36516:31 - Her take on the exchange model20:40 - Departing Pinnacle after 17 years as CEO23:07 - The importance of getting peer support26:14 - Life living in the Caribbean ⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest: businessofbetting@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monday Dec 11, 2023
Monday Dec 11, 2023
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Jesse Learmonth, host of The Betting Startups Podcast.Jesse has interviewed almost 100 industry startup founders, and has a unique lens on the industry's early-stage ecosystem. He has been in the industry for 14 years as a founder, an executive at Pinnacle Sports, and advisor to several industry startups.Timecodes:00:54 - Launching The Betting Startups Podcast04:01 - Choosing a podcast format06:42 - Authenticity in interview-based podcasts09:31 - Areas of pushback on startup founders13:45 - Competing on price in sports betting19:41 - Why the low-margin model isn't more mainstream24:27 - Why BoB hasn't had a new episode in 3 months25:27 - Partnership announcement between BoB and The Betting Startups Podcast27:56 - Future plans for BoB and call for guests30:29 - Jason and Jesse's boring video backgroundsFollow us on: https://twitter.com/bettingpod / @businessofbettingGet in touch: https://twitter.com/jasontrostbusinessofbetting@gmail.com#business #betting #podcast #businessofbetting #smarkets #exchange #sportsbook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Sep 01, 2023
Friday Sep 01, 2023
On this weeks edition of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Joey Levy from Betr.With the backing of social media personality and boxer, Jake Paul, Joey is the Founder and CEO of Betr which is the first direct-to-consumer micro-betting focused sports betting company. Betr has also launched a new media venture for the next generation of sports fans. Betr is setting out to disrupt legacy gambling and legacy media, with a mission of making sports and betting Betr.Timecodes:00:46 - Who is Joey Levy and what is Betr?07:46 - What type of product is Betr?09:51 - What is the vision with Betr?13:21 - Customer / revenue numbers18:35 - What is it like working with somebody else's code?21:43 - What is Joey's view on the Friedberg hypothesis?31:48 - What is the goal with Betr?35:23 - What does Joey want to be when he grows up?#betting #business #exchange #podcast #smarkets #betr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


