The Betting Startups Podcast

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255

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Oct 2026

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About the show

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

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60 recent

October 27, 2026Episode 26231 min

Ep. 233: Raising $7m to build "the Shopify for iGaming" w/ Val Makovetskii from Maincard

Ep. 233 features Val Makovetskii from Maincard, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, Maincard’s evolution into a full-stack platform for launching gaming brands, its recently announced $7 million oversubscribed seed round, and its vision to expand into banking solutions and gamified commerce. Hear them discuss: Val’s entrepreneurial journey across logistics, electronics manufacturing, online education, combat sports, and iGaming. The four pivots that led to Maincard, including growing its fantasy sports app to 2.7 million players by the end of 2024. How Maincard enables entrepreneurs to launch casinos, sportsbooks, lotteries, prediction markets, and card-ripping platforms quickly and affordably. Why Val believes traditional white-label providers fall short on speed, flexibility, and responsiveness to operator needs. Maincard’s full-stack approach, combining technology, back-office support, revenue sharing, liquidity assistance, and partner resources. The challenges of launching an iGaming brand, including payment processing fees, customer acquisition costs, and the importance of distribution. Maincard’s expansion into the US through sweepstakes, prediction markets, card ripping, and partnerships with influencers and athletes. How Maincard.com addresses high-risk payment and banking challenges with global transfers, multi-currency support, and planned virtual debit cards. The company’s $7 million oversubscribed seed round, its investor network, and Val’s approach to fundraising through consistent progress updates. Val’s “gamify everything” vision, plans to expand into fashion and collectibles, and advice for founders to test ideas cheaply, stay lean, and prioritize speed of execution. Listen to Business of Betting, the premier podcast covering the business of the sports betting industry featuring host Jeff Edelstein, on Spotify , Apple Podcasts and YouTube Learn more 👇 ➡️ Maincard website ➡️ Val Makovetskii 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/

October 20, 2026Episode 26129 min

Ep. 232: Turnkey tech for the $4B digital pack-ripping market w/ Viktor Atanasovski from B2Bux

Ep. 232 features Viktor Atanasovski, Founder of B2Bux, to discuss the rise of pack ripping and mystery boxes as emerging real-money gaming verticals, how B2Bux helps operators launch these experiences, and the company’s plans for growth through B2B partnerships and its own consumer brand, Riply.us . Hear them discuss: Viktor’s 10-year journey in iGaming, from affiliate marketing to launching and selling businesses. How B2Bux was founded to provide the infrastructure behind pack ripping and mystery box brands. How virtual pack ripping works, from revealing collectible cards to shipping them or exchanging them for account credit. How B2Bux helps operators launch in weeks with technology, payment processing, product sourcing, and legal support. The differences between pack ripping and mystery boxes, and why operators are showing growing interest in these products. Why the US is B2Bux’s primary market for pack ripping, with opportunities in other regions for mystery boxes. Why B2Bux launched its own B2C brand, Riply.us , to showcase its platform and learn more about customer acquisition, retention, and unit economics. How the business model combines setup fees with a percentage of gross gaming revenue, alongside plans to offer custom mobile apps. Viktor’s perspective on the growth potential of pack ripping and emerging gaming verticals compared with traditional online casino and sports betting. The lessons entrepreneurship has taught Viktor about creating value, choosing partners, protecting his time, and building toward the goal of onboarding 10+ operators. Join the Next Predict conversation on October 22-23rd in New York. Tickets are still available, get yours now and use discount code STARTUP15 for 15% off your pass! Grab tickets here: https://nextpredict.io/summits/the-worlds-prediction-markets-summit/ Learn more 👇 ➡️ B2Bux website ➡️ Viktor Atanasovski 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/

October 14, 2026Episode 26032 min

Ep. 231: Pioneering the "Studio as a service" model w/ Sandra Wong from Lucky Lady Games

Ep. 231 features Sandra Wong, Founder of Lucky Lady Games, to discuss Volt, an AI-powered platform designed to help casino operators and game studios create and launch original branded games in minutes. Sandra shares her journey from professional poker player and product designer at VGW to startup founder, how Volt aims to improve player retention through personalized gaming experiences, and how the company is preparing for its next stage of growth. Hear them discuss: Sandra’s journey from graphic design and professional poker to building gaming products and joining VGW. The origins of Lucky Lady Games, its evolution from consultancy to product development, and Sandra’s decision to build her own startup. How Volt uses AI to help operators create and launch original branded casino games in minutes. The challenge of player retention and casino lobby homogenization, and how custom-branded content can help operators stand out. Volt’s boutique aggregation model, including its focus on distribution, provider relationships, and dedicated lobby exposure. How AI-driven audience intelligence helps operators tailor game themes, content, and lobby mixes to specific markets and player preferences. Volt’s business model, including game powering fees, a planned subscription and token structure, and its growing catalog of original games. Bootstrapping Lucky Lady Games, plans to raise a $3 million seed round, and the potential for AWS Marketplace distribution after winning the AWS Gaming Innovation Award through Zero Labs Cohort Nine. Sandra’s perspective on AI, product development, and why the competitive challenge is humans using AI against other humans and not humans against machines. The next steps for Volt, including launching its platform, expanding game types, entering African markets, pursuing tribal partnerships, and building toward a global platform for custom-branded mobile games Join the Next Predict conversation on October 22-23rd in New York. Tickets are still available, get yours now and use discount code STARTUP15 for 15% off your pass! Grab tickets here: https://nextpredict.io/summits/the-worlds-prediction-markets-summit/ Learn more 👇 ➡️ Lucky Lady Games website ➡️ Sandra Wong 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/

October 7, 2026Episode 25930 min

Ep. 230: Automating competitive market intelligence for iGaming operators w/ Hakon & Rishin from Gmonitor

Ep. 230 welcomes Rishin and Hakon, Co-founders of Gmonitor, following a whirlwind 10 days that took them from Zero Labs Cohort 9 in Las Vegas to winning the first First Pitch competition at SBC Summit in Lisbon. The founders discuss their competitive and market intelligence platform for iGaming operators, their AI-native approach, and their ambitious vision to become the intelligence layer for the entire gaming and wagering industry. Hear them discuss: How Gmonitor won the SBC Summit First Pitch competition with a high-risk, high-reward two-founder presentation, extensive rehearsal, and a pitch built around real customer use cases. Rishin and Hakon's different backgrounds in engineering, AI, media, sales, and gaming, and how their complementary skills led them to build Gmonitor. What Gmonitor does as a competitive and market intelligence platform for iGaming operators, replacing manual workflows and disconnected tools with industry-specific data and insights. How operators can use Gmonitor to track promotions, games, advertising, social media, and other competitive signals and turn them into actionable decisions. How Gmonitor differentiates itself by combining signals across the competitive landscape and using software to deliver faster, more actionable intelligence than traditional tools and consultants. Gmonitor's roadmap to expand into more markets, connect with operators' internal data and systems, automate workflows, and eventually provide regulatory intelligence across the wider gaming and wagering industry. Why Gmonitor serves both smaller operators looking to close the gap with larger competitors and multinational operators struggling to monitor the growing volume of competitive activity. The company's business model, including its web application, workflow-specific dashboards, recurring reports, customized intelligence, monthly subscriptions, and separately quoted intelligence services. Why the founders believe being a lean, AI-native startup gives Gmonitor an advantage over legacy incumbents, with AI acting as an “equalizing opportunity” for startups with limited resources. How Zero Labs transformed Gmonitor's thinking around product, pricing, pitching, and go-to-market strategy, while helping clarify the path toward its long-term vision of becoming core intelligence and automation infrastructure for the gaming industry. Join the Next Predict conversation on October 22-23rd in New York. Tickets are still available, get yours now and use discount code STARTUP15 for 15% off your pass! Grab tickets here: https://nextpredict.io/summits/the-worlds-prediction-markets-summit/ Learn more 👇 ➡️ Gmonitor website ➡️ Rishin Kesarla on Linkedin ➡️ Hakon Magnusson 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/

September 29, 2026Episode 25833 min

Ep. 229: Inside the raise to build "Expedia for sports betting" w/ Gino Donati from BetOpenly and OpenMarkets

Ep. 229 welcomes back Gino Donati, Founder of BetOpenly, for a bonus episode exploring the evolution of his peer-to-peer betting exchange and his ambitious new venture, Open Markets. Gino discusses building a universal betting marketplace, connecting liquidity across platforms, serving institutional clients, and the lessons he's learned about fundraising and scaling a business. Hear him discuss: How BetOpenly differentiates itself as a peer-to-peer exchange focused on fair, devigged lines and odds rather than traditional market-making models. The growth of BetOpenly over the past year, including changes to its customer acquisition strategy and expansion across social platforms and partner integrations. The launch of Open Markets and Gino's vision for creating an “Expedia for sports betting,” allowing users to compare prices and access the best available lines across multiple platforms. How a universal wallet and partnership infrastructure could make it easier for bettors to move money and execute trades without maintaining separate balances across multiple operators. Why Open Markets is also targeting the institutional side of the industry, offering infrastructure, data, liquidity solutions, and other B2B services to operators and market participants. Gino's fundraising journey, including raising pre-money valuation and why he chose outside capital after years of bootstrapping BetOpenly. The licensing, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges involved in building a centralized layer that connects sportsbooks, exchanges, and prediction market platforms. Why Gino believes Open Markets can act as a neutral “Switzerland” for the industry by bringing liquidity to multiple platforms rather than competing directly with them. His long-term vision for BetOpenly, including the possibility of eventually giving ownership to its users and creating a community-owned betting exchange. Gino's plans to invest in early-stage startups, provide founders with access to data and infrastructure, and potentially build an accelerator-style ecosystem around Open Join the Next Predict conversation on October 22-23rd in New York. Tickets are still available, get yours now and use discount code STARTUP15 for 15% off your pass! Grab tickets here: https://nextpredict.io/summits/the-worlds-prediction-markets-summit/ Learn more 👇 ➡️ BetOpenly website ➡️ Gino Donati 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/

September 22, 2026Episode 25734 min

Ep. 228: Reinventing free-to-play prediction games "without the bill" w/ Maksim Afanasev from Pixl.Bet

Ep. 228 features Maksim Afanasev, Founder of Pixl.Bet , to discuss his journey from sportsbook product leadership to entrepreneurship, and how he is building a free-to-play sports gaming platform designed to capture the excitement of betting without the financial risk. Hear them discuss: Maksim’s 17-year journey in the betting industry, from Coral to sportsbook product leadership and Sportradar. How experimenting with AI and building a World Cup prediction game led to the creation of Pixl.Bet . Pixl.Bet ’s mission to deliver the excitement of betting through a free-to-play experience without financial risk. The platform’s use of tickets, points, predictions, multiplayer games, challenges, and social features. How Bingo and other interactive games are helping Pixl.Bet build a stronger sports-focused community. Early traction, including around 1,500 users, 25–30% active users, and more than 3,000 user-generated reels. The challenge of user acquisition and Pixl.Bet ’s focus on organic growth, referrals, and micro-influencers. Potential monetization through affiliate partnerships, sponsorships, advertising, and non-gambling brands. How AI-powered “vibe coding” is changing the way founders can rapidly prototype, test, and improve new products. Pixl.Bet ’s plans to grow its community, attract sponsors, develop products for gaming operators, and explore new gaming concepts. If you still don't have a ticket to SBC Summit in Lisbon, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for 30% off your pass. Grab your ticket here: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit/ticket-options/ Learn more 👇 ➡️ Pixl.Bet website ➡️ Maksim Afanasev 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/

September 17, 2026Episode 25628 min

Ep. 227: Meet the First Pitch finalists for SBC Summit in Lisbon

Ep. 227 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we meet the 5 startups selected to present at the SBC First Pitch Competition during SBC Summit in Lisbon on October 1st, 2026. In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists: Teemu Huuhtanen from Betsy Rishin Kesarla from GMonitor Cristian Barbosa from InsightPlay.ai Eduardo Cesar Franceschett from Safefy Alfonso González García from Whizdom AI SBC First Pitch brings together some of the most exciting startups within the betting and gaming industry, giving founders the opportunity to showcase their innovations and compete in front of a panel of industry experts and investors. The Startup Zone at SBC Summit in Lisbon is the best way for startups to establish their presence at "The Greatest Show in Gaming". Discounted packages are available exclusively through BettingStartups, but spaces are very limited so register your interest ASAP: https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-summit-2026 📩 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/

September 8, 2026Episode 25535 min

Ep. 226: Empowering prediction market traders w/ Justin & Cam from PredictQ

Ep. 226 features Cameron MacMillan and Justin Herzig, co-founders of PredictQ, to discuss their vision for building the expert layer of prediction markets. The pair share how their backgrounds in DFS, analytics, community building, and technology came together to create a platform designed to help traders discover, analyze, and trade prediction markets more effectively. Hear them discuss: Justin and Cameron's entrepreneurial backgrounds, including their experiences with blockchain, DFS, RotoGrinders, and sports analytics, and how they ultimately came together to launch PredictQ. Why they believe prediction markets need an expert layer similar to what RotoGrinders built for DFS and what platforms like Seeking Alpha and TradingView built for financial markets. How PredictQ is building tools across the full trading lifecycle, including market discovery, research and analysis, price comparison, liquidity, and cross-platform portfolio management. Why the founders see prediction markets as a fundamentally different consumer experience from traditional sportsbooks, with open order books, market making, the ability to exit positions, and no risk of being limited for winning. How Cameron is applying lessons from building the RotoGrinders community, including the importance of education, transparency, trusted experts, and creating a place where users can learn from one another. PredictQ's go-to-market strategy, including partnerships, community activations, NFL-focused tools, and using a rapid product-shipping cadence as a form of organic marketing. The company's approach to fundraising, including an oversubscribed pre-seed round from people like Jeremy Levine, Paris Smith, Cal Spears, Adam Small, Jonathan Bales, Peter Jennings, Jesse Learmonth, and others. Why transparent prediction market data could help create verifiable trader reputation scores, improve trust in the industry, and reduce the influence of unverified touts and fake betting records. PredictQ's long-term vision of becoming the go-to destination for prediction market traders across sports, politics, weather, crypto, and other emerging market categories. Justin and Cameron's final NFL season picks, including contrarian DFS strategy, their survivor pool outlook, and a few early Week One positions. The Startup Zone at SBC Summit in Lisbon is the best way for startups to establish their presence at "The Greatest Show in Gaming". Discounted packages are available exclusively through BettingStartups, but spaces are very limited so register your interest ASAP: https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-summit-2026 Learn more 👇 ➡️ PredictQ website ➡️ Justin Herzig on Linkedin ➡️ Cameron MacMillan 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/

September 1, 2026Episode 25430 min

Ep. 225: Unifying the messy sports data ecosystem w/ Amar Rao from SportsStack

Ep. 225 features Amar Rao, Co-Founder of SportsStack, to discuss the challenges of sports data infrastructure and how SportsStack is building a unified data layer for the industry. Amar shares insights from his experience at NumberFire, FanDuel, and Fanatics, along with SportsStack's approach to data normalization, settlement, and scaling sports technology. Hear them discuss: Amar's journey from Amazon to NumberFire, FanDuel, and Fanatics, and how years of dealing with fragmented sports data led to the creation of SportsStack. How SportsStack's Unified API helps operators, fantasy platforms, prediction markets, media companies, teams, and leagues normalize data and switch providers without rebuilding their infrastructure. Why settlement and misgraded markets remain a costly challenge for sportsbooks and prediction markets, and how cross-validating multiple data sources can improve accuracy and reduce operational risk. SportsStack's early traction, including work with Underdog and Novig, its approach to fundraising, and why strategic capital matters more than raising money for the sake of it. Why industry conferences are critical for early-stage B2B startups, with Amar emphasizing the importance of consistently showing up, building awareness, and playing the long game. Amar's view of the evolving sports data ecosystem, including the rise of specialized providers, AI-driven data products, and new demands created by prediction markets. SportsStack's roadmap for the next year, with a focus on expanding provider coverage, improving data quality and speed, and becoming a leading settlement infrastructure solution. Amar's long-term vision for SportsStack as the default infrastructure layer connecting sports data providers with the products and experiences built on top of them. The Startup Zone at SBC Summit in Lisbon is the best way for startups to establish their presence at "The Greatest Show in Gaming". Discounted packages are available exclusively through BettingStartups, but spaces are very limited so register your interest ASAP: https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-summit-2026 Learn more 👇 ➡️ SportsStack website ➡️ Amar Rao 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/

August 25, 2026Episode 25329 min

Ep. 224: Redefining sports prediction markets through rechargeable trading cards w/ Andrew Wood from RallyTabs

Ep. 224 features Andrew Wood, Co-Founder of RallyTabs, to discuss his transition from investment banking into entrepreneurship, the evolution of RallyTabs from a physical pull-tab concept into a digital product, and how the company is creating a new sports engagement experience that combines predictions, collectibles, and pack-ripping mechanics. Hear them discuss: How Andrew's experience covering the gaming industry as an investment banker led him to identify opportunities within the sports gaming ecosystem. The origins of RallyTabs, including its evolution from a slot route concept to a live sports pull-tab product before ultimately becoming a digital platform. How RallyTabs combines sports predictions, digital cards, collectibles, and pack-ripping mechanics into a single fan engagement experience. The user experience behind RallyTabs, including digital packs, live sports predictions, collectible cards, and the ability to reactivate cards for future games. Why RallyTabs sits at the intersection of sports predictions, fantasy, collectibles, and pack ripping rather than fitting neatly into a single existing category. The company's go-to-market strategy, combining digital marketing with in-person activations at sports bars, stadiums, and tailgates. Why simplicity and a low barrier to entry are central to RallyTabs' strategy for attracting a broader audience of sports fans. How the company has funded its growth through founders and a friends-and-family round while testing customer acquisition channels before pursuing a larger capital raise. Andrew's perspective on the rapid evolution of the gaming industry, from the post-PASPA boom to the emergence of sweepstakes and prediction markets. RallyTabs' roadmap for the next 12 months, including expanding into football and additional sports, growing its customer base, exploring retail-focused products, and becoming a bigger part of the live game-day experience. The Startup Zone at SBC Summit in Lisbon is the best way for startups to establish their presence at "The Greatest Show in Gaming". Discounted packages are available exclusively through BettingStartups, but spaces are very limited so register your interest ASAP: https://www.bettingstartups.com/sbc-summit-2026 Learn more 👇 ➡️ RallyTabs website ➡️ Andrew Wood 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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