The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 216 features Jackson Erminio, Founder of Spina, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss building a skill-based gaming startup, solving the liquidity challenge, and creating a marketplace where players can compete head-to-head in games they already know and love.

Hear them discuss:

• How Jackson went from selling sneakers and running a marketing agency to founding Spina, a real-money skill gaming platform built around familiar ga...

Ep. 215 features Travis Geiger, Co-Founder & CXO of WagerWire, joining Jesse Learmonth at SBC Fort Lauderdale to discuss the company’s transformation into its vision for building a regulated prediction market ecosystem. Fresh off securing a license-in-principle in Gibraltar, Travis shares how the company is positioning itself at the intersection of gaming, finance, and innovation.

Hear them discuss:

• Why WagerWire ev...

This bonus episode features Andrew Gonzalez, Founder & CEO of ParlayX, joining Jesse Learmonth moments after winning the SBC Summit Americas First Pitch competition in Fort Lauderdale. 

Hear them discuss:

• Winning the SBC First Pitch competition, and what it means to him
• Andrew’s entrepreneurial story, including leaving his market-making career, navigating multiple pivots, and betting on himself as a founder
• The...

Ep. 214 features Alec Gehlot, Founder of PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform helping operators intervene earlier, reduce self-exclusions, and create healthier player experiences. 

Hear them discuss:

• The inspiration behind PlaySignal and why rising self-exclusion rates reveal a growing industry challenge
• How PlaySignal’s traffic-light system helps identify at-risk behavior and intervene before players reach a ...

Ep. 213 features Gregory Tolmochow, Founder & CEO of Trendline Labs, a startup building what it calls the “Bloomberg Terminal for prediction markets.” 

Hear them discuss:

• Gregory’s journey from sports betting analytics and The Betting Insider to founding Trendline Labs
• Why prediction markets represent a major evolution beyond traditional sports betting
• The pivot from an AI-powered sports analytics t...

Ep. 212 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit Americas on June 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists:

• Javier Troncoso, InsightPlay.ai
• Matt Bresler, Odditt
• Matt Paulton, OddsBlaze 
• Andrew...

Ep. 211 features Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments, an AI-native orchestration layer designed to simplify the complex payments stack for real-money gaming operators.

Hear them discuss:

• Filip’s path from professional squash in the Czech Republic to Harvard AI data science and Fidelity Investments.
• The "iceberg" of payments: Navigating the hidden layers of issuing banks, acquiring banks, and convoluted funds movement.
• Usi...

Ep. 210 features Matt Kelley from FastDraft, a fantasy sports platform recently merged with FantasySpin that focuses on high-velocity, mobile-first gameplay.

Hear them discuss:

• Matt’s transition from building a million-dollar stats business to launching a platform for the 60M+ fantasy gamer market.
• Why the "attention deficit economy" needs 5-minute drafts instead of the traditional hour-long commitment.
• The origin story ...

Ep. 209 features David and Kavin from Hydrastack, a startup using AI to transform how casino games are developed, converted, and distributed across channels.

Hear them discuss:

• The origin story of Hydrastack and how industry pain points around game distribution sparked the idea
• Why converting casino games from land-based to online can take 6–8 months and how Hydrastack cuts that down to weeks
• How their pr...

Ep. 208 features Nathan Thomas and Brett DeBari, the founding team behind GridGorilla, a digital platform that evolves the classic Super Bowl squares format into a year-round, player-stat-based prediction experience.

Hear them discuss:

• Brett’s journey through tech sales at Dell and AWS to previous gaming startups, and Nathan’s 20-year engineering career ranging from biomedical startups to database architecture

• ...

Ep. 207 features Yaniv Spielberg, founder of LuckyDraw, a B2B platform bringing prize draws and raffles into the modern gaming ecosystem.

Hear them discuss:

• Yaniv’s journey from lottery businesses to building and scaling Bragg Gaming Group into a public company listed on the NASDAQ and TSX
• The origins of LuckyDraw and identifying the gap in raffle-based gaming despite its global resurgence
• How prize draws work, includin...

Ep. 206 features Jason White, founder of TallyUp, a free-to-play global game show platform blending casual gaming, wagering mechanics, and the attention economy.

Hear them discuss:

• The TallyUp concept: a free-to-play, ad-supported PVP gaming platform where players can win real money without risking their own capital
• How exponential growth mechanics (inspired by childhood ping pong bets) shaped the core gameplay model
• Building...

Ep. 205 features John Caldwell, Co-Founder of i3Soft, a gaming technology company building next-generation poker and casino products designed to improve player experience, increase liquidity, and bridge the gap between poker and casino gameplay.

Hear them discuss:

• John’s unconventional journey from the music industry (Atlantic Records, Stone Temple Pilots, Hootie & the Blowfish) into poker and eventually gambling te...

Ep. 204 features Allan Stone, CEO & Co-Founder of Intelitics, a marketing intelligence platform helping betting and iGaming companies better understand the true impact of their marketing spend and optimize performance across the full player lifecycle. Hear them discuss:

• Allan’s journey into betting, from online poker to affiliates and founding Intelitics
• The origin story of Intelitics and the gap in marketing intell...

Ep. 203 features Toby Bucsescu, CEO & Co-Founder of Blitz:Draft, which is reimagining the sports gaming experience by combining elements of daily fantasy, betting, and quick-play mechanics into a format built for speed and accessibility.

Hear them discuss:

• Toby’s path into the sports gaming industry and founding Blitz Draft
• The problem with traditional betting and DFS products
• How Blitz Draft creates a faster, more ...

Ep. 202 features Cal Spears, founder of Gambly, returning to the Betting Startups Podcast to share an update on the company’s progress since launch, insights from the NEXT Summit in New York, and a major milestone for the business. 

Hear them discuss:

• Cal’s return to the podcast and what has changed at Gambly since its launch in October 2024

• Key takeaways from the NEXT.io Summit in New York and w...

Ep. 201 features Taylor Caby, Co-Founder of Establish The Run, sharing the story behind building the evolution of betting content, the business of premium sports analysis, and why high-quality information products continue to thrive in an increasingly crowded sports betting ecosystem.

Hear them discuss:

• Taylor’s background in poker, daily fantasy sports, and the path that led to launching Establish The Run
• How the DFS b...

Ep. 200 marks a major milestone for the Betting Startups Podcast, featuring a special conversation between Jesse Learmonth and longtime industry leader Paris Smith to celebrate the 200th episode and announce a major new chapter for the platform.

Hear them discuss:

• Jesse and Paris’s shared history at Pinnacle, how a startup acquisition led to a six-year partnership, and the full-circle moment that brings them back toget...

Ep. 199 features Michael, Evan and Chris from Feen, to discuss building a next-generation betting product, navigating early-stage product decisions, and finding differentiation in an increasingly crowded wagering landscape. The conversation explores Feen’s origin story, early traction, and how the founders think about product focus, user behavior, and long-term scalability. Hear them discuss:

• The founding story behind F...