

Business of Betting Podcast
Jason Trost
A podcast about the business side of the betting, wagering and investing world. Hosted by Jason Trost, and presented by Optimove.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 12, 2024 • 37min
E209 - Dillon Borgida from Betonu
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Dillon Borgida from Betonu.
Hear them discuss:
01:42 - NCAA basketball talk
03:20 - Breakdown of sportsbook VIP programs and how they work
08:26 - The role of VIP hosts
10:35 - Why Smarkets doesn't have a VIP program (so far)
15:00 - Why VIP players aren't necessarily price sensitive
16:04 - The different tiers of VIPs, and what perks each tier can expect
20:23 - The role of credit and offshore sportsbooks with VIP players
23:28 - VIPs, responsible gambling, and affordability checks
30:10 - What the next 10 years look like for VIP players in the regulated US market
33:29 - What Dillon 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.

Mar 29, 2024 • 31min
E208 - Greg Kajewski from BettorEdge
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Greg Kajewski from BettorEdge.
Hear them discuss:
01:00 - March Madness check-in
02:30 - Jason's collegiate wrestling career
05:38 - Introduction to BettorEdge
09:18 - Mechanics of transactions on BettorEdge, and how they are structured to ensure compliance
14:08 - BettorEdge's peer-to-peer betting model
16:32 - The different ways that BettorEdge monetizes its platform
20:21 - Attracting liquidity to the exchange
23:45 - Greg's opinion of Smarkets' strategy in the US market
25:34 - Marketing a betting product in a loud and crowded landscape
26:52 - BettorEdge funding and company backgrounder
28:49 - What Greg 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.

Mar 22, 2024 • 47min
E207 - Chris Grove from Acies Investments
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Chris Grove from Acies Investments
Hear them discuss:
01:43 - How Chris became so good at doing PR
03:31 - What Chris sees as his "north star" for his work in the betting and gaming industry
09:29 - Chris' thesis on why the future is "not so much gamifying sports betting as building games that are powered by sports outcomes"
15:33 - Where Chris sees opportunity for startups and challenger brands in a duopolistic US operator market
21:00 - The role and relative importance of price as a differentiator for sports betting operators
26:18 - The significance of exchanges, where they sit within the landscape, and why they're not bigger
35:01 - A debate on whether online sportsbooks are 'technology companies' or 'gambling companies'
43:51 - What Chris 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.

Mar 15, 2024 • 33min
E206 - James McLoughlin from Stirling Mac
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by James McLoughlin from Stirling Mac.
Hear them discuss:
01:53 - Are US sportsbook product companies or marketing companies?
05:44 - The importance of price as part of the betting product experience
09:30 - Lean marketing tactics for operators without billion dollar marketing budgets
12:00 - How to successfully market betting apps using app store optimization
15:17 - Acquiring users and customers organically
20:27 - James' experience working at Betfair, and why exchanges are on the retreat in sports betting
23:05 - The popularity of political betting markets
24:51 - Examining the current prediction markets for the 2024 US presidential election
29:00 - Critiquing Smarkets' marketing strategy
30:31 - What James 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.

Mar 8, 2024 • 39min
E205 - Antonino De Rosa
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Antonino De Rosa.
Hear them discuss:
01:50 - Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and chess
06:06 - How Antonino found his way to the Pinnacle trading floor
07:44 - Why the low vig sportsbook model isn't more popular
12:09 - The reason that sportsbooks screwed up the 2020 US presidential election markets
15:10 - Antonino's thoughts on exchanges, and why he doesn't use them
17:57 - Running a basketball betting syndicate, and how it operates
21:25 - The difference between PPH and an agent system
23:54 - Building a model to create an edge
25:00 - Betting at scale using a network of runners
30:48 - How Antonino would like to see the betting industry evolve
32:46 - Stake factoring versus guaranteed minimum bet limits
⚡️ 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.

Mar 1, 2024 • 21min
E204 - Matt Restivo from OddsJam
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Matt Restivo from OddsJam.
Hear them discuss:
01:00 - Life in Boulder, CO
02:46 - The recent ruling on the 14th Amendment in CO
04:45 - Introduction to OddsJam
07:07 - Overview of arbitrage and value betting
10:48 - Preserving betting account longevity
13:30 - 10-year vision for OddsJam
14:52 - Sourcing pricing data to power OddsJam's tools
17:06 - OddsJam founding story
18:55 - Company size and traction
⚡️ 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.

Feb 23, 2024 • 37min
E203 - Will Martin from LiveDuel
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 landscape
04:20 - Origin story of LiveDuel, and why Will felt a new exchange was needed in the market
08:15 - How LiveDuel is differentiating itself from the incumbent exchanges
09:54 - Will's opinion of what Smarkets could have done differently with its exchange
13:02 - How LiveDuel is utilizing blockchain technology, and why it is the right technology for sports betting
18:19 - The mechanics of DAO's and how that governance model can be applied to exchanges
21:02 - Benefits of blockchain technology for transaction processing
23:19 - How blockchain helps with liquidity provisioning through automated market making
27:19 - Using oracles to resolve markets through consensus
31:49 - 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.

Feb 16, 2024 • 34min
E202 - Manu Gambhir from Xpoint
On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Manu Gambhir from Xpoint.
Hear them discuss:
02:24 - Introduction to Xpoint
03:45 - The geolocation provider landscape in the US market
05:20 - Primer on geolocation regulatory requirements
07:50 - Competitive dynamic of geolocation providers in the US
11:26 - The technical complexity of building geolocation solutions
18:04 - Lawsuits and legal challenges around IP rights
20:27 - The regulatory complexities of operators building their own geolocation solutions internally
23:38 - Xpoint's commercial traction in the US market
25:56 - Manu's view on the state of the industry in the US
29:06 - Enforcement (or lack thereof) of offshore operators serving the US market
33:07 - 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.

Feb 9, 2024 • 29min
E201 - Paul King from OddsMonkey
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 it
05:30 - the background and origins of OddsMonkey
07:50 - Paul's view of the sports betting industry
10:30 - bookmakers' attitudes towards matched betting
12:30 - the change over time in the value of bonus offers, and Paul's outlook for the future of bonusing
16:20 - the role that exchanges play in matched betting
19:55 - the ethics and legality of stake factoring and restricting customer accounts
27:07 - 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.

Feb 2, 2024 • 44min
E200 - Joe Brennan Jr. from Prime Sports
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 market
10:52 - the parallels between the Costco shopping experience and sports betting
14:40 - why cricket is an underappreciated sport for betting
22:04 - 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 market
30:46 - why they think the current market leaders in US sports betting will change in the next 10 years
34:25 - 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.