NEXT.io Podcast

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #267 with Martin Martirosyan, CEO of Imagine Live Group & Nadiya Attard, Chief Commercial OfficerImagine Live has grown from 7 tables in 2022 to over 150 today — with studios in Armenia, Romania and Spain. But the bigger story is what's coming next. In this episode, Martin and Nadiya break down the AI dealer debate, the operator dependency trap, and why quality is the one thing they refuse to discount.⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Sponsors 01:41 - Meet Nadiya Attard & Martin Martirosyan 02:14 - Nadiya's move to Imagine Live: what impressed her 03:24 - Imagine Live's origin story: from 7 tables to 150+ 04:33 - AI live dealers: hype or the future? 06:18 - Will AI replace real dealers? Martin's honest take 08:30 - Are players actually asking for AI dealers? 09:44 - How Imagine Live uses AI: infrastructure, not a gimmick 16:30 - Localization in live casino: why one Spanish doesn't fit all 24:00 - The Armenia advantage: talent, speed and studio quality 31:00 - Breaking into new markets: the operator relationship challenge 38:00 - The operator dependency trap: why 40%+ from one supplier is a risk 41:15 - The Playtech monopoly lesson and what's repeating now 44:25 - Transparent commercial pricing: Nadiya's philosophy 46:21 - Imagine Live's USPs: quality, speed and technology 50:31 - Predictions: where is live casino in three years?🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio/podcastsApple: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-io-podcast/id1515442333⁠CONNECT WITH ⁠NEXT.IO⁠ ✩ Website: ⁠https://next.io/⁠This episode of ⁠NEXT.io⁠ is brought to you by: Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology ⁠https://pragmatic.solutions/⁠Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider ⁠https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/⁠Sponsored by: Hard Rock Games: ⁠https://www.hardrockgames.com/⁠ Creedroomz: ⁠https://www.creedroomz.com/⁠

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #266 with Way Yuhl, Entrepreneur, Investor and Geopolitical AnalystAre we really living in unprecedented times or have we just forgotten our history?In this episode, Pierre sits down with Way Yuhl, entrepreneur, investor and geopolitical analyst, for one of the most wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversations we've had on the NEXT.io Podcast. Way brings a 100-year historical lens to the chaos of 2026 and makes a case that is equal parts sobering and surprisingly optimistic.⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Sponsors 01:34 - Welcoming Way Yuhl 02:49 - How cultural geography shapes geopolitics 04:30 - Why prediction markets beat expert analysts 07:07 - The wisdom of the crowds: how it actually works 10:27 - The limits of prediction markets 12:28 - Way's method: how he reads where the world is heading16:09 - Are we really living in unprecedented times?19:20 - The 100-year cycle: where does 2026 fit?26:15 - Trump vs Iran: a culture clash33:10 - Prediction markets and geopolitical forecasting39:28 - Putin's endgame: does he want all of Europe?47:31 - The dragon theory: why China is not the enemy55:00 - The US-EU relationship and what comes next01:11:30 - Why World War 3 won't happen01:13:58 - The nuclear red line that collapses Russia01:16:00 - Way's optimism: what the next 10 years actually look like🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio/podcastsApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-io-podcast/id1515442333CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO ✩ Website: https://next.io/This episode of NEXT.io is brought to you by: Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology https://pragmatic.solutions/Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/Sponsored by: Hard Rock Games: https://www.hardrockgames.com/ Creedroomz: https://www.creedroomz.com/NOTE: This episode was recorded before the US-Iran MOU was signed on June 17, 2026. Way's read on the conflict proved accurate.

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #265 with Todd Haushalter, Chief Product Officer at Evolution.Todd Haushalter, Chief Product Officer at Evolution, sits down for an unfiltered conversation covering everything the industry is talking about — lawsuits against Light & Wonder and Playtech, why he thinks AI deepfake live dealers are "dead on arrival," and what Evolution's monster 2026 game roadmap looks like.⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & Sponsors 01:34 - Todd & Pierre: back together 03:28 - Two years at Evolution: what's really changed 04:46 - Suing Light & Wonder over Lightning Roulette 06:25 - The Playtech dossier: how industrial espionage works 13:55 - Is Evolution becoming a value stock? 19:12 - AI-generated games: threat or noise? 20:34 - Deepfake live dealers: why Todd calls it a catastrophic failure 36:20 - Brands vs. AI slots: who wins when games are infinite? 44:26 - The Hasbro deal and the brand-first strategy 52:19 - Competition in live casino: is the iron grip loosening? 58:48 - Aviator: the most impressive success story in iGaming 01:03:51 - Acquisition rumours and Evolution's M&A strategy 01:14:01 - The $2 billion share buyback explained 01:19:18 - Cybercrime in Asia: what can actually be said 01:22:10 - European regulatory headwinds and revenue pullbacks 01:28:01 - Prediction markets: where does Evolution fit? 01:34:13- The investment case for Evolution right now 01:42:20 - Todd's 3 predictions for the next 3 years🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYoutube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhXvQfFm7GE&list=PLo43Fota-gt1sMzujpavaGmRbTiRXETKECONNECT WITH ⁠NEXT.IO⁠✩ Website: ⁠https://next.io/⁠This episode of ⁠NEXT.io⁠ is brought to you by:Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technology⁠https://pragmatic.solutions/⁠Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content provider⁠https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/⁠Sponsored by:Hard Rock Games: ⁠https://www.hardrockgames.com/⁠Creedroomz: ⁠https://www.creedroomz.com/

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #265 with Alexander Kane, CEO and Founder of SporttradeIn 2017 - a full year before the US Supreme Court even legalized sports betting - Alex Kane was already building something nobody asked for: a sports exchange.Now, prediction markets are valued higher than Flutter, the world's biggest gambling company. So was Alex just early, or did he see something everyone else missed?⏰ Timestamps:00:00 - Intro & Sponsors01:33 - Who is Alex Kane and what is Sporttrade?02:28 - The Robinhood moment that sparked the idea04:40 - Why Betfair failed and why the US is different08:11 - The early years: building a sports exchange before it was legal11:35 - Where Sporttrade fits in the prediction market boom today16:56 - Why the boom happened now and not before22:06 -The impossible debate: is this gambling or a financial tool?28:21 -Both things can be true 31:46 -Exchange model vs. house model and responsible gambling37:08 - Market manipulation: the hardest unsolved problem41:18 - Kalshi at $22B vs Flutter: bubble or breakthrough?45:00 - What are perpetual futures and why do they matter?49:31 - Prediction markets as a top-of-funnel product56:08 - What happens to DraftKings and FanDuel?01:01:44 - Alex's 3 predictions for the industry in 3 years🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYoutube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhXvQfFm7GE&list=PLo43Fota-gt1sMzujpavaGmRbTiRXETKECONNECT WITH NEXT.IO✩ Website: https://next.io/This episode of NEXT.io is brought to you by:Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technologyhttps://pragmatic.solutions/Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content providerhttps://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/Sponsored by:Hard Rock Games: https://www.hardrockgames.com/Creedroomz: https://www.creedroomz.com/

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #263 with Kevin Mullally, CEO, International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR)In this episode, Pierre sits down with Kevin to break down the current state of the UAE's iGaming market, the global battle against the black market, the fracture inside the American Gaming Association, and why prediction markets may be gambling's next regulatory crisis.Kevin Mullally built one of the most closely watched new gaming regulators in the world from scratch, in under six months. As the former CEO of the UAE's General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) and now CEO of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR), Kevin brings a rare perspective on what modern regulation should look like and what the global industry is getting dangerously wrong.⏰ Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:42 - Sponsor messages02:01 - Introduction: Kevin Mullally & UAE market overview02:59 - Building the UAE regulator from scratch05:31 - Rethinking regulation: compliance vs enforcement08:46 - Policy goals: why the UAE regulates gaming10:13 - UAE strategy: ecosystem over revenue 13:43 - Land-based market structure (Emirates approach)16:47 - Licensing progress: Wynn, lottery & early milestones18:32 - Online market structure & licensing model22:25 - B2B opportunity: “technology should lead”25:02 - Case study: Yolo & entering the UAE market30:14 - Relationship-first approach to market entry33:29 - IAGR: global regulation & role of collaboration37:06 - The black market problem (global perspective)39:14 - Regulation vs illegal markets: growing tension44:43 - What works in fighting the black market46:04 - Need for global collaboration48:25 - Prediction markets vs regulation50:01 - State rights, consumer protection & policy conflict53:03 - Future of regulation: need for global dialogue56:00 - Closing thoughts🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio/podcasts CONNECT WITH NEXT.IO✩ Website: https://next.io/This episode of NEXT.io is brought to you by:Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technologyhttps://pragmatic.solutions/Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content providerhttps://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/Sponsored by:Hard Rock Games: https://www.hardrockgames.com/