BONUS EPISODE: RTFM 279: NEXT’s Zak Thomas-Akoo stops by, says hi

In this bonus episode, AWARD-WINNING gambling industry journalist Zak Thomas-Akoo shares insights on investigative journalism in the gambling industry, the importance of regulation, and the evolving landscape of gambling markets worldwide. It’s weird that we hadn’t asked Zak on before, given that he won the inaugural Gambling Book Awards prize for industry journalist of the year. But hopefully we have made up for that now! Things we talk about, in a list: The role of investigative journalism in the gambling industry Challenges of balancing commercial interests and journalistic integrity The influence of regulation and independent regulators Gambling markets in Brazil and global trends The importance of long-form journalism and quality reporting The significance of industry awards and recognition The impact of AI and digital transformation on journalism The social harms and gambling addiction issues Choice quotes – no bonus points for guessing who said them, either: "Balancing regulation and commercial interests is tricky" "Regulation should be independent from government influence" "Poverty drives gambling addiction more than anything else" Chapters – but you’re going to need to add a couple of minutes, because Jon added a thing to the front, then there’s the lovely music… 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 03:43 Zach's industry awards and their significance 08:04 Transition to investigative journalism at NEXT.io 11:17 Challenges of sourcing and verifying information 15:34 The importance of source relationships and untangling biases 17:01 Industry bias and media balance in gambling reporting 18:18 Gambling's social harms and regulatory challenges 20:12 Brazil's gambling ban and political landscape 23:30 Global gambling markets and regulatory trends 27:47 The independence of gambling regulators 28:48 Poverty, addiction, and social impacts of gambling 33:55 Proud moments in investigative journalism 36:19 The challenges of regulatory transition and reform 38:27 The separation of user data and treatment data 41:14 The future of quality journalism and AI 43:46 Recognising industry journalists and their contributions 45:11 The importance of long-form journalism and deep reporting 49:33 The evolution of gambling journalism and industry coverage 51:37 The role of niche journalism and specialised reporting Zak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zak-thomas-akoo-48b570233/ Resources & Links: As ever, we thank all of our sponsors for their vibrant and excellent support that makes all of this… magic… possible. Optimove, who turn customer data into something special, with tools that make businesses just plain work better. Optimove, your support helps us to keep creating content for an industry that probably thinks we disappeared years ago. Then of course there is Clarion Gaming, no hang on World Gaming, providers of the magnificent ICE expo and iGB Live! in London. There is simply nobody better at what they do. And the new-ish-est members of the family, the excellent Gaming Laboratories International. GLI is a world-class Testing, Inspections and Certification company committed to delivering the highest quality land-based, lottery, and iGaming testing and assessment services, working in more than 710 jurisdictions. For more information, visit gaminglabs.com. The Gambling Files podcast delves into the business side of the betting world. Each week, join Jon Bruford and Fintan Costello as they discuss current hot topics with world-leading gambling experts. Website: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3A57jkR Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4cs6ReF Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGamblingFilesPodcast Fintan Costello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintancostello/ Jon Bruford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-bruford-84346636/ Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-gambling-files-podcast/ Sponsorship enquiries: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/contact/ Get our newsletter: https://thegamblingfilestldr.substack.com/