NEXT.io Podcast18 Joulu 2025

Phil Pearson: iGaming Industry 2025 in Review

🎙 NEXT.io Podcast #256 with Phil Pearson, iGaming Consultant.

Another year. Another cycle of hype, pressure, pivots, and hard lessons.

In this episode of the NEXT.io Podcast, Phil Pearson joins Pierre Lindh to unpack what really happened across iGaming in the past 12 months beyond the headlines.

Together, they explore the widening gap between innovation headlines and real progress, the pressure leaders are facing behind the scenes, the growing importance of focus over scale, and why many companies are quietly reassessing their priorities.

It’s a grounded conversation about what moved the needle, what didn’t, and what lessons are worth carrying into the year ahead.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:41 - Sponsor messages

02:04 - Welcome Phil Pearson

04:06 – Yolo’s move into regulation: why it matters

06:38 - Personal reset: health, sabbatical & perspective

11:55 - Biggest industry stories of the year

14:19 - Charity, Dar Bjorn & responsibility in iGaming

16:17 - Investigative journalism

33:27 - Game Studio Awards: overview

33:33 - Best studio of the year

39:29 - Best newcomer studio

40:39 - Worst studio of the year

44:01 - Most underwhelming game releases

49:56 - Live game of the year

51:21 - RNG game of the year

52:36 - Best industry freebies & swag

57:23 - Grey products explained

58:12 - Sweepstakes, prediction markets & loopholes

01:12:56 - The defining trend of 2026: grey products

01:30:02 - Events review: what worked, what didn’t

01:49:00 - Final outlook: where the industry is heading

🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/409DefE06IKPhZzhDIDpH3?si=bf60dedab34e45bc

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-io-podcast/id1515442333

CONNECT 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/

Jaksot(473)

Vladimir Malakchi: Sacrifice, leadership and building a game studio in a challenging environment

🎙 Podcast #138 with Pierre Lindh and Vladimir Malakchi, CCO at Evoplay In this powerful episode of iGaming NEXT, Pierre welcomes Vladimir Malakchi, Chief Commercial Officer at Evoplay. Together, the...

9 Touko 20231h

Weekly News: Q1 results: Should competition be scared of Flutter?

- Flutter brands steal UK market share as Q1 revenue jumps 46% - Industry giants react to UK government’s gambling white paper - - The three musketeers are getting back together once again- prepare ...

4 Touko 202349min

Jesse Learmonth: Learnings from speaking to iGaming start up founders

🎙 Podcast #137 with Pierre Lindh and Jesse Learmonth, the founder of The Betting Startups Podcast 🎧In this exciting episode of our iGaming podcast, Pierre Lindh is joined by the insightful Jesse Le...

2 Touko 20231h 10min

Joey Levy: Betr deep dive & building a company as an underdog

🎙 Podcast #135 with Pierre Lindh and Joey Levy, CEO & Founder of Betr 🎙️ Welcome to another exciting episode of the iGaming NEXT Podcast, hosted by Pierre Lindh! In this exclusive deep dive, we sit...

28 Huhti 202344min

Weekly News: Q1 2023 Special

- Consultations required for key changes as UK gambling review reveals few surprises - Kindred Group board to explore sale of company to drive shareholder value - Sequential drop in slots blots Evol...

27 Huhti 20231h 3min

Erin Lydon: Personal growth through Poker

🎙 Podcast #135 with Pierre Lindh and Erin Lydon, president at PokerPower In this captivating episode of the iGaming NEXT podcast, host Pierre Lindh sits down with poker pro and personal development a...

26 Huhti 202336min

Weekly News: DraftKings takes MA lead as BetMGM revenue soars

- The three musketeer show- welcome Jake Evans, Conor Mulheir & Nico Jansen! - DraftKings takes handle crown in home state of Massachusetts during first month of betting - BetMGM revenue soars 76% a...

24 Huhti 202350min

Levon Nikoghosyan: AffPapa & Affiliation deep dive

🎙 Podcast #134 with Pierre Lindh and Levon Nikoghosyan, CEO & Board Member at Affpapa 🎧 Join Pierre Lindh in this episode of the iGaming NEXT Podcast as he chats with Levon Nikoghosyan, CEO & Board...

20 Huhti 20231h 3min