Phil Pearson: iGaming Industry 2025 in Review

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

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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/


Sponsored by:

Creedroomz - https://www.creedroomz.com/

Jaksot(467)

#33 - Jesper Svensson, CEO - Betsson Group (iGaming - Pandemic & Recession proof)

#33 - Jesper Svensson, CEO - Betsson Group (iGaming - Pandemic & Recession proof)

Jesper Svensson has been in the gaming industry since the mid-2000s. Over the years he worked in senior positions in several gaming companies in Europe and Asia. He joined Betsson in 2013 as the managing director of its flagship brand, betsson.com. In 2015 he became Betsson’s Chief Commercial Officer and was then made acting CEO in September 2017. Just three months later, he was appointed as CEO for Betsson Operations. Jesper holds a Master in International Business from EAE Business School (Barcelona) and a Bachelor in Marketing from BI Norwegian Business School (Oslo). Jesper is passionate about sports and gaming.

27 Marras 20201h 8min

#32 - Allan Stone, CEO - Intelitics (Future industry trends)

#32 - Allan Stone, CEO - Intelitics (Future industry trends)

Allan Stone is the CEO and Co-Founder of Intelitics. Intelitics’ igaming performance marketing and business intelligence saas platform provides Real-Time data in a clear and Accurate format, empowering operators to make agile, data-driven Decisions for informed media investing and customer acquisition to unlock hidden revenue and boost return on investment. When he’s not in the office Allan can be found spending time with his wife and three sons enjoying the outdoors, off-roading or catching a football game.

19 Marras 20201h 7min

#31 - Rickard Vikström, CCO - Internet Vikings (Behind the scenes insights)

#31 - Rickard Vikström, CCO - Internet Vikings (Behind the scenes insights)

Rickard Vikström has 15 years of experience in building steadily growing businesses. In 2008, he founded Stay Secure which became the largest anti-spam service in Sweden. The same year he co-founded Internet Vikings - a premium provider of hosting and related services with the focus on iGaming. As a founder and a member of the Board Rickard is also involved in Holm Security working with IT security and Wincher working with Google Analytics. Rickard believes in the key role of proactivity. Only those who are ready to deliver customers more than they expect can expect success and growth.

4 Marras 202058min

#30 Matthew Shaddick, Head of Politics GVC (Predicting the US election)

#30 Matthew Shaddick, Head of Politics GVC (Predicting the US election)

Head of Political Betting at GVC, which includes the Ladbrokes, Coral and Bwin brands. With particular expertise in US and UK politics, this will be the fourth Presidential election that he has headed up for Ladbrokes.

30 Loka 202033min

#29 Pontus Lindwall, CEO Betsson AB (Betsson & iGaming industry update)

#29 Pontus Lindwall, CEO Betsson AB (Betsson & iGaming industry update)

CEO at Betsson AB and President Born in 1965, residence Stockholm, Sweden. Employed in the Group since 1991. Board member 2011-2018. Chairman of the Board 2011-2015 and 2016-September 2017. Previously CEO and President 1998-2011 and July 2015-February 2016. Other assignments: Board Member in Net Entertainment NE AB (publ), Nya Solporten Fastighets AB, Mostphotos AB and several companies within the Betsson Group. Background: Long experience from the gaming industry, both offline and online gaming, such as founder of Net Entertainment and CEO and President of Cherryföretagen. Education: Master of Scence, Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm.

26 Loka 202039min

#28 Kristoffer Cassel, Founder/CEO - Regily (Progressive leadership)

#28 Kristoffer Cassel, Founder/CEO - Regily (Progressive leadership)

Kristoffer Cassel is the co-founder and CEO of Regily and has been part of several of Europes most successful tech companies. Before founding Regily Kristoffer were VP product and the inventor behind a majority of Klarnas global patents. As a keen innovator, he is a true believer that creating simplicity from complex technology is the most rewarding thing there is. Regily is applying advanced technologies to make it enjoyable for users to sign up for new services online. The company was founded in January 2017 by Kristoffer and Alexey Kuznetsov and is on a mission to fix one of the truly broken processes of the web. The solution allows users to control their data while making great services grow faster.

23 Loka 202058min

#27 - Georg Westin, Co-founder - Hero Gaming, Casumo / Investor, Maxify

#27 - Georg Westin, Co-founder - Hero Gaming, Casumo / Investor, Maxify

Georg Westin is the largest owner and the founder of Hero Gaming, a company with roots in gamification of the gabling world and runs multiple successful brands such as Casino Heroes, Speedy Spel, Boom Casino and CasiTabi. Georg is previously co-founder of Casumo and CTO at Betsson and Betsafe. Georg is also a successful investor in digital startups via his company Maxify.

16 Loka 20201h 6min

#26 - Simon Lidzén, Co-founder/CEO - Fast Track (Adapt or Die)

#26 - Simon Lidzén, Co-founder/CEO - Fast Track (Adapt or Die)

Simon's background in iGaming spans over 15 years, with extensive experience in product development and innovation. Having held senior positions at a number of operators, including Betfair, Betsson Group, Simon has always been working towards understanding key challenges and produce innovative solutions to drive real change within the industry. There is no clearer example of this that what he has achieved with Fast Track - the leading iGaming player engagement platform, that he Co-founded 5 years ago.

13 Loka 20201h

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