E248 - Tom Waterhouse from Waterhouse VC

On this episode of the Business of Betting podcast, Jason is joined by Tom Waterhouse, Managing Partner at Waterhouse VC and fourth-generation bookmaker. This episode was recorded in-person at the SBC Summit Americas in Fort Lauderdale.

Hear them discuss:

01:06 – Tom’s family legacy and the founding of tomwaterhouse.com 02:13 – Australia’s gambling market and why racing still dominates 03:35 – No in-play sports betting and its impact on the industry 05:04 – The rise of online racing and round-the-clock global action 06:09 – Why turnover tax reshaped the Australian betting ecosystem 08:12 – The consequences of pushing out sharp bettors 09:20 – The failure of Betfair and betting exchanges under turnover tax 10:30 – The case for U.S. federal betting regulation 11:28 – The vision for sports betting as a brokerage layer 13:10 – Why most bettors aren’t price-sensitive—and how to change that 15:01 – Has sports betting has become entertainment, not finance? 15:28 – Inside Waterhouse VC’s model: buying options, not equity 17:10 – Why options offer asymmetric upside with limited risk 19:15 – Waterhouse’s diligence process and market theses 22:48 – The fund’s structure, distributions, and public equities strategy 24:12 – Following 13F filings from top long-only fund managers 28:18 – Using gambling to teach kids probability and decision-making 29:33 – Why Tom’s staying in betting: edge, pace, and constant change

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