NEXT.io Podcast18 Des 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/

Episoder(473)

Weekly News: BetMGM challenger to FanDuel’s US crown

US Sports Betting Market Monitor: BetMGM most likely challenger to FanDuel’s US crown New York breaks monthly sports betting revenue record in October MaximBet shutters US sportsbook amid “challe...

22 Nov 202245min

Igor Samardziski: FTX Scandal - All the hot takes!

🎙 Podcast #116 with Pierre Lindh and Igor Samardziski, CEO of TrueLAB Games Studios, Investor & Tech Enthusiast Pierre sat down for an emergency podcast with Igor Samardziski to talk about the groun...

14 Nov 20221h 24min

Phil Pearson: Hits & Misses of iGaming 2022

🎙 Podcast #115 with Pierre Lindh and Phil Pearson, COO & Head of Sales at iGaming Group, Head of White Label Casinos For this episode, Pierre sat down with Phil Pearson to talk all things iGaming....

11 Nov 20221h 48min

Weekly News: Regulation in Brazil

- Regulation in Brazil with special guest Bernardo Moreira, Co-Founder & CBO at Odds Scanner - California Defeat - Flutter/FanDuel Q3 results ...and much more! The iGaming NEXT Weekly News ...

10 Nov 202251min

Matthew Shaddick: The US Midterm Elections 2022

🎙 Podcast #114 with Pierre Lindh and Matthew Shaddick, Head of Political Markets at Smarkets Pierre sits down with Matthew Shaddick to talk about the upcoming US Midterm Elections 2022, which are t...

7 Nov 202223min

Magnus Andersson: Evolution's Q3 Report Analysis

🎙 Podcast #113 with Pierre Lindh and Magnus Andersson, Private Investor Pierre Lindh sits down with Magnus Andersson, a loyal investor of Evolution to take a deep dive into Evolutions Q3 report. Th...

1 Nov 202222min

Weekly News: Quarterly Report Special

- With Jake Evans & Ryan Butler - A secret special guest - Q3 Updates (Kambi, Kindred, Evo & Betsson) - US state developments The iGaming NEXT Weekly News roundup is a weekly live stream held ever...

27 Okt 202253min

Robin Eirik Reed: The Twitch "Unsafe" Gambling Ban

🎙 Podcast #112 with Pierre Lindh and Robin Eirik Reed, CEO & Co-Founder of Happyhour.io Twitch announces their "unsafe" gambling ban outlining their enforcement policy and Pierre Lindh, together wit...

21 Okt 202240min