Wojciech Stellmach on Prediction Markets, Sweeps & Paid Media: What Actually Works

🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #259 with Wojciech Stellmach, CEO of BugsyEmpire.

In this episode, Wojciech Stellmach CEO of BugsyEmpiere, explains what’s actually working right now across emerging verticals: from sweepstakes (sweeps 2.0) to prediction markets and why “easy money” is a myth.

We unpack the shift from talking about grey markets to “grey products”, why payments + marketing access can create real advantage, and what operators must get right in marketing tech, tracking, and foundations before spending big.

⏰ Timestamps:

00:31 - Sponsors message

01:50 - Welcome Wojciech

04:15 - Why BugsyEmpire moved into sweepstakes and emerging verticals

06:55 - The real USP: platform relationships + deep product/tech checks

09:23 - “Grey products” vs grey markets

10:53 - Sweepstakes hype vs reality

11:17 - What “grey products” means

14:43 - Other emerging verticals: prediction markets, DFS, pari-mutuel + more

20:41 - Ad rules tightening (Google/TikTok)

23:28 - Why emerging verticals can beat black market brands

28:53 - Why most operators fail at paid media

39:13 - Paid media breakdown: social vs search vs brand/programmatic

01:06:10 - Winning operators checklist: focus, tech, payments, lean teams

01:07:49 - NEXT New York + Emerging Verticals Summit (9 March)

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