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 message01:50 - Welcome Wojciech04:15 - Why BugsyEmpire moved into sweepstakes and emerging verticals06:55 - The real USP: platform relationships + deep product/tech checks09:23 - “Grey products” vs grey markets10:53 - Sweepstakes hype vs reality11:17 - What “grey products” means14:43 - Other emerging verticals: prediction markets, DFS, pari-mutuel + more20:41 - Ad rules tightening (Google/TikTok)23:28 - Why emerging verticals can beat black market brands28:53 - Why most operators fail at paid media39:13 - Paid media breakdown: social vs search vs brand/programmatic01:06:10 - Winning operators checklist: focus, tech, payments, lean teams01:07:49 - NEXT New York + Emerging Verticals Summit (9 March)🔔 SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nextdotio/podcastsCONNECT WITH NEXT.IO✩ Website: https://next.io/This episode of NEXT.io is brought to you by:Pragmatic Solutions – Leading iGaming platform technologyhttps://pragmatic.solutions/Pragmatic Play – Industry-leading content providerhttps://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/