Advertise on podcast: SBC Leaders - The people behind betting and gaming's biggest brands

In the latest episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast host Sue Schneider sits down with Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Betsson Malta, to explore his fascinating journey from a technology enthusiast in Stockholm to a pivotal figure in the iGaming industry. Pontus shares insights into the early days of internet gaming, the challenges of navigating unregulated markets, and the evolution of his company, Net Entertainment.Join us as we delve into the dynamic world of gaming, innovation, and regulation, and discover how Pontus's vision helped shape the industry we know today. Host: Sue SchneiderGuest: Pontus LindwallProducer: James RossEditor: Nikola Sadowska

In this SBC Leaders Podcast episode, Sue Schneider chats with Gerard Daffy, a veteran of Australia's sports betting and racing scene. Gerard shares his journey from training greyhounds at age 12 to pioneering innovations at Centrebet, Australia's first licensed sports bookmaker in the Northern Territory.  He discusses Centrebet’s shift to online betting in 1996, its global expansion, and trailblazing features like multilingual sites, 24/7 live betting, and inclusion of female traders. The conversation also covers key industry changes, from relaxed advertising laws to in-game betting growth and restrictions on bonuses. Now with TAB, Gerard offers expert commentary on betting trends and industry shifts.

In this episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast, Sue Schneider, Co-Founder of Defy The Odds Startup Launchpad, was joined by the Founder of the World Poker Tour, Steven Lipscomb and its President and CEO, Adam Pliska, to discuss their backgrounds, the inception of the WPT and the innovative approaches that transformed poker into a mainstream sport. The conversation also highlights the challenges faced in the early days of the WPT, the importance of long-term vision in entrepreneurship and the significant milestones achieved by the WPT throughout its history. Concluding the episode, the trio reflect on their personal highlight and the enduring legacy of the WPT in the poker community.

Brian Goodman, CEO of Golden Matrix Group, is the latest guest on the SBC Leaders podcast as he joins Sue Schneider, Co-Founder of Defy the Odds Startup Launchpad, to detail his journey as a pioneer of online gaming. The duo discuss the “crazy” chance Goodman took on regulated online gaming, the significant technological advancements in the industry and the challenge of balancing player acquisition cost against the lifetime value of that customer.  They also talk the importance of player data and the role of AI in processing this data, the complexities of regulation in different jurisdictions and the unique challenges of developing a sportsbook product.

Scott Vanderwel, CEO of Pointsbet Canada, joined Sue Schneider, SBC’s VP of Growth & Strategy North America on the SBC Leaders Podcast to discuss his role in developing Pointsbet’s operations in Canada. The duo also talk about his journey from telecommunications to gaming, the origin story of the company in Australia, Fanatics' acquisition of Pointsbet’s US assets and the importance of “uniquely Canadian” sports partnerships for the operator.

Catherine Meade, VP of Community, Sustainability & Social Responsibility at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), joined Sue Schneider, SBC’s VP of Growth & Strategy Americas, on the latest episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast to talk about how the Ontario gaming landscape has changed for OLG since the opening of the regulated market in 2022. The duo also discuss her role at the corporation, the collective responsibility for responsible gambling amongst Ontario's operators and the power of teamwork.

In the latest episode of the SBC Leaders podcast, SBC's Managing Director is joined by Dr Jennifer Shatley, Executive Director at the Responsible Online Gaming Association.  During their discussion, the duo talk about what the ROGA do, how best to tackle responsible gaming and what future projects from ROGA the industry can expect and how it can be funded.  The duo also discussed the Independent Data Clearing House from ROGA, where the project currently lies and when the sector could see more on it.

In the latest episode of SBC Leaders, Andrew McCarron, Managing Director at SBC, is joined by Sam Brown, CEO at Rootz, to discuss Sam's new role as CEO, taking over from the firm's Founder, Lasse Rantala and how the company approached two different market entries in Ontario and Germany. The duo also discussed how Rootz is recruiting to match its growth, the addition of David Hasselhoff, aka "The Hoff", as a Brand Ambassador and a look into how Sam unwinds and relax away from his day-to-day responsibility.  

SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron is joined by Brent Almeida, Chief Commercial Officer at the BVGroup in the latest episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast.  SBC Leaders is the show that focuses on leadership, motivation and the unique stories that got the biggest names at the world's leading operators to where they are today. Recorded in the run up to SBC Summit Barcelona in 2023, Almeida and McCarron discuss BVGroup's presence in Gibraltar, BVGroup's rebrand and what this means internally and externally, managing and motivating teams remotely and in-person, as well as digging into Almeida's professional background and leadership style and philosophy.

The latest episode of the SBC Leaders sees Snaitech's CEO, Fabio Schiavolin join the hotseat with SBC's Managing Director Andrew McCarron. Schiavolin talks about bringing Snaitech into a 'new era' via new omnichannels, how Snaitech remains a leading brand in the Italian market, how it overcomes regulatory challenges and how he unwinds away from work.

The SBC Leaders podcast is back with a bang as Betfred Group CEO Joanne Whittaker and Betfred USA CEO Kresimir Spajic join SBC Managing Director Andy McCarron for an in-person, sitdown interview recorded at this year's SBC Summit in Barcelona.  Joining for a discussion on life, business and many things in between, Joanne and Kresimir discuss Betfred's transition from a UK retail juggernaut into a multi-national business, their aggressive moves for expansion in the USA, how the market has progressed and what sets them apart from their competitors.  Jo and Kresimir also discussed their life, career history, who they are outside of work and how they got where they are today.

The necessity of building and maintaining a strong network is a familiar construct among numerous industries, and is certainly one that is not lost in the gaming community. With this in mind, CasinoBeats is aiming to take a look under the hood and has tasked the 100 Club to help out. In the Pathways hot seat is Chris Conroy, Chief Data Officer at Future Anthem, who veered off from potential careers in finance and public transport to enter the industry courtesy of a meeting with an old boss Launched to give a voice to the industry on a range of key issues, the CasinoBeats 100 Club tackles the tricky questions and shares members’ views across the CasinoBeats network. Have your say by joining the 100 Club.

The latest episode of the SBC Leaders podcast is out, and features Anton Kuchukidze, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Gambling Council speaking to SBC's Managing Director, Andy McCarron.  The Ukrainian Gambling Council is an NGO uniting the legal gambling sector in Ukraine, and Anton and Andy discussed the background of the industry in the country, the impact of the war on Ukraine, the Ukrainian people and the industry, and the importance of keeping entertainment running during the war. The two also discussed illegal advertising and unlicensed operators, as well as the legal changes that the Ukrainian Gambling Council have achieved despite the Russian invasion. Finally, Anton told Andy about his personal background in politics, how we became involved with the Ukrainian Gambling Council, their vision and successes so far, working with SBC, and their hopes and plans for the future.

The latest edition of the SBC Leaders Podcast features Sophie Wood, Learning and Development partner at Lottoland. Sophie sat down with SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron for a chat on Sophie's career history, who started at entry level with Gala Bingo and used her experience from her time at West Mercia Police to work her way into a more senior role at Lottoland. Sophie and Andrew also discussed diversity in the industry, how the pandemic changed things, the metaverse in relation to the customer and the ethics of gambling.

The latest episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast is out, and features Seth Young, Chief Strategy Officer at Fifth Street Gaming Digital and Managing Partner The Strategy Organization.  Seth sat down with SBC Global Relationships Director Kelly Kehn for a fascinating chat on Seth's life and career history, including mentoring young entrepreneurs, his time working at a tribal casino, his spell as Chief Innovation Officer at PointsBet, to his current role at FSG Digital and the launch of Jefebet.com, a new Spanish-language media portal and sports betting site aimed at the Latino population of the USA.  Seth also discussed his own personal heroes and mentors, what he's learned to do and not to do, and highlighted some key names who've had an impact on his career, including FSG supremo Seth Schorr.  Young told Kelly about caddying for Mario Lemieux as a kid, why he loves Colorado (golf and skiing on the same day?), and of course introducing her to his Shih Tzu puppy, Hank! Finally the two discussed NFTs, the Metaverse, and living in the digital world.