On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jeff Edelstein is joined by Pierre Lindh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next.io, for a wide-ranging conversation recorded live at G2E Las Vegas.

Hear them discuss:
00:00 – How Pierre began running a 150-player underground poker club at age 15
03:50 – The 2006 police raid that made national headlines and launched his gaming career
05:45 – Swedish poker culture, card-playing heritage, and why Texas Hold’em spread so quickly
09:00 – How live poker culture changed from social gatherings to headphones and sunglasses
12:00 – Building Next.io: 800+ global events and designing conferences for every personality type
15:00 – Why Malta became the world’s online-gambling capital
19:00 – Why Pierre’s identity is inseparable from Next.io and how he thinks about entrepreneurship
27:00 – The future of gambling: prediction markets, sweeps, skill games, and U.S. creativity
28:40 – The shrinking global gray market: why operators must choose regulated or unregulated paths
30:00 – Why the U.S. is brutally competitive and only a few operators can thrive
32:00 – Cultural differences in loyalty, trust, and brand adoption in gambling markets
36:40 – Closing thoughts from the G2E show floor

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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Get your first month free: https://optimove.com/businessofbetting