🎙️ NEXT.io Podcast #268 with Michael Pedersen, CEO of Swivel Gaming
In this episode of the NEXT.io Podcast, Michael Pedersen — CEO of Swivel Gaming and one of the most experienced operators in the emerging verticals space — maps out the four products quietly reshaping the iGaming industry: sweepstakes, card rips, prediction markets and ADW.
Swivel has been building in this space for five years. Michael took over as CEO in March and relaunched the business around exactly these verticals. In this conversation he goes through each one in depth: what it is, where the opportunity is, and where it falls short.
⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - Sponsors
03:41 - Welcoming Michael Pedersen
03:50 - Why Swivel doubled down on emerging verticals
06:26 - How many emerging verticals actually exist?
08:19 - Legal opinions vs. regulators
11:08 - Sweepstakes:dying or still growing?
16:15 - The sweepstakes player vs. the iGaming player
20:04 - Can sweepstakes work outside the US?
23:22 - Card rips: what is it and why is it blowing up?
31:55 - How complex is card rips for operators?
39:26 - Prediction markets: the iGaming operator perspective
44:39 - The ProphetX partnership explained
52:27 - ADW explained: a slot machine powered by a real horse race
56:08 - The challenges with ADW margins
01:00:15 - Are there more emerging verticals on the horizon?
01:06:12 - Emerging verticals are like social media platforms
01:07:37 - "iGaming now feels old school"
01:08:17 - Where will Swivel be in three years?
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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/
Sponsored by:
Hard Rock Games: https://www.hardrockgames.com/
Creedroomz: https://www.creedroomz.com/
