Ep. 167 features Gino Donati from BetOPENLY, a peer-to-peer betting exchange eliminating the traditional sportsbook model by letting users bet directly against each other at true odds. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.

Hear him discuss:

Growing up in a sports-betting Italian family and booking bets in high school

How running numbers for syndicates gave him a window into the business

Why BetOPENLY was originally built offshore and pre-PASPA repeal

The core value prop of “win more, lose less” and how the 1% fee works

How trolls on TikTok helped drive the platform’s early growth

Why casual bettors and big action players both find value in the model

How BetOPENLY avoids deposit bonuses and operates with ultra-thin margins

Their “bet with friends” feature and zero-fee social sharing mechanic

The legal framework that enables BetOPENLY to operate in 45 U.S. states

Expansion plans including peer-to-peer blackjack, DFS, and prediction markets

Gino’s other startup, Seed to Scale, and how he self-funds BetOPENLY

Why he’s in no rush to raise or exit—and where he sees the ceiling for P2P betting

Catch the video version of this episode here.

Learn more 👇

➡️ BetOPENLY website 

➡️ Gino Donati on Linkedin

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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.