MaxBet Podcast

What happens when sports bettors have access to predictions that are more accurate than the sportsbooks themselves? John Hanna, co-founder of XO Sports, joins MaxBet to talk about the technology behind an app reporting externally audited prediction accuracy as high as 78%, compared with sportsbook predictions around 64–67%. And that raises a much more interesting question: what happens when the bettor gets smarter?

John and Hillary get into how a group of technologists built XO Sports to process millions of streams of data, continuously learn and improve its predictions, and put technology traditionally held by sophisticated operators directly into the hands of everyday sports bettors.

They also get into the questions investors keep asking: What do sportsbooks think about it? What happens if bettors start winning too much? Can the technology work across different sports, brands and markets? And if you can build a system to predict sports this accurately, what else could you use it to predict?

Host: Hillary McAfee

Guest: John Hanna CEO, XO Sports

This episode of MaxBet is sponsored by XO Sports. As always, sponsorship gets you a seat at the table, not easier questions.

Want to be on the podcast or partner with us? [email protected]

G2E is a marathon disguised as a trade show, and Mike McKiski has some thoughts on how to survive it.

Mike is back on MaxBet for our pre-G2E episode to talk about the advice he gives G2E rookies, dinners vs. parties, pacing yourself, getting enough sleep and the deeply suspicious people who somehow manage to do all of it and rally again the next morning.

We also get into Bluberi's "Gucci Row" era, how the company has grown to ten studios with double-digit year-over-year growth, and what they've been working on ahead of this year's show. That includes Sir Mix-A-Lot games, massive fedoras, a bigger focus on sound and creating the kind of signature audio players immediately associate with a game or brand.

And yes, we discuss the peaches wearing tiny thongs. This is an important industry podcast.

If you're headed to G2E, consider this your pregame.

A big thanks to Bluberi Gaming for partnering with us on this episode.

The gaming industry has no shortage of lists, and frankly, we didn't want to be left out.

So Fiona Power joins Hillary McAfee to hand out honors including Best Industry Feud, Industry Badass, Best Booth, the Get Shit Done Award, Best After Party, Best Dressed, Industry Mom, Industry Dad, and several other categories of enormous cultural importance.

The criteria were simple: preferably someone who hasn't already won everything, ideally not C-suite (two people snuck past us on that one, but the rest of you have had your moment in the sun), and absolutely no assholes.

The winners receive the highest honor MaxBet can bestow: a very underwhelming fridge magnet.

The prize is modest. The list, we feel, delivers.

Sue Schneider was building the iGaming industry in the mid-90s, before most people had an email address. She's watched it grow from an unregulated frontier into the highly regulated global industry it is today, and she has some thoughts about what we gained and what we may have lost along the way.

Sue joins MaxBet to talk about the early days of online gaming, the rise of regulation and whether the industry has made it too difficult for new companies and new ideas to break through.

We also get into prediction markets, sweepstakes, state vs. federal regulation, why she never thought U.S. sports betting would be legalized, and the time she sat down with Steve Wynn to explain iGaming.

Plus, Sue shares a few stories from gaming's wilder years, including an FBI appearance and a white tiger, and explains why she's now focused on helping the next generation of gaming startups succeed.

Thirty years of iGaming gives you a lot to talk about.

Featuring: Sue Schneider, iGaming industry pioneer Topics: iGaming, online gambling, U.S. gaming regulation, gaming startups, innovation and the future of the industry

What happens when you build a startup in a category most of the industry is still trying to understand?

Desiree Dickerson, CEO and Co-Founder of Thunder, joins MaxBet to break down skill-based gaming, how Thunder solves player liquidity through cross-operator matchmaking, and why operators, lotteries, sportsbooks, and sweepstakes companies are paying attention. We also discuss startup pivots, product-market fit, industry education, and the realities of building a business where the rules are still being written.

Plus: rapid fire, conference pet peeves, tarantulas, business cards, and an unexpected conversation about beta blockers.

Whether you're hearing about player vs. player gaming for the first time or have been following the space for years, this episode offers a practical look at one of gaming's fastest-growing and most misunderstood business models.

Subtlety isn't exactly a MaxBet core value, so we start with the obvious question: Why are operators leaving the AGA?

After surviving the opening question, Brandt Iden, VP of Government Affairs at Fanatics Betting & Gaming and former Michigan State Representative, sticks around to talk about why more states still haven't legalized iGaming, what's keeping legislation from moving, the tax revenue states may be leaving on the table, and why prediction markets have become one of gaming's biggest debates.

As always, we wrap things up with a rapid-fire round covering everything from Google Meet vs. Teams to the worst conference habit. (Brandt had that answer locked and loaded.)

This episode of MaxBet is brought to you by Approvely, the payment infrastructure partner built for gaming. From payment processing and pay-by-bank to compliance and risk management, Approvely helps operators navigate complex payments with confidence. Learn more at Approvely.com.

AI has become the answer to just about everything.

Need to cut costs? AI. Need to grow revenue? AI. Need to impress your board? AI.

The problem is, very few people can explain where the ROI actually is.

This week on MaxBet, Hillary McAfee sits down with Cris Kuehl, Chief Data & AI Officer at Continent 8 Technologies, to sort through the questions gaming executives are asking behind closed doors.

Where should companies be investing in AI? Where should they absolutely not? Does every company need a Chief AI Officer? What should startups be doing today so they don't get left behind tomorrow?

Whether you're building an AI strategy, trying to separate opportunity from distraction, or just looking for a conversation that doesn't sound like it was written by ChatGPT, this episode is for you.

A special thanks to Continent 8 for sponsoring this episode of MaxBet Podcast.

Simon Thomas owns the Hippodrome Casino, one of the most iconic gaming and entertainment venues in the world. Located in the heart of London, the Hippodrome attracts a third of all casino admissions in the city and has become known for doing things differently.

In this episode of MaxBet, Simon joins Hillary McAfee to talk about building a business around experiences, why most problems have a solution if you're willing to find it, and how the Hippodrome grew into a destination that combines gaming, sports betting, restaurants, bars, live entertainment, and hospitality under one roof.

They also discuss the launch of the UK's first casino sportsbook, testing new products, creating a culture people want to be part of, and why Simon believes the best ideas often come from focusing on how customers feel.

Plus: why he hates coat check tickets, the story behind the Hippodrome's newest sportsbook, and the lesson that's guided him through nearly every challenge he's faced: find a way or make a way.

If you care about slot floor strategy, which features are actually working, or just want to hear your favorite games and suppliers come up in the conversation, this episode is for you.

Brendan Moore from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming joins MaxBet to break down the games, mechanics, cabinets, and features getting real traction on casino floors right now.

Brendan gets into the suppliers, the games climbing the charts, the mechanics players are responding to, and the features proving they actually have staying power.

We talk about what Konami, AGS, Sega Sammy, Bluberi, IGT, Aristocrat, and Light & Wonder are doing right now and why certain products are getting attention across the industry.

We also get into:

The perceived persistence takeover

Popular features

What game has been the most copied

What falls off the charts fast

What operators are paying attention to right now

Everyone's talking about AI in gaming. Most of it sounds impressive. Not all of it is real.

This is Part 3 of our WTF with IGI series where we bring the data people in to talk to the rest of us.

Turns out, having an AI strategy is more than just telling your employees to use ChatGPT like Google.

We break down IGI's latest research and get into what operators and suppliers are actually doing with AI right now. What's working, what's not, and where there's still a pretty big gap between what people say they're doing and what's real.

We also get into iGaming vs land-based, which is where things start to look very different.

There's real data in here, some honest answers, and a few moments where it becomes clear the industry is still figuring this out in real time.

This WTF with IGI?!? mini-series is put together in collaboration with The International Gaming Institute and filmed at UNLV Black Fire.