Share

cover art for E178 - Nigel Eccles - From Fanduel to Betdex

Business of Betting Podcast

E178 - Nigel Eccles - From Fanduel to Betdex

Season 1, Ep. 178

In this episode of the Business of betting Nigel Eccles joins the show. Nigel covers his early days at Flutter, his entrepreneurial journey with Fanduel, Betdex and entering the Crypto world. Finally, he gives his honest opinion on the industry.



01:29 His background: Starting at Flutter, taking over Betfair, Launching Betdaq

09:33 His entrepreuneur journey with Hubdub and Fanduel

12:30 Why Betfair is not the leader: Mistakes that prevented Betfair to be #1

15:13 Betfair Post Mortem: Missed on innovation, Marketing failure

21:10 FanDuel journey: The success, winning over casinos

24:57 Fantasy sports & sports betting: PASPA, his vision on the industry, being industry leader

32:36 Building an Exchange in the US: The sophistication of the market, Wire Act and liquidity

37:03 Betdex and Crypto: The purpose, the challenge of Ethereum, Solana, platform risk, the business model and liquidity


Follow us on: 

https://twitter.com/bettingpod

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCheYAzYxx-FmWkjbnZ9sXcA


Get in touch: 

https://twitter.com/jasontrost

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 209. E209 - Dillon Borgida from Betonu

    36:34
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Dillon Borgida from Betonu.Hear them discuss:01:42 - NCAA basketball talk03:20 - Breakdown of sportsbook VIP programs and how they work08:26 - The role of VIP hosts10:35 - Why Smarkets doesn't have a VIP program (so far)15:00 - Why VIP players aren't necessarily price sensitive 16:04 - The different tiers of VIPs, and what perks each tier can expect20:23 - The role of credit and offshore sportsbooks with VIP players23:28 - VIPs, responsible gambling, and affordability checks30:10 - What the next 10 years look like for VIP players in the regulated US market33:29 - What Dillon wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 208. E208 - Greg Kajewski from BettorEdge

    30:46
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Greg Kajewski from BettorEdge.Hear them discuss:01:00 - March Madness check-in02:30 - Jason's collegiate wrestling career05:38 - Introduction to BettorEdge09:18 - Mechanics of transactions on BettorEdge, and how they are structured to ensure compliance14:08 - BettorEdge's peer-to-peer betting model16:32 - The different ways that BettorEdge monetizes its platform20:21 - Attracting liquidity to the exchange23:45 - Greg's opinion of Smarkets' strategy in the US market25:34 - Marketing a betting product in a loud and crowded landscape26:52 - BettorEdge funding and company backgrounder28:49 - What Greg wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 207. E207 - Chris Grove from Acies Investments

    47:15
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Chris Grove from Acies Investments Hear them discuss:01:43 - How Chris became so good at doing PR03:31 - What Chris sees as his "north star" for his work in the betting and gaming industry09:29 - Chris' thesis on why the future is "not so much gamifying sports betting as building games that are powered by sports outcomes"15:33 - Where Chris sees opportunity for startups and challenger brands in a duopolistic US operator market21:00 - The role and relative importance of price as a differentiator for sports betting operators26:18 - The significance of exchanges, where they sit within the landscape, and why they're not bigger35:01 - A debate on whether online sportsbooks are 'technology companies' or 'gambling companies'43:51 - What Chris wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 206. E206 - James McLoughlin from Stirling Mac

    32:33
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by James McLoughlin from Stirling Mac.Hear them discuss:01:53 - Are US sportsbook product companies or marketing companies?05:44 - The importance of price as part of the betting product experience 09:30 - Lean marketing tactics for operators without billion dollar marketing budgets12:00 - How to successfully market betting apps using app store optimization 15:17 - Acquiring users and customers organically 20:27 - James' experience working at Betfair, and why exchanges are on the retreat in sports betting23:05 - The popularity of political betting markets24:51 - Examining the current prediction markets for the 2024 US presidential election 29:00 - Critiquing Smarkets' marketing strategy 30:31 - What James wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 205. E205 - Antonino De Rosa

    38:42
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Antonino De Rosa.Hear them discuss:01:50 - Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and chess06:06 - How Antonino found his way to the Pinnacle trading floor07:44 - Why the low vig sportsbook model isn't more popular12:09 - The reason that sportsbooks screwed up the 2020 US presidential election markets15:10 - Antonino's thoughts on exchanges, and why he doesn't use them17:57 - Running a basketball betting syndicate, and how it operates21:25 - The difference between PPH and an agent system23:54 - Building a model to create an edge25:00 - Betting at scale using a network of runners30:48 - How Antonino would like to see the betting industry evolve 32:46 - Stake factoring versus guaranteed minimum bet limits⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 204. E204 - Matt Restivo from OddsJam

    20:33
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Matt Restivo from OddsJam.Hear them discuss:01:00 - Life in Boulder, CO02:46 - The recent ruling on the 14th Amendment in CO04:45 - Introduction to OddsJam07:07 - Overview of arbitrage and value betting10:48 - Preserving betting account longevity13:30 - 10-year vision for OddsJam14:52 - Sourcing pricing data to power OddsJam's tools17:06 - OddsJam founding story18:55 - Company size and traction⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 203. E203 - Will Martin from LiveDuel

    37:29
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Will Martin from LiveDuel.Hear them discuss:01:22 - The Irish political landscape04:20 - Origin story of LiveDuel, and why Will felt a new exchange was needed in the market08:15 - How LiveDuel is differentiating itself from the incumbent exchanges09:54 - Will's opinion of what Smarkets could have done differently with its exchange13:02 - How LiveDuel is utilizing blockchain technology, and why it is the right technology for sports betting18:19 - The mechanics of DAO's and how that governance model can be applied to exchanges21:02 - Benefits of blockchain technology for transaction processing23:19 - How blockchain helps with liquidity provisioning through automated market making27:19 - Using oracles to resolve markets through consensus31:49 - Challenges of fundraising to build an exchange business 35:37 - Regulatory licensing strategy for LiveDuel⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 202. E202 - Manu Gambhir from Xpoint

    34:21
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Manu Gambhir from Xpoint.Hear them discuss:02:24 - Introduction to Xpoint03:45 - The geolocation provider landscape in the US market05:20 - Primer on geolocation regulatory requirements 07:50 - Competitive dynamic of geolocation providers in the US11:26 - The technical complexity of building geolocation solutions18:04 - Lawsuits and legal challenges around IP rights20:27 - The regulatory complexities of operators building their own geolocation solutions internally23:38 - Xpoint's commercial traction in the US market25:56 - Manu's view on the state of the industry in the US29:06 - Enforcement (or lack thereof) of offshore operators serving the US market33:07 - What Manu wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
  • 201. E201 - Paul King from OddsMonkey

    28:48
    On this episode of the Business of Betting Podcast, Jason is joined by Paul King from OddsMonkey.Hear them discuss:01:45 - a primer on matched betting & Paul's background with it05:30 - the background and origins of OddsMonkey07:50 - Paul's view of the sports betting industry10:30 - bookmakers' attitudes towards matched betting12:30 - the change over time in the value of bonus offers, and Paul's outlook for the future of bonusing16:20 - the role that exchanges play in matched betting19:55 - the ethics and legality of stake factoring and restricting customer accounts27:07 - what Paul wants to be when he grows up⚡️ Follow BoB on Twitter/X⚡️ Follow Jason on Twitter/X⚡️ Apply to be a guest hereThis episode is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.