Ep. 167: Reduced juice for all w/ Gino Donati from BetOPENLY

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 How the team is solving liquidity challenges through third-party partnerships with companies like Kutt, BettorEdge, and THNDR 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 The Canadian Gaming Summit is happening June 17–19 in Toronto! Don’t miss out — get 50% off your Full Event Pass using code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP at checkout. Grab your ticket now: https://sbcevents.com/canadian-gaming-summit/ticket-options/   📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/   -- 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.