MaxBet Podcast

Freeplay. PAR. Rebates. Lotteries. Tony Lucas has spent years studying all of it, and the verdict is ugly. At best, casinos are misusing these tools. At worst, they are hemorrhaging millions straight off the bottom line. I n this episode, he lays out what the research shows, why the industry keeps pushing back on it, and what's really driving that resistance. If any part of your job touches a promotions budget, this episode is for you. This WTF with IGI mini-series is put together in collaboration with The International Gaming Institute and filmed at UNLV Black Fire.

On this episode of MaxBet Podcast, Martina Åkerlund breaks down what actually drives company culture and why so many leaders get it wrong. As CEO of Elevated Edge, Martina works directly with founders and leadership teams to build companies that perform without burning out their people. This conversation gets into the real issues and what actually happens inside teams when leadership avoids hard decisions, not what companies say about culture. In this episode, you'll find: Why high performers can quietly damage culture The risk of keeping the wrong people for the sake of results Why culture always starts at the top The leadership habit that can undo years of progress Hiring for potential vs hiring for performance How to make hard decisions without losing respect Why numbers alone are not enough to scale a company What sustainable leadership actually looks like

MaxBet is teaming up with UNLV International Gaming Institute to create a mini-series lovingly and relatably called WTF?! with IGI. Because there are people out there doing incredibly smart research on our industry. So we're bringing them in to break it down, translate it, and tell us what we probably should've known sooner. If you're an operator or a supplier, you'll probably want to hear what IGI has been studying… because it probably applies directly to your work. In this episode, we kick off the series with the co-mastermind Dr. Brett Abarbanel and walk through exactly what you can expect from WTF? with IGI. First episode airs 3/19! Also, IGI's International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking is happening May 26–28, 2026 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where a lot of these exact conversations are happening in real time. You can learn more and register here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gnjF2MA9

Hillary sits down with Catie Di Stefano, one of the most genuinely connected people in the gaming industry. With 15 years in gaming (which officially makes her a self proclaimed baby dinosaur), Catie has built a strong reputation for how she approaches both marketing and LinkedIn in a B2B world. It's practical, consistent, and rooted in real relationships. The conversation covers how people can show up on LinkedIn without waiting on their company page to do all the work, how personal credibility grows over time, and why supporting other people in the industry matters more than most realize. If you work in marketing, care about building a personal presence online, or want a clearer sense of how people actually build connection and opportunity in gaming, this episode is for you.

Joe Solosky, Managing Director of Sports Betting at NASCAR, joins the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on what sports betting looks like from a motorsports and league-side perspective. Before helping build out NASCAR's sports betting strategy, Joe spent six years with the FBI, giving him a unique lens on regulation, integrity, and how leagues think about betting partnerships. We talk about how sports betting fits into motorsports, how prediction markets are viewed from the league side, and how quickly "the future" is arriving in this space. It's a practical, thoughtful conversation about where betting, leagues, and regulation are actually intersecting right now.

Emily Haruko Life Coach and CEO of Soroca joins the show to talk about what actually improves teams and company culture. Emily works within B2B organizations to help leaders strengthen communication, increase efficiency, and build healthier work environments. A major focus of her work is emotional intelligence. She shares a study where Coca-Cola implemented emotional intelligence training and saw a 15% increase in earnings. We'll have whatever they're having. We also get into how leaders can recognize different employee states, how communication flow impacts performance, and why culture shows up in the "doing". Practical, clear, and relevant whether you lead a team or work within one.

Marcus Yoder showed up with clear opinions on M&A in gaming and did not dance around any of them. We talked through a bit of the IGT and Everi merger, how leaders should think about integration, and what actually builds culture once the dust settles. This one leans into people more than deals. How they react. How they stay connected. How you keep a team steady when everything around them is shifting. If you work with humans in any capacity, this one is for you.

Julia Weygandt came ready with stories about gaming culture, consulting, and one very weird German regulation about free fruit. She's been in this business for more than twenty years and has seen it all; the cultural curveballs, the boardroom dynamics, and the kind of conference stories that only make sense if you've worked in gaming. The industry has grown up a lot in recent years, and we talk about what progress really looks like from the inside. If you've ever smiled through a networking event and questioned all your life choices, this episode is for you. Quick flex: Eilers & Krejcik Gaming is one of our sponsors, which means this episode is officially smarter than it sounds, and they have great taste.

IGT has shaped video poker for more than 40 years with games like Double Double Bonus Poker™, Triple Double Bonus Poker™, and Ultimate X Poker™. In this episode of MaxBet Podcast, Hillary McAfee talks with Darnell Johnson and Shannon Bloom about how multi-hand play changed the game, why volatility and configuration matter to players, how bartenders influenced the design of the PeakBarTop™ cabinet, and what makes video poker different from slots. It's the inside story of why video poker remains one of the most iconic and enduring games on the casino floor. IGT is a proud partner of MaxBet Podcast

Ari Mizrachi is back and standing on business in this episode on true persistence games and advantage slot play. His first appearance in October was one of our most successful and most controversial episodes. Now, Ari returns to share where we are at now and break down why he believes advantage play is detrimental to every facet of the slot economy: operators, suppliers, and players alike. From the economics of advantage slots to the ripple effects across casinos, Ari does not hold back. To close, he delivers his next red-flag warning, a prediction he believes could become the next major threat to the casino industry. Love it or hate it, this is the conversation the gaming industry needs.

In a MaxBet first, we were handed some top-shelf gaming industry tea. Eclipse Gaming skipped the press release and gave us the exclusive to hard launch their newest C-suite hire. A bold move. We'd say we're honored, but that feels too mature. Newly appointed Chief Product Officer Mike Trask joins the podcast for his first official interview, sharing his vision for Eclipse and where the company is headed next. We dig into hot topics across the gaming industry like the ethics of perceived persistence in slot design, what makes or breaks a product strategy, and at what point in game development does the project tend to go sideways. He also walks us through the worst day of his career- a headline moment on Yahoo News that's either a cautionary tale or a badge of honor, depending who you ask. There's button slapping, screen smashing, a certain CEO who spilled red wine on white carpet, and enough name-dropping to qualify as an industry mixer. If you've ever worked with Mike, talked to him, or accidentally passed him in an airport, you're probably mentioned. This episode was made in partnership with Eclipse Gaming

Ever wonder what it was like behind the scenes of the very first Wheel of Fortune slot machine? Spoiler: it involved a Volvo windshield motor, a string, and some serious duct tape energy. We sat down with Jean Venneman from IGT to talk about how a project they hoped would sell a few hundred units turned into a legacy that has made over 1,200 millionaires and changed the casino industry forever. Next year marks 30 years of spinning, winning, and some truly wild jackpot stories. Mike and Hillary also work through some of the worst casino advice people actually give, like why "always split tens" should probably be a jailable offense. Sponsored by IGT, powering today's conversation (and a lot of casino floors). As always, all opinions are our own, for better or worse.