Right to the Source

After an extended break Right to the Source is back, with Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison speculating on Norsk Tipping losing its monopoly in the wake of a lottery scandal. 

With over 15,000 players joining a suit in the wake of a litany of technical errors, which meant chances of winnings were distorted for some players, while others were told they had won far larger sums. The errors went undetected for almost a decade. 

Could this be an echo of Veikkaus’ struggles in Finland, where advertising violations brought scrutiny and impacted public trust? That may well have contributed to the Finnish re-regulation, and as of 2027, the opening of a liberalised market. Norway has been resolutely against calls to end Norsk Tipping’s monopoly, but could this scandal force the issue?

Ed also finds time to rant about prediction markets, insult Northerners and call Star Wars rubbish. 

Chapters

(00:00:15) - Samuel L. Jackson Is The Highest Grossing Actor Of All
(00:04:14) - Prediction Markets
(00:08:43) - Sports Betting
(00:10:37) - Prediction Markets: Just a Slot Machine
(00:16:16) - Sports Betting: Hype, no substance
(00:17:59) - Norway: 15,000 Lotteries Players Sue the Competition
(00:23:53) - Does issues with the lottery automatically feed through to the betting market?
(00:26:57) - Are You Being Radicalized By Social Media?
(00:27:38) - Germany's regulated gaming market
(00:28:37) - Germany: The highest number of brands in the UK

Right to the Source returns with its first episode of 2026, and this week Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison are joined by Erland Hellström and Simon Hammon of slot disruptor Big Daddy Gaming. 

Hellström is a veteran of Evolution and Hammon’s slot heritage stretches back to NetEnt’s Starburst, so there’s some serious muscle behind Big Daddy Gaming, but how are they going to build something that can disrupt an established order in a busy market?

Chapters

(00:00:15) - Robin Harrison on Banksy
(00:02:57) - No gambling on the IGB podcast
(00:04:00) - Warm Welcome to Big Daddy Gaming
(00:04:36) - Big Daddy Gaming Interview
(00:08:00) - Big Daddy Reboot: The
(00:10:51) - What is the Big Daddy
(00:12:54) - Irish CEO on the country's gaming landscape
(00:14:07) - Simon Mansion on Online Casinos
(00:16:12) - Slot Machine: AI vs Quality
(00:19:27) - Irish slot tax debate, RTP
(00:24:56) - Slots: Should Content Suppliers Be Held Responsible for
(00:27:53) - How Much Visibility Do Game Developers Have Over Where Their Games Go
(00:29:30) - Direct-to-Consumer, Aggregation
(00:31:03) - Introducing Big Daddy's Slot
(00:36:03) - Starburst
(00:37:08) - What is the formula for a Top Title?
(00:38:09) - Simon Erlen and John Hodgson on Right to the Source

Right to the Source made its comeback in April this year and 28 episodes in, we’re winding down for the holidays. But not before we decide who has been naughty and nice. 

Yes, this festive special recaps 2025, picking out the overarching themes whether that’s the rise of prediction markets, the rise of taxes, or the fall of regulated market share in the Netherlands. 

There’s also a quiz to test how much Ed Birkin actually knows about H2 Gambling Capital’s data, and whether Robin Harrison reads the iGamingBusiness.com site every day. 

A huge thanks to all our listeners for tolerating us in 2025, and we’ll be back in the new year!

Chapters

(00:00:14) - The Most Used Phrase In The Podcast This Year
(00:03:40) - Will More States liberalize casino gambling?
(00:04:03) - Idaho Business Podcast
(00:07:52) - Crypto's March to Legitimation
(00:08:55) - Pintasia Salary Survey
(00:11:11) - 2017: Key developments and themes for the year
(00:15:17) - Top 10 gambling themes of 2017
(00:17:21) - The Host of This
(00:17:46) - Quizzes
(00:18:22) - 735 downloaded from H2 database in the past week
(00:19:34) - iGaming Business's Best Article of 2025
(00:22:00) - Oceania's contribution to global gambling
(00:22:58) - Igaming Business: Brazil's Tag Posts in 2025
(00:24:33) - What market share did Sporting Bet have in Brazil in 2025?
(00:26:49) - How much unlicensed GGR in Brazil?
(00:28:22) - Santa's List
(00:29:46) - Christmas Eve: The Nice List

It’s taken us a long time to get it live but Right to the Source’s lost episodes from G2E are slowly being uncovered, starting with the Plaza Hotel and Casino CEO Jonathan Jossel who talks Downtown, revitalising Vegas and Big John.  

Chapters

(00:00:06) - The Weak Member of the Jewish Family
(00:00:48) - Interview With Jonathan
(00:01:00) - Interview
(00:01:37) - The 29-year-old CEO of Las Vegas' oldest casino
(00:03:45) - The Plaza Hotel's transformation
(00:06:35) - President Trump on Las Vegas' economy
(00:11:25) - Questions for the Plaza's Customers
(00:12:24) - The Love Letter I Had For Big John
(00:15:25) - Las Vegas Business Talk: Downtown

Right to the Source returns with the three New York downstate casino licences seemingly destined for Queens and the Bronx, a deep dive into Monarch Casino & Resort, while Ed Birkin lives out the film Her with ChatGPT.

Chapters

(00:00:15) - Robin Harrison on The Muppets Christmas Carol
(00:00:58) - Story of the Week
(00:02:09) - Q&A
(00:07:29) - The Jacksonville Jaguars' chances of making the NFL playoffs
(00:11:34) - Pundits predict Sheffield Wednesday's relegation
(00:12:22) - Monarch Casino: Does It Need a Hero?
(00:14:36) - Talking about the Las Vegas and Reno revenues
(00:15:22) - How Big Is the US Casino Market?
(00:19:16) - My Dog's 'Persona'
(00:20:04) - Talking To My Chat GPT Assistant
(00:21:59) - Monarch Casino: Potentially Saved?
(00:22:30) - Child's questions about Switzerland
(00:26:07) - Talking Lottery in Switzerland
(00:26:54) - Podcast