Right to the Source

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

Everyone’s had their say on last week’s Budget in the UK, which heralds a hike in remote gaming duty to 40% next year, and an increase in remote betting duty to 25% of GGR from 2027. But is it going to push all gambling activity offshore, and will it yield £1.1 billion in new tax revenue as the Office for Budget Responsibility claims? Ed Birkin is not so sure.  Chapters (00:00:15) - Robin Hood(00:01:33) - UK Budget Special(00:03:25) - UK budget: Will the onshore market shrink?(00:09:57) - The Tax on Gambling Advertising(00:11:10) - Gambling Commission budget: Should it be cut?(00:13:18) - OBR: The UK's public finances(00:22:14) - Wales gambling tax: Doomsday scenarios are too optimistic?(00:25:56) - Steve Monash on the black market(00:30:08) - Brexit and the UK oil and gas industry(00:31:49) - Good Marketing and Terrible Gambling Adverts(00:33:48) - Robin's Happy Ending