Right to the Source

Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin return after iGB L!VE to share some interesting numbers on the World Cup and Europe, starting with a Dutch gambling tax hike that has missed its target by some distance. From there, the pair also cover the latest updates on Ireland's new licensing regime. Prediction market activity during the World Cup H2 has been tracking prediction market activity throughout the tour...

Right to the Source welcomes its first guest in a while this week. Dan Phillips, CEO and Founder of NEL Advisory, joins Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin ahead of  iGB L!VE to discuss product innovation and the recurrent grey market. Product innovation: evolution or illusion? Before diving into the industry talk, Dan shares what it was like starting out as a dealer at a basement casino in Soho in 1996....

With the World Cup already underway, Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin are back with a data-packed episode covering H2's betting estimates for the tournament, the UAE's new regulatory CEO and what Finland's market opening really looks like in numbers. The big numbers behind World Cup betting H2 Gambling Capital estimates $60 billion will be wagered through legal sportsbooks globally at this year's Worl...

Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison are back with a round-the-world showcase in this episode, taking in three of the biggest stories in the industry: a market reshuffle in Mexico, Austria's long-awaited monopoly shake-up and the implications of the Caesars acquisition. Mexico's gambling market at a crossroads As the second biggest LatAm market after Brazil, Mexico has grown at a fast pace, and 80% of the...

Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison walk us through some of the key industry topics in the latest episode of Right to the Source. The UK takes centre stage, with a detour around the world for good measure. The prize draw opportunity and the RTP debate The pair touch on Portugal's new centralised self-exclusion system and Australia's gambling ad reforms before Robin introduces something genuinely new to t...

Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison covered a few key industry topics this week, taking a closer look at the recent ECJ development and the March Madness betting market. The pair begin with the recent ECJ opinion around German player-loss cases , which they suggest offers limited clarity for the wider industry. The opinion appears to support the right of member states to enforce local gambling licensing...

Right to the Source returns this week with Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison taking a closer look at the latest Las Vegas gaming revenue figures, alongside the usual mix of sports trivia and off-script debate. While  headline numbers suggest a dip  in performance, Birkin argues the reality is more nuanced. January revenue is down year-on-year, but much of this decline can be attributed to the unusually...

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...

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 disr...

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 ho...

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'...

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 N...

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...

Right to the Source is getting existential as developments in the US prompt discussions on grey market gambling - and whether it's all just illegal - before a deep dive into gambling in Argentina.  Chapters (00:00:00) - Robin Harrison on Bebop From Rocksteady (00:01:39) - Turkey's gambling crackdown (00:04:37) - DraftKings, FanDuel to Give Up Their Nevada License for (00:11:43) - Hard Rock's Sport...

Right to the Source is back and it’s bouncing around the world, as Ed Birkin sizes up the UAE online gambling market, Robin Harrison talks up Allwyn taking full control of OPAP and prediction markets bring up memories of pie-eating 'keeper Wayne Shaw. Chapters (00:00:14) - Interviewing The Olsen Twins (00:03:48) - UAE gaming licence announcement (00:06:16) - Online gaming in the UAE (00:09:04) - T...

Right to the Source always threatens to bring on more guests and today we welcome Khalid Ali of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), and dissect Banijay’s acquisition of Tipico.    Chapters (00:00:00) - Right to the Source (00:04:26) - Podcasts on YouTube (00:05:55) - Crypto Seems Safe, But Doxing People? (00:07:04) - impressive how Winamax is totally under your radar (00:09:31)...

Right to the Source is back after a break for G2E, and it’s diving into all the week’s past controversies, whether that’s NBA gambling scandals or a set-to between Evolution and Playtech. Oh, and Sheffield Wednesday were placed in administration.  Chapters (00:00:13) - Right To The Source (00:01:16) - The Owls are in administration (00:02:48) - NBA arrests linked to sports betting (00:08:38) - Pla...

Right to the Source tackles crypto pivots, a tale of two resorts in Singapore and Golden Matrix’s B2C shift.   Ed Birkin and Robin Harrison have a frank exchange of views on Yolo Group’s regulated market pivot to kick off. This hinges on whether the move gives the crytpo giant an unfair advantage thanks to its scale and revenue, or simply follows an ongoing industry cycle. We then discuss the cont...

Right to the Source is back with Ed Birkin beaming in live from Lisbon, and social casino pioneer Zynga, the Congo and Mauritius are up for discussion. Chapters (00:00:13) - Right to the Source (00:01:20) - Celtic vs Sheffield Wednesday (00:05:18) - Long Couples and Fishermen (00:06:42) - Wonders of the World: Dave Reebuck on (00:09:07) - Social Casino: The parallels with Zynga (00:13:48) - Social...

Right to the Source is back and this week Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin are talking Groupe Partouche in the wake of their third quarter results, and the Georgian gambling market.   Groupe Partouche benefits from new casino launches The third quarter results showed Groupe Partouche benefiting from a bigger casino portfolio, with a new venue in Cannes and one further afield in Benin contributing to a...

Right to the Source is back and under the microscope this week is the Belgian gambling market and Zeal Network .  Belgian gambling market shrugs off restrictions In episode 18 Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin start off by discussing why gambling revenue in Belgium continues to grow . Revenue in 2024 rose despite the regulator and politicians constantly tightening controls on the industry.  Considering...

Right to the Source is back after a week’s break and Ed Birkin of H2 Gambling Capital has been saving up some rants for this episode, but we start looking at the Cambodian casino market.  After Cambodian online gambling was outlawed in 2019, the country’s casino market was the only show in town. But Covid-19 and a crackdown on junkets has effectively left operators struggling to return to pre-pand...

Right to the Source is back with more data deep dives, debates and diatribes, this week bringing in special guest Jon Bruford to dissect Gordon Brown stepping into the GB gambling tax debate.   The former Prime Minister and Chancellor has thrown his weight behind a proposal to hike gambling duty to 50% of GGR in Great Britain. Only his proposal, and the evidence he puts forward to support it, does...

Right to the Source is back and Ed Birkin is on his soapbox as he takes aim at those talking up the size of Brazil’s illegal gambling market and estimates on the scale of the crypto gambling sector! A reality check for Brazil gambling licensees Robin Harrison tries (and fails) to stem the tide amid Ed’s diatribes in this episode, but this reality check, for Brazilian gaming licensees in particular...

Welcome back to Right to the Source, where Robin Harrison and Ed Birkin are digging into the Slovenian gambling market and discussing stalled progress of online gambling in Chile.   Land-based gambling in Slovenia rules the roost First to Slovenia, where online gambling licences are linked to brick-and-mortar properties, meaning online remains far smaller than casinos and gaming halls. Land-based...