iGaming Real Talk

Welcome to iGaming Real Talk – real conversations with iGaming leaders, hosted by Surya Palli. In this special episode, Surya interviews Honourable Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, live from Barcelona (likely ICE or SiGMA), to unpack the brand-new Nevis Online Gaming Licence under the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025 and regulated by the Nevis Online Gaming Authority (NOGA).Nevis is positioning...

Can AI-Slots replace human-made slot games? or players can feel when consistency and craft is missing? In this episode of iGaming Real Talk, I sit down with Aziz Akylbekov, Chief Product Officer at 18Peaches to talk about where slot games are heading and what most studios are getting wrong. We cover:- Why “100% RTP” claims are pure marketing- Whether players actually understand RTP and volatility-...

Do online casinos fail because of traffic issues? or they fail because they launch as a template, chase fast revenue, and ignore retention? In this episode, we have Henk Wolff joining me for a quick discussion on the topic. He is specialised in turning around regulated and pre regulated online casinos. He goes deep into the patterns he sees repeatedly, what must be true before a launch, why “go li...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show , I sit down with Adar Ziv for an informal, no-BS conversation on how he generated 1.7 million impressions on LinkedIn in just one year. We break down why LinkedIn remains one of the most underpriced opportunities for founders and operators, how to build real visibility without gimmicks, and what actually drives reach, conversations, and business outcomes o...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show , I sit down with Prash Patel, a veteran marketer, serial entrepreneur, and board advisor who has been building and scaling businesses for over three decades. Prash is currently the CMO of Phoenix Rising, an online slot gaming studio creating high-quality content for regulated markets around the world. Across his career, he’s worked at every stage of the bu...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show , Jonathan Shaw and I go deep into the real side of leadership: doubt, decision-making, mindset shifts, and the emotional weight of leading people through change. Jon is a changemaker and former CEO of Retail Marketing Ltd., where he led one of Malta’s most complex mergers and helped transform Welbee’s into a leading supermarket brand. He’s also a certified...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show , I sit down with Mike, CMO of 1win Crypto, the team behind one of the largest Telegram casinos in the world, scaled to over 24 million users. Mike brings deep experience across both B2B and B2C iGaming, having worked with platforms, affiliate businesses, and land-based betting operators before stepping into his current role. As CMO of 1win Crypto, he leads...

Martin Zarian, co-founder of Factory 39 and full-stack brand builder , joins me on this episode of The Manesh Palli Show for a deep conversation on why brand strategy beats product-led growth in today’s saturated markets—especially iGaming. We unpack why “build it and they will come” is a dangerous myth, how only a small percentage of customers are ever ready to buy at any given moment, and why th...

Valentina Diaco spent nearly two decades in B2C iGaming before making the leap to start her own consultancy: Profit Matches. In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, we dive into the real story behind her transition from agency and operator life to building a human-first business. We talk about:• The turning point that led her to leave full-time roles• Why she believes success comes from alignmen...

If you’re building a business, especially in iGaming or fintech, you must understand how payments and banking really work. In this episode, Viktoria Soltesz (Founder of PSP Angels & author of Moving Money: How Banks Think) shares hard truths and real-world insights about: Why so many startups fail because of banking The problem with introducers and commissions in high-risk industries How to ac...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with Hanna Rai, CEO of Bettorify, to unpack her journey... from running 6 brands alone on night shifts to building a platform designed around operator success, not just features. Most iGaming platform providers sell software and operate like factory lines. Bettorify is building with a different approach. We talk about: • How iGaming platforms us...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with Keith Zammit, Chief Sales Officer at XGENIA - a startup revolutionising iGaming through AI-powered game development. Keith shares how his team built a slot machine in 15 minutes using AI, what it’s like to launch at the intersection of iGaming and innovation. From bootstrapping demos at ICE with a laptop to launching a game creation platfor...

In this episode, I sit down with Eman Pulis, the founder of SiGMA Group, SiGMA Foundation, and IKIGAI Ventures. From starting with €16,000 in debt to building one of the biggest iGaming events in the world, Eman shares the unfiltered truth about entrepreneurship, leadership, and redefining what it means to win. We talk about how he built SiGMA from scratch, pivoted during COVID, and why he’s now m...

In my first episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with John Wright, co-founder of StatsDrone, for a real conversation about building a B2B SaaS in iGaming. We talk about the messy middle... shutting down the first version, dealing with revenue leak, rebuilding from scratch, and staying in the game when most would quit. John shares what most people don’t see: burnout, hard decisions, and wha...