Jon and Fintan get into the recent appearance by the BGC’s Grainne Hurst in front of British Parliament, and Jon is unusually full of praise and has an idea that the casino industry should be uniting to change the narrative… Among other things, of course, including Fintan’s executive slouch, being a supple panther and much much more, including of course our delicious sponsors, the always-sexy EveryMatrix; the permanently virile Optimove; and the expo tyrannosaurs Clarion Gaming [0:00 – 24:01 ].

Then we get into it (I say we, but it’s just Jon) with SBRnet President Neil Schwartz, a first-time guest. We dive deep into the world of sports fandom data, discussing everything from the US sports gambling landscape to the massive economic ripples created by major global events.

We discuss:

• Why “sports fandom” is a better growth lever than chasing promos
• The US sports betting picture through a fan-data lens
• How mega-events (hello, World Cup) ripple into betting and team strategy
• What an annual national survey of fans actually measures — and how operators/teams use it
• Practical ways to turn fan insights into better product, CRM and media planning.

And much more, of course. [24:02 – 1:23:49 ]

Neil Schwartz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-schwartz-96a4816/

As ever, we thank all of our sponsors for their vibrant and excellent support. They are truly the Top Gun to our Iron Eagle.

In no particular order they are:  the mighty EveryMatrix – the industry go-to for sportsbook platforms and data feeds. EveryMatrix’s coverage is so damn good, they’re gaining tier-1 operators all the time. If I had to choose my wingman, and it was between an ageing Lou Gossett Jr and EveryMatrix’s Val Kilmer/Iceman, I’m choosing Val every time. No disrespect to Lou, but he really phoned Iron Eagle in.

Optimove, who turn customer data into something special, with tools that make businesses just plain work better. Optimove, your support helps us make things that are like pulling serious Gs to lose enemy bogies. Yeah, you heard me.

Then of course there is Clarion Gaming, providers of the magnificent ICE expo (January ’26 in Barcelona) and iGB Live! in London. Yeah, the show where we will all smother ourselves in baby oil before we play beach volleyball. WHOO!

The Gambling Files podcast delves into the business side of the betting world. Each week, join Jon Bruford and Fintan Costello as they discuss current hot topics with world-leading gambling experts.

Website: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/

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Fintan Costello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintancostello/ 

Jon Bruford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-bruford-84346636/ 

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