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The iGaming Leader

The iGaming Leader

By: Leo Judkins - Coach for iGaming Leaders
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The iGaming Leader Podcast with Leo Judkins uncovers the human side of the iGaming industry's most successful leaders. Join us as we explore the untold stories, challenges, and triumphs of the executives shaping one of the world's most dynamic sectors. Each week, we dive deep into conversations with C-suite leaders, founders, and directors from global betting firms and innovative startups. Our guests share their authentic journey to the top, revealing pivotal career moments, leadership philosophies, and personal strategies for sustainable success in this high-pressure industry. More than just another business podcast, we focus on the crucial intersection of wellbeing and high performance. Discover how industry leaders maintain peak performance while managing stress, work-life integration, and team dynamics in an industry that never sleeps. Whether you're an aspiring leader, current executive, or passionate about the iGaming sector, each 30-minute episode delivers actionable insights to help you thrive in this fast-paced environment. Subscribe now to join a community of high-achieving iGaming professionals committed to making this industry not just successful, but sustainable for its leaders.© 2024 iGamingLeader.com Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • I Can Survive Anything: Cancer, Career, and Cutting the Bullshit with Line Peteri

    I Can Survive Anything: Cancer, Career, and Cutting the Bullshit with Line Peteri
    Mar 25 2026

    In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Line Peteri, a powerhouse leader who has scaled teams across tech, fashion, and iGaming.

    Line shares her raw, unfiltered journey of building a career since age 17, only to be reduced by others to her appearance, her relationships, and her health.

    She calls out the "fake bullshit" in the industry, discusses the isolation of being a high-achieving woman in her 20s, and explains why she refuses to compromise her values for a title.

    Guest Bio

    Line Peteri is VP - Strategic Partnerships at ATFX, operating at the intersection of performance, regulation, and global expansion in the financial trading industry. With a background in scaling brands, including co founding and growing roccamore, she brings a commercial, data driven approach to leadership and customer acquisition. Alongside her corporate role, she advises start ups on growth strategy and sustainable performance. A HYROX endurance athlete and cancer survivor, Line speaks on resilience, high performance mindset, and leading with clarity under pressure.

    Key Topics Discussed
    00:00     – Line calls out all the BS on Linkedin
    05:30 – Being known as "the girlfriend" despite a 10-year career.
    10:00 – Being dismissed at business school.
    11:30 – Incurable Cancer diagnosis at age 30
    14:00 – A 7-minute run led to a half-marathon and a shoe company.
    16:00 – Why very little can throw Line off her game now.
    19:00 – Line hires people to eventually replace her.
    21:00 – Resigning when the company wouldn't allow her to protect her team.
    25:30 – The Political Gap: being liked by your team isn't enough.
    28:00 – Fluff and BS
    33:00 – Why Line refuses to accept "Female Leader" awards.
    35:00 – Advice to her 20s: "Don't give a fuck" and stop trying to blend in with the furniture.

    Memorable Quotes

    "I can survive cancer, I can survive anything. Even when I meet an asshole... I just think: you could just fuck off."
    "I am very honest and I'm very direct... I don't really filter things. I think there's a lot of fake things going on."
    "The more you begin to compromise your values, the less they become."
    "If you wanna blend in with the furniture, yes, that’s what you can do. But you know what? Show yourself."
    "Everything you learn, you learn on the way down."


    Follow Line on LinkedIn:     https://www.linkedin.com/in/linepeteri/

    Follow Leo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-judkins/

    Subscribe to the iGaming Leader newsletter: https://www.igamingleader.com/signup

    Join the iGaming Leader Mastermind: https://www.igamingleader.com/


    This episode is sponsored by Sumsub, the leading identity verification provider for iGaming operators. Learn more at https://sumsub.com/blog/knowledge-hub/gambling/
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    38 mins
  • Stop Fighting Alone: The Secret to Startup Survival

    Stop Fighting Alone: The Secret to Startup Survival
    Mar 14 2026
    In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo Judkins sits down with Ebbe Groes, the co-founder and CEO of EveryMatrix. From a garage in 2008 to building the world’s largest casino aggregation platform, Ebbe has navigated the brutal realities of scaling a B2B giant without the "fuel" of massive venture capital.Ebbe shares the high-stakes decisions of EveryMatrix’s "survival" era between 2015 and 2017, where the company nearly ran out of cash and the team took massive salary cuts to keep the dream alive. He pulls back the curtain on why he ringing a literal bell in meetings to keep efficiency high, the "law of large numbers" that makes VCs dangerous for founders, and why his recent decision to bring his brother in as co-CEO is about building a multigenerational legacy.GUEST BIOCo-founder & CEO, EveryMatrixEbbe Groes is a seasoned technology entrepreneur with a PhD in Economics and a proven track record of scaling software startups. Since co-founding EveryMatrix in 2008, he has transformed a bootstrapped venture into a leading global B2B iGaming provider that remains debt-free and founder-controlled. With nearly two decades of experience in the sector, Ebbe is known for his sharp commercial focus on tier-one clients and his commitment to maintaining product agility through modular, independent business units.Key Topics Discussed00:00 – The VC calculation: Why investors push 60% of companies "down the drain"02:00 – From garage to global giant: The EveryMatrix origin story04:00 – Founder-led advantages: Fast decision-making vs. board bureaucracy06:30 – Identifying bottlenecks: your Outlook calendar is your best leadership gauge 09:00 – The 2015–2017 crisis and nearly running out of cash4:30 – Swapping salaries for equity during the lean years20:00 – Why EveryMatrix only raised $4.3M in 18 years25:00 – Watching your business dreams get taken by VCs28:00 – The luxury of "No": Segmenting clients into Gold, Silver, and Bronze32:30 – Co-CEO Strategy: Bringing in family to build a 100-year business37:00 – "Chop, Chop": Removing people who aren't in the fight with youMemorable Quotes"The key thing to understand about VCs is that they do their calculations on large numbers... they're going to push and accelerate to see if you belong to the 60% that go down the drain.""Suddenly the founders... their dreams are shut to pieces and they own 10% of the company. There's nothing fun about it. You feel then cheated from your own dreams.""It's important that you surround yourself with also people that think like you and you don't feel, 'oh, I'm alone in fighting this battle.'""If there's some founder in a similar situation... and he feels that some people are not with him... then, you know, here's your chance to get rid of them... So chop, chop."Key TakeawaysThe "Fuel" Trap: Venture capital often accelerates a company toward a "hit or fail" binary outcome. Founders who take too many rounds often end up as "passengers" in a company they no longer own or recognise.Modular Agility: Splitting a large organisation into independent business units with their own P&Ls prevents management bottlenecks and allows each product to compete as a specialist in the market.Transparency in Crisis: During the 2015 cash crunch, EveryMatrix survived by being radical about cost-cutting and transparent with staff, eventually converting reduced salaries into high-value equity.The Power of "No": Taking the wrong clients creates "opportunity cost" and disrupts your roadmap. Segmenting clients and being willing to cut off distracting revenue streams is essential for long-term scalability.Succession as Legacy: Bringing in a Co-CEO isn't just about bandwidth; it's about shifting from a "trade sale" mindset to a multi-generational, family-owned philosophy that preserves the company’s DNA.Follow Ebbe Groes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebbe-groes/Follow Leo Judkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-judkins/Subscribe to the iGaming Leader newsletter: https://www.igamingleader.com/signupJoin the iGaming Leader Mastermind: https://www.igamingleader.com/
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    40 mins
  • You Only Learn on the Way Down: Lessons from a $300M Reality Check

    You Only Learn on the Way Down: Lessons from a $300M Reality Check
    Mar 7 2026

    In this episode of the iGaming Leader Podcast, Leo sits down with Charles Cohen, a serial entrepreneur who has experienced the industry's highest peaks and most isolating moments.

    From building beenz.com, one of the internet’s first digital currencies, to pioneering mobile-first gaming with Probability plc, Charles shares the raw reality of leadership when the "arc of the universe" refuses to bend to your will.

    Charles reflects on the "seasickness" of the .com bubble burst, where a $300 million valuation evaporated almost overnight, and the discipline required to stick to a "mobile-only" strategy when the rest of the industry was laughing at the idea.

    Now leading the Department of Trust, he discusses the evolution of player safety and why the most valuable lessons in a career are almost always learned on the way down.

    GUEST BIO

    Charles Cohen
    Founder & CEO, Department of Trust / NED Veikkaus

    Charles Cohen is a veteran technology entrepreneur who has founded, listed, and exited major businesses in both the UK and US. An Oxford PPE graduate, he rose to prominence as the founder of beenz.com before becoming the CEO of Probability plc, the pioneer of mobile-centric gambling games.

    Following Probability's acquisition by GTECH (now IGT), Charles spent nearly seven years as Vice President, leading global mobile and US sports betting expansion. Currently, he leads the Department of Trust, sits on the board of Veikkaus Oy, and serves on the UK Gambling Commission Industry Forum.

    Key topics discussed

    00:00 – You can’t negotiate with reality: Adapting or walking away.
    03:00 – Realising a $300M valuation no longer applies.
    09:00 – The Founder’s Trap: Being a passenger on your own train.
    11:00 – Closing offices and returning value honorably.
    16:00 – Why Charles resisted the "regular website" for Probability.
    19:00 – Mailing physical checks in the early days of mobile.
    24:00 – Every employee is taking a risk on your company.
    33:00 – Why selling a business is the most stressful period.
    37:00 – The PASPA Repeal: Being in the right place at the right time.
    44:00 – Compliance & Automation: Where manual processes go to die.
    48:00 – Why you should always have more questions than answers.

    Key takeaways

    Learn on the Downward Trend: Success masks inefficiency. True learning and organisational discipline are forged during downturns and failures rather than during rapid growth.

    Don't Finesse the Inevitable: When a paradigm shift occurs—like a market bubble bursting—leaders must accept and adapt immediately. There is no room for denial or finessing a fundamental change in reality.

    The Discipline of Specialism: Real value is built by doing something different, not by being a "different version" of what everyone else is doing. Sticking to a "mobile-first" bet when desktop was king created long-term enterprise value.

    Identity vs. Momentum: High-growth startups can turn founders into "passengers on their own train." It is essential to maintain a rational perspective when behavior starts to be influenced by metrics like "fundraising" rather than core business health.

    Systems Over People in Compliance: Regulatory failure is often a system failure, not a people failure. Overburdened and under-equipped departments require better data and systems (like Open Banking) to make risk-based judgments effectively.

    Memorable quotes

    "There's no room for denial, you can't negotiate with it... You've either got to accept it and adapt to it, or get out and walk away."

    "The lesson that I took out of it ultimately is: you don't learn anything on the way up. Everything you learn, you learn on the way down."

    "All this Silicon Valley horse shit about defining the future... You can not bend the arc of the universe."

    "What's a couple hundred million between friends?"

    Follow Charles Cohen on Linkedin:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/cohencharles/

    Follow Leo Judkins & iGaming Leader

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-judkins/
    Newsletter: https://www.igamingleader.com/subscribe
    Join the Mastermind: https://www.igamingleader.com/apply


    This episode is sponsored by Sumsub, the leading identity verification provider for iGaming operators. Learn more at https://sumsub.com/blog/knowledge-hub/gambling/
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    51 mins
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