Ep. 167: Reduced juice for all w/ Gino Donati from BetOPENLY

Ep. 167 features Gino Donati from BetOPENLY, a peer-to-peer betting exchange eliminating the traditional sportsbook model by letting users bet directly against each other at true odds. This episode was recorded on-site at SBC Summit North America 2025 in Fort Lauderdale.

 

Hear him discuss:

• Growing up in a sports-betting Italian family and booking bets in high school

• How running numbers for syndicates gave him a window into the business

• Why BetOPENLY was originally built offshore and pre-PASPA repeal

• The core value prop of “win more, lose less” and how the 1% fee works

• How trolls on TikTok helped drive the platform’s early growth

• Why casual bettors and big action players both find value in the model

• How BetOPENLY avoids deposit bonuses and operates with ultra-thin margins

• Their “bet with friends” feature and zero-fee social sharing mechanic

• How the team is solving liquidity challenges through third-party partnerships with companies like Kutt, BettorEdge, and THNDR

• The legal framework that enables BetOPENLY to operate in 45 U.S. states

• Expansion plans including peer-to-peer blackjack, DFS, and prediction markets

• Gino’s other startup, Seed to Scale, and how he self-funds BetOPENLY

• Why he’s in no rush to raise or exit—and where he sees the ceiling for P2P betting

 

Catch the video version of this episode here.

 

Learn more 👇

➡️ BetOPENLY website 

➡️ Gino Donati on Linkedin

The Canadian Gaming Summit is happening June 17–19 in Toronto! Don’t miss out — get 50% off your Full Event Pass using code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP at checkout. Grab your ticket now: https://sbcevents.com/canadian-gaming-summit/ticket-options/

 

📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

 

--

This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.