With just one day left in 2025, we’d like to take the opportunity to look back on some more of our favourite interviews from this year, looking at everything from sponsorships and marketing to tech innovation, from M&As to regional prospects…

Robert Chvatal, Allwyn

Allwyn has had a huge 2025 – acquiring PrizePicks for $1.6bn, securing a valuation as the world’s second largest publicly traded gaming company and the largest lottery one, and merging with Greek gaming giant OPAP.

The firm’s rise in recent years has been underpinned by extensive marketing, including flagship sponsorship deals with both Formula One and McLaren, the latter having claimed the drivers’ and constructors’ championships this year.

“It’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, impactful sports series – the World Cup and soccer, and the Olympics, do come close, but this happens every season and across the globe,” Robert Chvatal, Allwyn’s Group CEO, told SBC News ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix this year.

“It’s also good that the community impact will benefit from this visibility. It’s not just about cutthroat competition and innovation, it’s about reminding people that some are not less fortunate and we want to celebrate the NGOs and grassroots organisations that are almost the opposite of this. It’s about inclusion and helping others who can’t help themselves.”

Robeson Reeves, Intralot and Bally’s

The merger between Intralot and Bally’s Interactive was one of the biggest M&A agreements this year, enlarging the reach of both companies. For Intralot, it has enabled the firm to access new technology and capabilities, and begin the groundwork for US expansion.

In Bally’s Corporation’s case, the firm has acquired a controlling stake in Intralot, which falls in line with a broader international push by the firm – a push which has also seen it offer a commercial lifeline to the struggling Star Casino in New Zealand.

Robeson Reeves, Bally’s Corporation CEO, would later become the CEO of the Bally’s-Intralot combined entity. He told SBC:  “It’s an amazing transaction—for the good of Bally’s, the good of Intralot. It makes us very unique, bringing iLottery and iGaming together with tech, data and global reach that no one else has.”

Temur Mikeladze, Crocobet

Interest in the Caucasus region of Eurasia has been growing in recent years, with local players finding themselves competing more and more with international giants like Flutter Entertainment.

Temur Mikeladze, Chairman of Crocobet, offered us some insights into why Georgia has captured a lot of attention. The country’s regulatory openness is particularly refreshing, he shared, and while the authorities may be strict – as in any other well reugalted market – they are not deaf to the industry’s opinions.

“That openness to collaboration allows the market to evolve responsibly,” said Mikeladze.

“Currently, the regulator is not only setting the rules but also acting as a bridge between the Revenue Service and the industry. 

“That bridging role is critical for developing a functional, transparent ecosystem that benefits both players and operators.”

Stuart Simms, FairPlay Sports Media

The expansion of sports betting across the US since the 2018 repeal of PASPA was possibly the biggest gold rush this industry as ever seen … but as FanDuel and DraftKings asserted dominance, many operators struggled to and ultimately failed to cash in.

This is not the case for many B2B and media firms, however. FairPlaySportsMedia (FPSM), owner of Oddschecker, now finds itself in the enviable position of holding a strong foothold on both sides of the Atlantic – giving the firm some unique insights into market developments and consumer behaviour in both the Americas and Europe.

“The US market is already open to maximising media-betting engagement. Betting is deeply integrated in UK/European tradition and sports viewing, and this can mean behaviours and perceptions are hard to change,” said Stuart Simms, CEO of FPSM.

“The US, on the other hand, is reaping the rewards from best practices elsewhere and its own maturing betting market that’s seen very much as a complement to the entertainment at hand.”