Episodes

  • Nigel Eccles - Fan Duel Co-Founder

    Nigel Eccles - Fan Duel Co-Founder
    May 11 2025
    My guest on this episode is Nigel Eccles, co-founder of Fan Duel.

    [00:00] Introduction of Nigel Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel
    [00:48] Nigel’s background and first company
    [02:04] Nigel’s educational background and interest in gambling, selling variance
    [06:59] Joining Flutter and prediction markets, exchange models
    [10:04] Founding FanDuel, fantasy sports, sports betting
    [14:31] Sports betting in Nevada, over-regulation and limited innovation
    [18:47] Leaving FanDuel
    [20:08] Vertical businesses, pandemic spike and whipsaw
    [20:59] Bettor are getting dumber, banning winners, and the popularity of parlays
    [24:20] Sharps, betting patterns, cat and mouse games, and taking sharp action
    [27:24] BetHog online crypto casino, innovation, and payment processing fees
    [31:42] Managing crypto volatility
    [33:17] The future of online gaming and crypto
    [36:10] Final thoughts

    X.com/nigeleccles
    Bethog.com
    Betdex.com
    FanDuel.com
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    40 mins
  • Lauri Thompson episode 16

    Lauri Thompson episode 16
    Feb 19 2024
    Lauri Thompson came to Las Vegas as a dancer in 1980. She went from Las Vegas strip entertainer to a top entertainment attorney, with a stop along the way as Susie Spirit on the original GLOW - Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.

    Here is the clip of Lauri getting her arm dislocated in an episode of GLOW.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxYpEKotyU
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    48 mins
  • Billy Baxter episode 15

    Billy Baxter episode 15
    Feb 9 2024
    Billy Baxter is a legend in the gambling world. Today we focus on his time as a boxing manager, and some very high stakes golf games.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
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    33 mins
  • Nicholas Forte - Pastry chef Episode 14

    Nicholas Forte - Pastry chef Episode 14
    Jan 20 2024
    Nicholas Forte is the corporate pastry chef for Tao Group - west coast. What drew me to Nick's story is that straight out of pastry school he went to the only 3-Michelin-star restaurant in the state of Nevada, and said, "I want to work here." He got the job at Joel Robuchon. You can see examples of Nick's work on his Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/fortenj/

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
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    19 mins
  • Joseph Merhi part 2 Episode 13

    Joseph Merhi part 2 Episode 13
    Dec 7 2023
    My guest this week is Joseph Merhi. In part 1 we covered Joseph moving to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old. He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies. This is part 2 of 2, in which we cover Joseph's move from Las Vegas to LA, and his pursuit of the movie business.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
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    56 mins
  • Joseph Merhi part 1 Episode 12

    Joseph Merhi part 1 Episode 12
    Nov 15 2023
    My guest this week is Joseph Merhi. Joseph moved to Florida from a small town in Syria when he was 18 years old. He spoke no English, but through grit and perseverance he went on to produce over 100 movies. This is part 1 of 2.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.
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    52 mins
  • Frank Frigo Episode11

    Frank Frigo Episode11
    Oct 25 2023
    My guest this week is Frank Frigo. Frank is one of the founders of Edj Analytics, and we talk about their football model named Zeus which they licensed to various NFL teams to make better playing decisions.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.


    NY Times article mentioned in the show.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/sports/football/eagles-analytics-super-bowl-lii.html
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    55 mins
  • Life is a Gamble - Ed Miller episode 10

    Life is a Gamble - Ed Miller episode 10
    Oct 17 2023
    My guest this week is Ed Miller. Ed is on to talk about his new book, "Interception" which he co-authored with Matt Davidow.

    You can reach me at lifeisagamblepod@gmail.com, or find me on Twitter @RWM21. If you like the show please tell a friend you think might like it, or if you are really ambitious leave a review wherever you listen.

    Podcast - https://www.spreaker.com/user/7418966/edmillerepisode10

    Books by Ed Miller & Matt Davidow
    The Logic of Sports Betting https://amzn.to/3QlG3Ec
    Interception https://amzn.to/46Abjoz
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    58 mins