{"podcast":{"title":"The iGaming Leader","slug":"the-igaming-leader-7100266","podcast_index_feed_id":7100266,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-igaming-leader","website_url":"https://www.igamingleader.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/p_66xt8SvQqZJ1aZxk8F1xFxVlpsh9f4siiOobOvnIY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNTg1/MTBkYjJjNjA5MTU2/ZWFkZDc3OGI4MDgx/NDRmOC5wbmc.jpg","author":"Leo Judkins, Founder - iGaming Leader Mastermind","episode_count":58,"summary":"The iGaming Leader is hosted by Leo Judkins, founder of The iGaming Leader Mastermind. Every other week, Leo sits down with Founders, C-suite executives, and VPs from across the iGaming industry for conversations you won't hear on a conference panel. The real decisions. The hard calls. What leadership actually looks like from the inside. No keynote polish. No PR answers. Just honest conversations between people who know the industry. New episodes every other Wednesday.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T12:17:34.597807+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266"},"episode":{"title":"Addiction in iGaming: A CCO’s Road to Recovery","slug":"addiction-in-igaming-a-cco-s-road-to-recovery","published_at":"2025-09-10T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/addiction-in-igaming-a-cco-s-road-to-recovery","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/67fbbdcd","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/67fbbdcd/9ee80e2a.mp3","summary":"In this episode of iGaming Leader , Leo sits down with Huw Thomas , founder of Brandstage and co-founder of the new Recovery in Gaming community. Huw shares his two-decade journey through the iGaming industry, including senior leadership roles and billion-pound exits, alongside the hidden personal battles that almost derailed his career. This conversation explores the pressures of executive life, the dangers of numbing stress with alcohol, the turning point that led to 11 years of sobriety, and why recovery conversations are vital for the future of the gaming sector. Huw also introduces Recovery in Gaming , a safe community space supporting professionals across the industry. Guest Bio Huw Thomas is a brand strategist and leader in the global iGaming space. He runs Brandstage , a consultancy that partners with operators, startups, and scaleups across the UK, Europe, and the US to shape growth strategies through brand and communications. He is also co-founder of Recovery in Gaming , an industry-wide community for professionals seeking support with alcohol and drug recovery. With more than 20 years’ experience in gaming and a personal recovery journey of over a decade, Huw combines commercial expertise with a human-centred mission to build healthier leaders and organisations. Key Topics Discussed 00:00 – Huw’s first step into iGaming and early industry days 07:00 – Climbing the ladder: Betsson, NYX, OpenBet, and major exits 14:00 – Pressure, addiction, and the turning point in 2014 19:00 – The first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and life in recovery 27:00 – Boundaries, control, and tools to handle executive stress 33:00 – The daily inventory: a 3-minute practice that actually works 37:00 – Why Huw launched Recovery in Gaming and its future impact Memorable Quotes “When tha…","meta_description":"In this episode of iGaming Leader , Leo sits down with Huw Thomas , founder of Brandstage and co-founder of the new Recovery in Gaming community. Huw shar…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2467,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-igaming-leader-7100266/episodes/addiction-in-igaming-a-cco-s-road-to-recovery/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-igaming-leader-7100266/addiction-in-igaming-a-cco-s-road-to-recovery.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}