Huw Thomas: Addiction in iGaming: A CCO's Road to Recovery | The iGaming Leader Podcast
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The iGaming Leader Podcast

Huw Thomas: Addiction in iGaming: A CCO's Road to Recovery

Leo sits down with Huw Thomas, founder of Brandstage and co-founder of Recovery in Gaming. Huw shares his two-decade journey through iGaming, including senior leadership roles and billion-pound exits, alongside the hidden personal battles that almost derailed his career.

Huw Thomas
Founder, Brandstage; Co-founder, Recovery in Gaming
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01 · Watch the episode

The full conversation

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02 · The guest

Huw Thomas

Founder, Brandstage; Co-founder, Recovery in Gaming

I run a business called Brandstage and a community project called Recovery in Gaming. At Brandstage, I work behind the scenes with established operators, ambitious startups and fast-moving scaleups to shape the strategies that drive growth. I focus on brand and communications - helping businesses define who they are, how they’re seen, and the impact they make. Dozens of clients across UK, Europe and US. Recovery in Gaming is an alcohol and drug recovery community for people in the gambling industry. We launched this month and we’re having our first community get together and 12 step meetings at SBC in Lisbon in Sept.

Follow Huw on LinkedIn →

03 · Inside this episode

Moments worth queuing up

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.

In his own words

01 / 03

“When that moment of surrender came, there was this level of peace and serenity that flowed through my body.”

02 / 03

“If you've ever thought, even once, 'Am I drinking too much?' the answer is probably yes.”

03 / 03

“I didn't realise that the feeling of no shame and full acceptance was just one step away.”

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Important links

Follow Huw on LinkedIn Visit brandstage.com Follow Huw Thomas on LinkedIn Follow Leo Judkins on LinkedIn Subscribe to the iGaming Leader newsletter Join the iGaming Leader Mastermind

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