NEXT.io and BettingStartups Alliance for New York 2026

NEXT.io and BettingStartups Alliance is more than a calendar announcement, it is a signal about where the US real money gaming conversation is heading in 2026. A newly confirmed strategic partnership will support NEXT.io’s flagship New York events in March, connecting early stage founders with the operators, investors, and service partners who shape what reaches players at scale.

The collaboration begins with NEXT Focus Emerging Verticals on March 9, 2026, then culminates at NEXT Summit New York on March 10 to 11, 2026. The stated aim is straightforward, elevate awareness of emerging gaming models and give founders a clearer runway to scale through better access to capital, distribution, and industry decision makers.

What was announced and why it matters

NEXT.io, described as the world’s iGaming community and a premier events platform, and BettingStartups, described as a leading media and technology platform for startup and early stage real money gaming companies, have inked a strategic alliance tied directly to NEXT’s New York events in 2026. In practical terms, that means more startup visibility and more structured opportunities for early stage teams to be part of the week’s content, networking, and deal making.

What makes this notable is the explicit focus on formats that are actively redefining player engagement and market strategy in the US. The partnership highlights social casino, sweepstakes, skill based play, and prediction markets, all categories that sit at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and consumer appetite.

The New York 2026 format and the scale of attention

The week is built as a two step funnel, a focused forum first, then a large summit where relationships convert into partnerships. NEXT Focus Emerging Verticals on March 9 is expected to bring together over 300 senior professionals for discussion around innovation, regulatory shifts, and growth opportunities in newer gaming formats.

NEXT Summit New York 2026 follows on March 10 to 11, drawing more than 1,200 industry leaders from iGaming, sports betting, investment, and tech for curated content, networking, and deal driven engagement in Downtown Manhattan. From an ecosystem standpoint, those attendance numbers matter because they suggest founders will not be pitching into a vacuum, they will be pitching into a room built to transact.

Why emerging verticals are the real headline

When conferences emphasize emerging verticals, it is rarely just trend watching. It is typically about identifying where player demand is moving faster than existing product taxonomies, and where regulation is either evolving or being tested by new models. The partnership’s emphasis on social casino, sweepstakes, skill based play, and prediction markets reflects a broader reality, innovation in real money gaming increasingly comes from formats that blend entertainment mechanics with competitive engagement.

For startups, this is also where differentiation is most possible. Competing head to head with mature online casino or sportsbook incumbents is expensive and distribution heavy. Building in new formats can create an opening to prove retention, engagement loops, and unit economics before taking on the higher cost battlegrounds.

What startup innovation looks like in this context

The announcement frames innovation as both product and market making. In these categories, founders are often solving problems that are not purely technical, they are also solving for stakeholder alignment, player trust, and the ability to explain a new model to regulators, partners, and users.

• building legitimacy through thought leadership and clearer narratives that connect new formats to consumer value,
• creating efficient routes to market by meeting operators, investors, and vendors in a deal oriented environment,
• making regulatory change part of the growth plan rather than an afterthought.

How the alliance changes the summit experience for founders

Events can be noisy, and early stage companies usually lose attention to bigger brands unless there is structural support. This is where the partnership is likely to have practical impact. The announcement says NEXT.io and BettingStartups will spotlight startup voices, emerging trends, and thought leadership across both the Emerging Verticals forum and NEXT Summit New York, creating momentum for early stage ventures and fostering deeper connections across the global iGaming and betting community.

That kind of spotlighting matters because it creates context around the pitch. A founder with a product demo is one thing, a founder positioned inside a broader narrative about how US gaming formats are changing is another. The second is easier for investors to underwrite and easier for operators to imagine in a roadmap.

Quotes that clarify intent and positioning

Pierre Lindh, Managing Director of NEXT.io, positioned the partnership around mission and ecosystem building, emphasizing founders and vertical innovation. In his words, the alliance advances the mission of connection, community, and knowledge across the event ecosystem.

Jesse Learmonth, Founder of BettingStartups, framed the partnership as an extension of BettingStartups’ mission to support innovators and early stage founders shaping the future of real money gaming. He also emphasized the importance of connecting founders, operators, and investors early, and accelerating industry progress through a world class New York summit setting.

“Partnering with BettingStartups elevates our ability to champion the next wave of founders and vertical innovations. This alliance advances our mission of connection, community, and knowledge across every part of our event ecosystem,” said Pierre Lindh, Managing Director of NEXT.io.

“At BettingStartups, our mission has always been to provide a platform for the innovators and early-stage founders defining what the future of real-money gaming looks like. Our partnership with NEXT.io extends that vision with global reach and a world-class summit in New York City this March. Together, we’re creating a place where founders, operators, and investors can connect early, and move the industry forward faster,” said Jesse Learmonth, Founder of BettingStartups.

The business logic behind founder first programming

On the surface, an events partnership is a marketing move. Underneath, it reflects a shift in how value is created in iGaming. Operators and platforms need new acquisition and engagement levers, investors are looking for differentiated theses, and service providers want visibility into what product stacks are becoming standard in newer formats.

By tying startup programming to a large summit, the alliance effectively reduces discovery costs for all sides. Founders get time with decision makers. Operators and investors get a curated view of what is emerging, with the benefit of community validation and agenda setting.

There is also a cultural dimension. Real money gaming has long been defined by scale players and large brands. Startup narratives introduce a different lens, one that prioritizes experimentation, speed, and product led storytelling. That lens often influences what the broader industry ends up talking about for the next 12 to 24 months.

What to watch as March 2026 approaches

Because the partnership explicitly targets emerging gaming models, the most meaningful outcomes will likely show up in how the agenda is shaped and who is given the microphone. If the Emerging Verticals forum brings together senior professionals around innovation and regulatory shifts, then the summit becomes the place where those conversations turn into partnerships, pilots, and funding discussions.

For attendees evaluating whether to prioritize NEXT Focus Emerging Verticals or the main summit, the structure suggests a simple approach. Use March 9 for depth and alignment on what is changing, then use March 10 to 11 for breadth and execution with a larger set of stakeholders.

Practical takeaways for different audiences

Founders should treat the week as a relationship accelerator, not a one off pitch opportunity. Operators should treat it as a scouting exercise across models that could meaningfully affect engagement and product strategy. Investors should treat it as a thesis building environment, where the winners are often the teams who can explain not just what they built, but why the market is ready now.

As NEXT.io and BettingStartups position these events as a platform for early stage momentum, New York in March 2026 is shaping up to be a focal point for anyone tracking where US iGaming and betting innovation is headed next.

About the organizers in their own words

NEXT.io is described as the world’s iGaming community, known for in depth coverage, expert analysis, and industry leading events. Its portfolio includes NEXT Summit New York, NEXT Summit Valletta, and NEXT Retreats, with a stated commitment to driving innovation and fostering a global community of iGaming professionals.

BettingStartups is described as a leading media, technology, and community platform dedicated to powering the early stage ecosystem within real money gaming, providing high signal infrastructure for founders, investors, and vendors to connect and scale.

Bottom line

The NEXT.io and BettingStartups strategic alliance is a timely bet on the idea that the next wave of real money gaming growth in the US will be shaped by new formats and new companies, not only by established channels. By anchoring startup visibility and emerging vertical discussion to a New York week that includes over 300 senior professionals at the forum and more than 1,200 industry leaders at the summit, the partnership aims to turn trend talk into tangible connections.

If the industry is serious about innovation, it needs venues where founders can be found, heard, and funded. This alliance is designed to be exactly that.