Bet It Drives with Tamar Badashvili on what keeps operators ahead

In the Bet It Drives season finale, the SetantaBet CEO tells GR8_TECH’s Yevhen Krazhan how operators stay ahead, from picking a sportsbook partner to knowing when to trust instinct over data.

Key takeaways:

• SetantaBet CEO Tamar Badashvili is the guest on the season finale of Bet It Drives, GR8_TECH’s podcast hosted by CSO Yevhen Krazhan, recorded during a drive through Lisbon.
• Badashvili says flexibility is essential because, without it, operators have “almost no chance to survive”.
• She argues that understanding the local market matters more than choosing the biggest technology supplier.
• She believes being first with a new feature, innovation or promotion can create a lasting competitive advantage.
• SetantaBet uses GR8_TECH as its sportsbook partner, and Badashvili points to deeper local-market knowledge and continued product development as areas where providers can unlock more value.

Press release.- In igaming, being first matters, but staying ahead takes more than money, company size, or reputation. For the Season 5 finale of Bet It Drives, Tamar Badashvili, CEO of SetantaBet, joins Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8_TECH and host of Bet It Drives, for a ride through Lisbon covering competition, sportsbook technology, leadership, risk, and why being first still matters.

From choosing the right sportsbook partner to understanding local markets and knowing when to trust instinct over data, Badashvili breaks down the decisions operators face as they try to grow without losing speed.

“You always have to be flexible. As flexible as possible,” she says. “Otherwise, there is almost no chance to survive.”

In the Season 5 finale, Tamar Badashvili gets into:

• Why SetantaBet chose GR8_TECH as its sportsbook partner, and what she believes providers still need to improve
• Why understanding the local market matters more than choosing the biggest technology supplier
• Why being first with a new feature, innovation, or even promotion can create a lasting competitive advantage
• Performance versus gut feeling, and why experience can make instinct more powerful
• Why flexibility is essential for operators navigating rapidly changing regulated markets
• How Georgia’s established gambling market, experienced workforce, and regulatory environment could create bigger opportunities for the country
• The realities women in senior leadership can still face in business negotiations
• The biggest amount SetantaBet has lost in a single day
• Why Stake is one competitor she would consider working for
• Why she turns to Gen Z colleagues when testing ideas around brand, marketing, product, and strategy

The conversation also gives a rare operator-side view of the relationship between a sportsbook and its technology provider. Badashvili is direct about both what works and what could work better, pointing to deeper local-market knowledge and continued product development as areas that can unlock more value.

Krazhan, host of Bet It Drives, said: “Tamar has a very practical way of looking at business. What makes this conversation especially interesting is that she speaks from the operator’s seat. She knows what she expects from technology partners, what players expect from operators, and how quickly both sides need to adapt when the market changes.”