11.12.2025 · 3 min read
GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Rides Through Rome: Karolina Pelc on Luck, Risk, and Hustle in iGaming
She started on the casino floor, shuffling cards in land-based casinos in Poland. Twenty years, 60+ flights a year, a sold startup, and a book later, Karolina Pelc has turned a dealer’s job into a global career: running casino operations, building and selling a startup, and now advising the next wave of founders.
In Episode 2 of Season 3 of the Bet It Drives podcast, powered by GR8 Tech, Karolina slides into the passenger seat immediately after a helicopter ride. She shares a journey that spans cruise ships, London casinos, LeoVegas, BeyondPlay, and mentoring the next generation of founders.
In this episode, Karolina shares:
From dealer to deal-maker: How starting as a 19-year-old casino dealer in Poland and on cruise ships gave her the front-row education that later shaped BeyondPlay
Using every card you’ve been dealt: Why she refused to “throw away” her land-based experience when online gaming started booming and how that decision changed everything
LeoVegas, BeyondPlay, FanDuel: What it takes to go from corporate casino director to founder whose startup builds a brand strong enough to get acquired
“Her Play” book: How she turned 20 years of grind into a structured system in book form, designed to give a mindset framework for building businesses
No comfort zone: How a calendar packed with conferences, keynotes, and client meetings became her best investment in reputation and opportunity
Mindset over everything else: Why she focuses her advisory work on helping early-stage founders reframe fear, rejection, and failure before they worry about valuations and cap tables
Women who build: How she invests in female-founded startups, mentors young women in gaming, and leads by example rather than letting herself be boxed into “diversity speaker” status
The startup roller coaster: Why three years of building BeyondPlay felt like ten years of lessons, with more tears, team challenges, and near-misses than most people ever see from the outside
“This episode goes deep into the real journey behind the success,” said Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech and host of Bet It Drives. “With Karolina, you see the full journey: it’s raw, it’s honest, and it’s exactly the kind of mindset story this industry needs right now.”
Season 3 of Bet It Drives opened with Eman Pulis in Rome, taking on legacy, risk, and the chaos of building an events empire. Episode 2 keeps the wheels turning with Karolina’s story of reinvention, resilience, and what happens when you bet on yourself for 20 years straight.
Next up: more road-level conversations with standout leader Valentina Diaco, who isn’t afraid to talk about the hard hands as well as the jackpots.
Watch or listen to Season 3, Episode 2 with Karolina Pelc on:
Season 3 of Bet It Drives is rolling, and Karolina’s episode proves that the biggest gamble is never at the table. It’s you.
About Bet It Drives
Bet It Drives Show, powered by GR8 Tech, is your Front Seat in the iGaming World. Take a ride with iGaming leaders discussing today’s industry challenges and future opportunities. This is not your average podcast: guests get pushed to answer bold questions and spill industry secrets.
It’s a rolling conversation, from quick laughs to hard truths, mixed with quickfire games and yes, even some singing. Driving the show is Yevhen Krazhan, Chief Sales Officer at GR8 Tech, joined by iGaming masterminds as they cruise past iconic landmarks worldwide.
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