90 speakers finalized for Betting on Sports conference

Sunday 11th of September 2016

This week’s Betting on Sports Conference will offer the most comprehensive look at the betting industry ever seen, according to organizers SBC Events.

From Brexit to Esports, marketing to integrity, money laundering to DFS, and US Sports to payments, the two-day conference will feature 90 speakers across 28 separate discussions.

On Thursday 15th and Friday 16th September, high level delegates from all over the globe will be descending on the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London to listen to industry experts and visit the exhibition, which features companies like Sportradar, SIS, Golden Race, Optima, BetConstruct, and Paysafe.

Marathonbet CEO Viktor Hoffmann is on a panel discussing the future of sports betting, along with SNAI CEO Fabio Schiavolin and 10Bet CEO David Bazak.

Hoffmann believes that the conference offers a perfect opportunity for the industry to discuss the latest issues. He commented: “One great characteristic about our industry is that it’s ever-changing, fast-paced and dynamic. New standards are always being set, while goals and targets are being smashed and re-set. Betting on Sports is a chance for us as a business to immerse ourselves in an industry we’re passionate about, and perhaps influence how we grow and achieve more great things in the future.”

Another speaker is LeoVegas CEO Johan Styren who will be featuring on the New faces panel talking about the new sportsbook that the mobile-first operator launched this year. Styren believes that the industry should be looking beyond its own boundaries for innovation.

He said: “There are a few pain points where sports betting consumers are being underserved, but in my opinion, the main one is the lack of personalisation. Online and mobile sportsbooks have looked the same for a number of years now, and the industry needs to step up its game by looking at what other industries are doing to address this.”

The two-day conference will conclude with a flagship panel talking about the use of sporting ambassadors for marketing purposes, and will feature boxing legend and former world champion David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye.

Also on the panel is Adam Roland of Heavyweight Sports, who will be sharing some of his experiences of using ambassadors in the betting arena, not least his involvement in the Nicklas Bendtner Paddy Power Pants promotion. He added: “Betting on Sports is a great conference with some great debate and discussion, but I doubt I’ll be disagreeing with anything David says.”

Paul Leyland of Regulus Partners will be kicking off the conference with a comprehensive overview of the betting industry in 2016, with special reference to the Brexit vote.

Leyland commented: “The key issue facing all stakeholders in the short-term is uncertainty. Lots of people are making lots of predictions, but the nature of this unprecedented circumstance is that nearly all of them will be wrong. Where there is uncertainty, there is an opportunity. This is a time for big change for all sector stakeholders, and while that is scary for most it will be the making of some.”

Away from the main conference room, Betting on Sports will also feature a series of interactive ‘breakout’ sessions, which includes an anti-money laundering (AML) and data protection workshop targeting chief executives, heads of marketing, compliance teams and money laundering officers.

Jenny Williams (former CEO of the Gambling Commission), Roy Ramm (ExtraYard and formerly of New Scotland Yard), David Clifton and Suzanne Davies (Clifton Davies Consultancy) will be talking about the AML and social responsibility breaches that have resulted in leading bookmakers having to disgorge profits of nearly £2 million already this year, and the new LCCP licence conditions that will come into force from 31st October, imposing even greater AML responsibilities on all operators.

Clifton said: “Many CEOs and Compliance Directors don’t seem to have grasped that they risk losing their PMLs for their company’s AML breaches. AML and data protection requirements are so easy to ignore, but it is so easy to get it right if operators start planning now. They should really be asking themselves whether they can afford not to attend our ‘breakout’ workshop at Betting on Sports.”

However, the conference will go far and beyond the traditional setup, with a total of six events across the two days. In addition to Thursday and Friday’s line-up of speakers and a central exhibition area, Betting on Sports will be putting on a welcome networking party, as well as hosting a pair of invite-only dinners for industry leaders and sports betting affiliates.

Betting on Sports will then sign off with a fittingly glamorous finale, by co-hosting the BiG Foundation Sports Charity Gala Dinner on Friday 16th September. The BiG Foundation is a registered charitable organisation in the UK, with a focus on supporting those in difficult circumstances with funds donated from companies and individuals involved in the betting and gaming industry. Celebrities in attendance will include David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye, Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton, Ray Parlour and James Haskell.

Elizabeth Blake, Event Director at SBC, said: “This year’s dinner promises new faces and great entertainment for the 250 people in attendance, which includes representatives from over 40 operators and more than 30 of the world’s largest affiliates groups. It's going to be an amazing night!”

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