Industry innovations on display at Betting on Sports Europe

Hosted at the Stamford Bridge stadium, home to Chelsea FC, between 9-11 November, the event will showcase six tracks of panel discussions and speeches from prominent betting industry representatives – including the Innovations & Operations track on the opening day. 

Kickstarting the morning, the opening session will centre on the development of customer interface development, a key component in an operator’s customer-facing operations. This panel will feature Nico Jansen (Founder & CEO, Bet it Best), Yuval Benyamini (Head of Betting at WSC Sports), Josh Turk (Chief Strategy Officer, Low6) and Jake Pollard (Editor, Earnings +more, Clear Concise Media) debating function prioritisation and the merits of a clean interface.

Sharing his view on the conference, Josh Turk said: “Betting on Sports Europe brings together prominent players within the global iGaming community to share innovative ideas and learn each other’s challenges and ultimately form ever-lasting partnerships.”

The esports scene has grown significantly in recent years, and as such has caught the attention of many in the betting and gaming industry as a potentially lucrative and innovative product. 

This will be the focus of the second session of the day, where the speakers will exchange opinions on whether CS:GO will continue as the primary esports betting product, or if new releases could signal signs of change. Moderated by Tom Daniels (Sub-Editor, Esports Insider), the panel will feature three leading esports betting delegates – Oliver Niner (Head of Sales, Pandascore), Marco Blume (Trading Director, Pinnacle) and Endre Nesset (Trading Director, Coolbet).

Bet builders will be the central topic of the following conversation, showcasing insightful inputs from Chris McKenzie (Sportsbook Commercial Director, 888 Holdings), Ryan Coombs (Managing Director, SportCast), James McKay (Sportsbook Director, Virgin Bet), Nick Cockerill (VP Betting Products, Stats Perform), in an extensive evaluation chaired by Jonathan Smith (Founder, Sportsbook Models).

The aforementioned speakers will trade their knowledge about innovations in bet builder development, and debate what should be the next stage in the evolution of the product now that it is a mainstay of most operators’ product ranges.

Regulators across the continent are becoming increasingly demanding with regards to the maintenance of strict management accountability over business value chains, and the fourth panel of the afternoon will outline what these requirements could mean for turnkey white label platform providers.

Jake Pollard will return in his second appearance of the day to the session featuring an ensemble of industry leaders, with Oren Cohen Schwartz (CEO, Delasport), Monica Rangel (Head of PT Markets, 888 Holdings),  Morten Pedersen Tonnesen (Chief Commercial Officer, Shape Games) and Elliott Banks (UK Regional Director for B2B Operations, BetConstruct).

As the day nears its end, the future of the retail betting industry will be addressed by Carlo di Maio (CEO Romania, Fortuna Entertainment Group), Jamie McKittrick (VP Commercial Operations, Kambi), Matt Davies (Head of Retail, Star Sports) and Paul McNea (Director, Bettormetrics).

The plethora of retail specialists will examine the ways in which betting shops and other retail venues can be revitalised by bookmakers as part of a wider omnichannel approach in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating a trend which has seen many customers switch to online verticals.

Next up, John Millington (Senior VP of US Operations, EPIC), Adam Brickell (Director of Public Affairs, Flutter UK & Ireland) and John-Paul Davies (BBC Crimewatch and former Sky Sports News presenter) will make bold predictions on the landscape of Europe’s betting sector in 10 years time, assessing what measures may need to be taken to protect athletes and gamers from gambling harm.

Finishing the track and the day, the last panel will evaluate innovations in player protection and assess how operators can minimise the effects of gambling related harm, with contributions from Fiona Palmer, (CEO, GAMSTOP), Nick Hill (Executive Director, PremierChain), Maris Catania, (Head of Responsible Gambling and Research, Kindred) and Paul Foster (CEO, Crucial Compliance). 

The three day Betting on Sports Europe event will see five other tracks with a huge range of industry delegates participating. These are Marking & Affiliation, the Payment Expert Forum, the Future of Sports Betting, Leadership, and Betting Around Europe.

Additionally, attendees will also be able to take advantage of exciting evening networking events, with the closing party and Sports Betting Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Natural History Museum on 11 November marking the end of festivities.

Book your Betting on Sports Europe pass today for the limited special offer price of £355 (a saving of £240 on the full price) at the event’s official website.