Betting on Sports 2016 Conference preview, an event not to be missed

Betting on Sports 2016 Conference preview, an event not to be missed

This coming Thursday and Friday the online gambling industry will be introduced to the first conference dedicated to the entire sports betting sector, Betting on Sports 2016. SBC has organized two days of sessions spanning just about every issue impacting sports betting professionals, numerous networking opportunities such as VIP dinners, an official party and the BiG Sports Dinner in addition to private events for CEOs and affiliates working in the sports betting space.

Betting on Sports 2016 Conference preview, an event not to be missedCalvinAyre.com caught up with Andy McCarron of SBC to reveal any last minute developments the sports betting industry should know about, including delegate representation, featured speakers, hot topics, celeb appearances, additional networking opportunities and more.  We hope to see you later this week at BOSCON 2016.

Becky Liggero: Now that we’re only a few days away from the event kicking off, can you give us an idea of where your delegates will be coming from? What representation of the globe will you have at BOSCON?

Andy McCarron: The Betting on Sports conference has become a global sports and betting event with an incredible 60+ C-Level Executive Sportsbook Operator representatives from across the world, including Asia, Australia, Africa, Central Europe, CIS, UK, US and Canada.

On top of that we have senior executives from around 80 operators, all the key industry suppliers and service providers, and some of the top sports betting affiliates. It really is one of the key events in the industry this year, and certainly an event you cannot miss, if you are serious about doing business in this space!

BL: Wonderful, I’m looking forward to it. Compliance should be a hot topic this year due to the 4th EU AML Directive that will be released soon, how will you educate delegates on how to prepare for what’s coming?

AM: We have a big workshop on this very issue on the first morning driven by some of the leading legal minds. David Clifton and Suzanne Davies of Clifton Davies Consultancy have put together an in-depth two hour session with Roy Ramm of ExtraYard Securities and former Gambling Commission CEO Jenny Williams.

This panel will be taking companies through the new money laundering and data protections obligations which may have major implications for all businesses in the industry be they retail, online or affiliate. Having had a sneak peak at the presentation, it raises some very important questions for the industry and how it’s going to deal with these obligations.

Of course, this is just one of many exciting sessions, with a speaker line-up that includes key speakers like CEO of SNAI, CEO of Marathonbet, CEO of 10BET, CEO of Leo Vegas, SBO Bet Executive Director, Sun Bets, Betaland, and even legendary boxer and former world champion David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye.

BL: Yes, you’ve got a great line-up for sure.  What can delegates expect to learn about the DFS industry in Europe exclusively at BOS 2016?

AM: After 12 months of huge publicity and expansion on the back of the DraftKings and FanDuel funding rounds in the US, the DFS industry is starting to evolve a little, certainly in Europe. More of the DFS operators are now pivoting a little and offering bookmakers a B2B solution for DFS for them to use either as a customer recruitment or retention tool. Whether it will be a solid, liability-free revenue stream for the bookmakers remains to be seen, but we will be discussing the possibilities.

Besides key DFS speakers like Mondogoal, Sportito and Oulala, we have plenty of existing fantasy and DFS providers, as well as new entrants, joining us at Betting on Sports this week. It’s a great opportunity to meet these guys to learn more about what they offer and why you might consider teaming up with them.

BL: David ‘Hayemaker’ Haye has confirmed his attendance at BOS 2016 & the BiG Sports Charity Dinner, can you elaborate on how he will be participating in this year’s event? Are there any other celebs we can expect to see?

We’re obviously very pleased to have David participate as he is a larger than life character. At Betting on Sports he will be participating in our final panel of the conference which is discussing the use of ambassadors in marketing that will be chaired by Oddslife Director Chris Duncan. While David has never been a betting ambassador, he has been for the likes of Jaguar, and his bouts always get sponsorship support from the betting industry, so he will be providing some insight from the ‘ambassador’s perspective.

It’s an interesting panel because Stuart Tilly of Argyll Entertainment has fully embraced the ambassador model as he has just launched Bet On Brazil, a new sportsbook using former footballer and radio presenter Alan Brazil’s name. Also joining the discussion is Adam Roland of Heavyweight Sports, who was behind the Nikolas Bendtner’s underpants stunt which still resonates today.

Later on David Haye will also be joining the BiG Sports Charity Dinner which raises money for a series of charities and gives us a chance to let our hair down after two full days of conferencing. David won’t be the only sporting superstar at BiG though – others include Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton, former Arsenal footballer Ray Parlour and rugby legends James Haskell and Ollie Phillips.

BL: I can’t wait to meet David Haye, I’m impressed he will be attending BOSCON.  Are there other new & exciting developments in the BOS program since we spoke one month ago?

AM: Those in the industry with a competitive streak might get a kick from the series of fun competitions we have lined up. There’s an eSports tournament, an air hockey tournament, another SBC foosball tournament and the opportunity to try and outscore a 6”6 MMA fighter in the shape of Lyubo Simeonov on a fairground boxing machine, courtesy of Golden Race.

BL: I love it.  Is there anything else you want to add today, Andy?

AM: This is shaping up to be the biggest betting focussed event for the sector and cannot be missed by anyone with serious designs on making an impact in the sports betting industry. You can still get 25% off a ticket from www.sbcevents.co.uk if you use the code FLASH.

We will also be discussing our SBC Awards at BOS 2016. The awards are taking place 7 December, and we encourage operators, affiliates, suppliers, and service providers to stop by the SBC stand at BOS 2016 to learn more about how they can enter the awards and what the evening is all about.

BL: Fantastic, thank you Andy, all of this sounds incredibly exciting. We’re looking forward to seeing you at BOSCON on Thursday and Friday this week.