Future opportunities and challenges to be highlighted at Betting on Sports Europe

Taking place between 9-11 November at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium in London, the track will see a number of executives share their views and predictions on the future of Europe’s sports betting industry in the aftermath of a heavy summer of sporting events and as major regulatory developments loom on the horizon.

Billy Cook (Sportsbook Director, ComeOn Group), Scott Ferguson (Business Development Manager, Betmakers), Ludovico Calvi (President, Global Lottery Monitoring System) and Alan Alger (Director of Corporate Communications, Betway), are amongst the industry leaders featured at the event. 

The Future of Sports Betting track will begin on 10am BST on 11 November, with a breakdown of the industry’s status following the hugely successful UEFA 2020 European Championship, where Billy Cook will be joined by Marco Blume (Trading Director, Pinnacle), William Woodhams (CEO, Fitzdares), Anthony Cousins (Head of Sportsbook Commercial & Control, Kindred) and Marc Thomas (Partner, Propus Partners). 

“For me Betting on Sports Europe is always the number one industry event to attend for anyone working in sports betting,” Cook remarked. “Finding the right balance between really informative panels, along with the right amount of opportunity to network – you always come away feeling like it was a great few days with time excellently spent.”

Whilst the first panel will explore the impact on sporting developments on the European sector, the second panel will explore increasing vitality of data for sportsbook operations, with Amir Mirzaee (COO, Bayes Esports), Isabel Hale, (Head of North Division International, Catena Media), Will Fyler (Head of Digital, Spotlight Sports Group), Sam Depoortere (Sportsbook Director, Nederlandse Loterij), James McKiernan, (Head of Commercial EMEA, Genius Sports) and Nikos Konstakis, (VP Sportsbook, OpenBet) providing unique insights. 

The age old betting product of horse racing will be the focus of the next session, when Scott Ferguson will join William Woodhams (CEO, Fitzdares), Paul Witten (Commercial Director, SIS), Howard Chisholm (Director, Bookmakers Technology Consortium) and David Zeffman (Partner, CMS) to discuss the future of the betting levy, retail venues and media rights. 

Ferguson commented: “Betting on Sports Europe 2021 will be the first specialist sports betting event for two years, bringing together key industry people at one of the great sporting venues in Britain. There’s nothing like the face-to-face connections of an SBC event.”

With the industry still feeling the effects of Euro 2020, the next big event for bookmakers is the highly anticipated 2022 World Cup in Qatar – but for Tina Thakor-Rankin (Principal Consultant, 1710 Gaming), New Zealand and Australia’s Women’s World Cup in 2023 will be the standout event and she will explain why during a special presentation. 

After a short break, the next panel will focus on the burgeoning esports sector, as Bart Barden (COO, Esports Technologies)  Thomas Rosander (CEO, Luckbox), Stuart Tilly, (Chief Legal Officer, Esports Entertainment Group), Anton Janer (Co-Founder, Abios), Marek Suchar (Managing Director, Partnerships, Oddin) and Sam Cooke (Managing Director, Esports Insider) explore what is needed to kickstart the space as betting’s biggest emerging market. 

The final panel will address the issues of match fixing and betting integrity, as Alan Alger (Director of Corporate Communications, Betway) explains the company’s decision to ban football transfer markets, whilst Adam Francis (Integrity Manager, Sportradar), Bill South (Group Director of Security, William Hill), Cassandra Matilde Fernandes,(Legal & Projects Manager, GLMS), David Henwood (Director, H2 Gaming Capital) and Matt Fowler (Director of Integrity, IBIA) will share their insights on successful procedures and the impact of the opening up of the US market.

In addition to the Future of Sports Betting content, the Betting on Sports Europe conference will include five more tracks – Leadership, Innovation & Operations, the Payment Expert Forum, Marketing & Affiliation, and Betting Around Europe.

All delegates will have access to a programme of evening networking events, culminating in the closing party and Sports Betting Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the spectacular setting of the London’s Natural History Museum on 11 November.

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.