Drabwell, who previously spent over 30 years at Ladbrokes, will take part in a panel at Stamford Bridge next week (Weds 20^th March) amid predictions of widespread shop closures in the UK.

This follows next month’s reduction of the maximum wager on fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2, which will hit the profitability of hundreds of shops operated by major chains and independents alike.

But Drabwell believes retail operations in both the UK and beyond have a bright future if the industry embraces a digitised experience with technology that is familiar to the next generation of customer and immersive content that fully engages them.

He said: “Retail has been the poor relation of online when it comes to innovation for too long, but we can now provide customers with a genuine omni-channel journey which blends the speed and efficiency of their hand-held devices with the thrill of a live sport and a cash environment.”

“Most importantly, our SSBTs and the data and picture content which complements them, now produce a seamless in-play experience that is convenient for the modern consumer and helps produce incremental revenues to allow operators to prosper.”

Playtech BGT Sports will showcase its industry-leading range of products and features at Betting on Football that will boost both customer engagement and revenues for retail operators, particularly around in-shop in-play functionality.

Among other products, it will reveal the new contactless payment functionality on its self-service betting terminals, which is currently being trialled by Paddy Power.

This will be joined by its state-of-the-art content engine, which uses artificial intelligence to suggest relevant selections and interesting content by harnessing millions of previous calculations and comparisons.

The supplier will also be discussing its new collaboration with leading content provider Vermantia. The combined retail solution will give customers the chance to bet on over 36,000 live betting events using pictures and data supplied to in-shop screens by Vermantia, with ready access to PBS’s odds and betting markets on its SSBTs.

PBS executives will be speaking to show delegates about new functionality for its retail mobile app, as well as demonstrating new content that will allow rapid-fire in play betting on football and other sports.

Visitors to Stamford Bridge can join Lee Drabwell for the Betting shops: A New Approach needed panel at 11:20 on Wednesday 20^th March or visit Playtech BGT Sports’ stand (31) at the event.