What are the latest innovations that you are presenting at ICE North America?

SBTech had on display our on-property kiosk sportsbook solution that is currently live in the States of New Jersey and Mississippi across four casino properties and we were demonstrating our sportsbook and casino platform on mobile which is live with Betamerica in New Jersey. The mobile-first sportsbook includes a host of innovative features to increase player engagement with many new features being deployed in the coming months subject to regulatory approval.

What is the feedback you receive from visitors?

Our on-property sportsbook was well received with many attendees taking time out of the show to place a few sample bets, plenty of positive feedback on the wide range of sports available, the US betting market types such as teasers and parlays and our intuitive user interface.

How do you see this first edition of ICE North America?

The show was only a short-time after the BOSA event ran by SBC which clearly impacted visitor numbers. Generally the majority of attendees were at both events so from our perspective it would be good to have some separation between these events in 2020. That said it is always good to meet with our partners and prospective partners!

With what expectations and objectives did you arrive at this inaugural event?

As an European B2B provider, it is important that we continue to build our US brand presence through tradeshows, conferences and key events – hence we exhibited at both BOSA and ICE North America. Our key objectives were to meet with our current US partners to talk through upcoming product innovations and explore their own US expansion plans in the near future and of course demonstrate our award-winning sportsbook solution to prospective US Partners. Our Chief Strategy Officer Ian Bradley also took time out to share his insights on the burgeoning US sports betting market in one of the ICE VOX panels.

What is the profile of the North American player? Do you produce different products for the different North American markets?

US players are well versed in both sports and sports betting, although historically they have only had exposure to relatively inferior sportsbook products provided by off-shore sportsbooks and Vegas sportsbooks comparted to the innovative and feature-rich sportsbooks of mature European markets. At SBTech the flexibility of our products and services allow us to localize our sportsbook for each regulated territory, from bet types to odds formats and features deployed. In New Jersey for example, our partners have taken the view to start initially without some of our mobile-first live betting features but as the market matures, these will be deployed to further engage with players.

How do you see the current North American market?

We see the US market as a long-term opportunity, although many states have passed legislation to facilitate sports betting, most B2B providers are focused on key population states, State lotteries and the large commercial casino groups. The US requires significant investment by any technology business to enter the market, so we expect some of the smaller B2B providers to fall away over time. SBTech remains in a strong position today and we will further cement our US footprint in the coming months.