SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Betting on Football 2017 will underline its international credentials by delivering an extensive update on football betting markets across the globe, from an increasingly digitalised Africa, to a newly regulated Italy and the potential for legalised sports betting in Donald Trump’s North America.
With less than three months to go until the fourth incarnation of the event at Stamford Bridge (3-5 May), SBC Events has outlined an exciting conference agenda, with a key first day focus on market profiles for Germany, Africa, Turkey, Italy, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Asia.
The African market represents a fantastic opportunity for growth, particularly with increased regulation and mobile betting advancements in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. BOF 2017 will be reflecting on the success of this year’s AFCON as a betting event and assessing the chances of African bookmakers competing with Asian and UK counterparts for a share of the football marketing real estate.
The Italian market has become more competitive since the regulatory changes in 2016. In fact, panellists on the Italian legacy briefing at ICE 2017 predicted that gross gaming revenue would exceed £1 billion in 2017. SNAI CEO Fabio Schiavolin and Betaland CEO Carmelo Mazza will be discussing the balance between retail and online, the impact of virtual sports and the tendering process for the award of 120 new online gaming and betting licences within the country.
SBC Hall of Famer Mark Blandford will be appearing in the North America session moderated by Don Best CEO Benjie Cherniak. Given that the American Gaming Association (AGA) has suggested that Trump taking office could lead to a repeal of federal law barring sports betting in most US states, it will be interesting to hear about how quickly ‘the tide is turning’, what opportunities there might be for European bookmakers, and what can be taken from Canada’s approach to sports betting.
The Scandinavian market update will also represent a first day highlight at BOF 2017, with Danske Spil CEO Niels Erik Folmann, Mr Green CEO Jesper Kärrbrink and LeoVegas CEO Johan Styren forming a star-studded panel to discuss the region’s reputation as a ‘hotbed of gambling innovation’.
SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron commented: “What we’ve noted over the past few Betting on Football conferences is that we are attracting operators and betting businesses from all over the world. So this year we decided to set up a Market Profiles track to make the most of the high quality people we have at Stamford Bridge this year, and give them the platform to share their insights.”
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Sponsors for BOF 2017 include Golden Race (Platinum Sponsor), OPTIMA (Gold Sponsor), BetConstruct (Silver Sponsor), HiPay, 138.com and Realex Payments (Premium Sponsors).
