SBC-QT: Does football and betting go hand-in-hand?

With only a few days until the sixth edition of SBC’s Betting on Football, we have been chatting with our sponsors to chat about a handful of the topics that will be discussed in our six tracks at the event, ranging from new technologies to the way betting and football interact with one another.

In this SBC’s Question Time, we honed in on the relationship between the betting industry and football. Our sponsors gave us the run-down on what they thought in answer to “How can betting and football stakeholders work together more effectively?”

Keith O’Loughlin (SVP of Sportsbook, SG Digital): Betting and football naturally go hand in hand. They both engage emotionally with sports fans in a unique way. Executing an aligned gamified strategy to offer end to end experiences to the audience is key for the future success. The best way for betting and football stakeholders to work together is through collaboration driving common interests.

When sporting stakeholders simply charge a tax or fee to betting companies, it’s not a very favourable model. It can be far more effective with both stakeholders working in partnership to create value that drives revenue for both.

Dennis Tsalikis & Bill Mexias (CEO and COO and co-Founders, Fantasy Sports Interactive): It is time to admit that especially for the territories with a rich wagering history and advanced regulatory compliance, football is more often than not directly linked to betting.

The competitiveness and the incentive of a wager are similar to the ones in football, making betting a synonym of fan engagement. Fantasy football betting is a great example.

Betting and Football stakeholders can form constructive collaborations both on a commercial level, promoting their interests collectively, as well as regarding regulatory compliance, in order to protect consumers and the integrity of the Beautiful Game.

Martin Wachter (CEO, Golden Race): Football stakeholders can benefit greatly from the engagement that sports betting generates in the general audience and in their own fans. It is well known that fans get more invested when the outcome of every competition has such a direct impact on their lives as the excitement of the betting experience.

This event offers the opportunity to discuss new ways of increasing the market share both for the betting industry and football stakeholders.

An integrated technological platform that allows operators to deliver fast services to their customers is one of the many advantages we can offer them.

Patrick (Sportsbook Affiliate Manager, Intertops): Well, with a look at all the content out there we see that lot of things have improved lately. I do think former football stars as brand ambassadors made a good job to sensitize the sports bet in different Geos.

In Britain its culture while on other continents its still difficult. Offering a maximum of transparency from both parties is the key for successful relationships. Specify the core markets and working on a good strategy is more important than simply spread a bonus offer across all marketing channels.