Tipstrr is sponsoring Betting on Football 2018, the fifth edition of the largest international football and betting trade conference at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC.
Ahead of the 20-23 March event, we spoke to the companyβs Managing Director Damien Fearn about what he is looking forward to at #bofcon2018, which innovation he expects to capture the most attention in 2018, and who he is backing to lift the World Cup trophy in Russia.
SBC: What are you looking forward to at Betting on Football?
DF: The calibre of attendees is second to none. I’m most looking forward to speaking with and listening to some of the sharpest minds in the betting industry.
Being a start-up, we’re a lot younger than many of the companies in attendance, so we’re looking to learn and absorb as much as possible during our time there. With innovation key to what we as a business are working to achieve, we’re hoping that the Betting on Football conference will help us understand the direction of the industry to make sure our medium to long term goals are well received.
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Football?
DF: We’re here to promote our recently relaunched tipster platform. After a successful funding round in 2017, we’ve built a fully automated platform that verifies a segment of the industry that’s rife with scams, fraud and misinformation.
We’re bringing credibility to the tipster/predictions side of sports betting. The sports betting industry generally suffers a lot from negative press, so we’re truly working towards something that’s for the punter, rather than against.
With some of the most astute sports bettors using our platform, we have some truly unique data and content that will no doubt be of interest to the attendees of BOF.
SBC: What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2018?
DF: There’s not one specific innovation that I’m expecting to make a massive impact in 2018 that I’ve seen so far. I do think though, that the next innovations need to be in making the industry both more accessible to new users, and easier to use.
From a football perspective, it’s hard to look at anything more innovative or hotly debated than VAR. The confirmation that it’ll be used in the World Cup this summer will really be the truest test. I think it’ll work well in the end, but it won’t be smooth sailing to get it universally accepted as part of elite level matches.
SBC: How can your company help to improve the customer experience ahead of the World Cup?
DF: For Tipstrr, we pride ourselves on content and useful content to our users and visitors. The World Cup will be the biggest showcase of what we have to offer, and the coming weeks and months will be ensuring that what we offer our users will be as optimised and as fine-tuned as possible to provide the most value to our users.
The free content we offer is our way to show our users that our site is a genuinely useful tool for punters looking to gain an edge over the bookmaker. Tipstrr stats and data provide impartiality and transparency – both of which we know users genuinely appreciate.
SBC: Who are you backing to win the tournament, and why?
DF: Whilst I’d like to say that England will compete in Russia, I think they will ultimately come undone against any real tough opposition – maybe even not-so-tough opposition.
Belgium have a lot to offer, but whether they can fulfil their potential remains to be seen. I’d like to see them win though, so I’ll go with Belgium to lift the trophy in July. The likes of De Bruyne, Hazard and Lukaku should make them a force to be reckoned with.