W2 Global Data is sponsoring Betting on Sports 2017, the second edition of the largest international sports and betting trade conference at Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington.
Ahead of the 12-15 September event, we spoke to the company’s CEO Warren Russell about what he is looking forward to at #boscon2017, his perfect sporting event, and which sports betting partnership has stood out over the last 12 months.
SBC: What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports?
WR: There are a number of interesting and relevant topics being discussed and debated on the agenda such as regulation, Esports and innovations in data.
These are all areas which interest me personally and also hold significant importance for W2 moving forward, so a win/win situation. The networking events are always useful for meeting new contacts and a nice way to wind down after what is always a hectic schedule.
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
WR: We are going to be at Betting on Sports to promote our service and speak to people about how W2 can help them achieve regulatory compliance with minimum fuss and cost. We provide a wide range of SaaS screening tools to help organisations conduct regulatory Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Fraud prevention due diligence.
Services include ID and Age verification, PEP and Sanctions screening and device location or reputation management. Our service is not limited to a specific country, we operate on a global scale.
SBC: Where can betting work together more closely with sport?
WR: There is always room for both sides to work more closely together, whether this is in relation to securing the integrity of sport, or by forming partnerships to offer best in breed betting experiences to the customers of sporting clubs/institutions.
As far as integrity is concerned, it is an area where clearly both sides will definitely benefit from working more closely together and I believe we are already seeing steps in this direction with initiatives from the likes of ESSA and also the BHA’s approved betting partner scheme.
SBC: What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
WR: One thing that has stood out for me is the continued investment in top tier football sponsorship by leading betting operators. In terms of the magnitude of one individual partnership, potentially Codere teaming up with Real Madrid strikes me as a collaboration with huge potential.
SBC: Describe your perfect sporting event
WR: My ideal spectacle would be watching the Champions League final live, as I am huge football fan and it has always been an ambition of mine to attend the pinnacle of the footballing calendar. It would be an even sweeter spectacle with MK Dons playing and ultimately winning, though I may have to wait a few more years for this to become a reality.