Head of Sportsbook – Decisions involved in successfully managing a sportsbook – Sponsored by Sporting Solutions
Today’s Head of Sportsbook wears many hats. From choice of suppliers to managing the entire sportsbook platform, including P&L, business model, technical knowhow, new product partnerships, business development and growth.
A high level debate between four Head of Sportsbook, ranging from land-based operator to national lottery, and diversifying casino operators. What drives their decisions and how do they see their role within the company?
Jens Nielsen, Head of Sportsbook, Danske Spil
Enda Gaffney, Head of Sportsbook, Mr Green
Vladimir Dratsjov, Head of Sportsbook, Olympic Entertainment Group
Carlo di Maio, Sportsbook Director, Eurobet
Chaired by Chris Duncan, Board Advisor Oddslife & Co-founder of Betsson

Networking Refreshment Break

Marketing – Changing dynamics in strategy & planning
Industry consolidation and a growing focus on intelligence/data have deeply impacted the role of today’s CMO with regards to operator planning, media strategy and most importantly decision making.
The CMO Panel debates current operator marketing strategies and the dynamics of building effective teams and maintaining external relationships (media agencies, affiliates, consultants and partners).
Session Focus
– Understanding complexities of marketing strategy and planning in 2017
– What are CMO looking for in terms of partnership
– CMO decision making processes
– Developing effective ROI marketing campaigns
Zeno Ossko, Managing Director, Betstars
Eddie Bennett, Managing Director – Digital & Marketing, Boylesports
Mark Thorne, CMO, OddsRing / LeonBets

Super Affiliates – Navigating the new business landscape – Sponsored by Bet365
Increased consolidation as well as regulation and general standards means that the affiliate sector is a much different beast than just a few years ago. Does regulation and M&A go hand in hand? To what extent is the affiliate sector the gatekeeper to new business for operators?
Jesper Soegaard, CEO, Better Collective
Matthew Glazier, Managing Director, Bookies.com
Devendra Damani, Owner, Gaming Media
Ory Weihs, CEO, XL Media
Chaired by Lee-Ann Johnstone, CEO, Best Odds Marketing

Networking Lunch Break

Brand Ambassadors – How to find a good fit
Content reigns supreme in esports. Creating exceptional content with the right people is often considered vital to cracking a notoriously tricky demographic. What’s the difference between an esports consumer and a traditional consumer? How can the industry capture this desirable demographic?
Scott Burton, CEO, ESP
Malph Minns, Managing Director, Strive Sponsorship
Viktor Wanli, Founder and CEO, Kinguin
Adam Savinson, Head of Esports, Win Technologies – Betway Group
Chaired by Ellie Reed, M&C Saatchi

Networking Refreshment Break

Moving from the shady past to a brighter, regulated future – the legal issues in esports
The esports skin betting market was worth up to $7.6 billion. The huge unregulated and underage market is on the wane as the industry moves towards a regulated space. Furthermore the space has been dogged by contract issues and poor legal practice.The Betting on Esports Legal Panel debates the current legal issues that remain apparent, the emergence of skin betting licences and the regulatory and legal progress made in the space in recent months.
Anna Baumann, Esports Lawyer
Jonny Madill, Sports Lawyer, Sheridans
Chaired by Michele Magro, Senior, Legal Advisor, Malta Gaming Authority

Live alone or die together
Are independent esports platforms better placed to thrive & how should they be designed?
Rahul Sood, CEO, Unikrn
Kasper Nemeth, Head of Esports, Danske Spil
Michael Doyle, CMO, PVP.me
Suraj Gosai, Co-Founder and CEO, Blinkpool
Chaired by Sanjit Atwal, Co-Founder, Dark Site and Squawka

Networking Lunch Break

Diving in – the future of pool betting – Sponsored by XB-Net
With the Tote’s exclusive licence for horseracing set to expire, the UK’s horseracing parimutuel sector is set for its biggest shake-up in 90 years. But can the sport maintain multiple pools?
Jari Vahanen, Senior VP International Business Development, Veikkaus
Nigel Roddis, Managing Director – New Pools Operation, Great British Racing

Networking Refreshment Break

Image conscious – Analysing the media rights impact – Sponsored by Racing Post
The racing industry has successfully monetised its media rights over the past ten years – but could more be done on an international level rather than rely on UK bookmakers?
Bill Barber, Industry Editor, Racing Post
Nick Rust, CEO, British Horseracing Authority
Chaired by Bruce Millington, Editor, Racing Post

Global fixture – International Racing in the UK
UK & Irish racing has been the bread and butter but punters are more switched onto good racing in other territories. What opportunities are coming from abroad?
Todd Buckingham, CEO, TopBetta
René Schneider, VP Business Development, XB-Net
Chaired by Ed Pownall, Global PR Director, Bodog Brand

Networking Lunch Break

Social Responsibility – Making improvements in player protection
As player profiling constantly improves, how can technology change the way the industry tackles problem gambling? How can the global industry work together to protect players who might develop problems? And how can this be effectively communicated to regulators whose ambitions in this area may not be realistic?
Marc Etches, CEO, GambleAware
Graham Weir, Director of Player Protection, Ladbrokes Coral
Fiona Palmer, Director of Social Responsibility, Remote Gambling Association
Chaired by Sadie Walters, Conference Manager, Clarion Gaming

Regulation – Liability management: Why the buck doesn’t stop with operators
Members of the IMGL and guests discuss the implications for the whole betting chain in what regulators expect from all aspects of the industry, How can you protect yourself and your business from an unexpected bill or, worse, prosecution?
Dr. Joerg Hofmann, Partner, Melchers Law
Morten Ronde, CEO of Danish Online Gambling Association & Director of IMGL
David Clifton, Co-Founder, Clifton Davies
Chaired by Tal Ron, Partner, Tal Ron Drihem

Networking Refreshment Break

CEO – Embracing the challenges of a changing global industry
The betting industry has a generally negative perception, but is this bad for business? How can operators improve the situation? Do our sporting partners have a role to play here?
How can consolidation help the industry?
Which areas of the business will be most important in 2018? Which markets hold most promise?
Paris Smith, CEO, Pinnacle
Marcus Brennan, CEO, BetBright
Markus Peuler, CEO, Mybet
Nikos Chalikias, CEO, Favbet
Sergey Portnov, CEO, Parimatch

Product development – creativity within technology constraints
How can brands be successful within the confines of their platform and supplier partnerships? What are the most effective ways of differentiation from other operators sharing the same engine?
Veiko Krunberg, Managing Director, Olympic Entertainment Group
Sean Keogh, CPO, Mybet
Hilly Ehrlich, CEO Europe/Asia, Betcris
Chaired by Lee Richardson, CEO, Gaming Economics

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party

Building an ideal betting stack
Expert industry analysis and proposal of the ideal components available today to make up a betting tech stack. A creative session to visualise building a betting stack from the ground up with no concern for a legacy, instead focussing on traditional and innovative technologies.
Chandru Mullaparthi, Former Head of Software Architecture at bet365, Chairman at Industrial Erlang User Group, Director at Bluehouse Technology and Consultant to Erlang Solutions

Innovation in Data – Building Engaging & Effective Product for Live Betting Consumers
Session Outline:
Tech and innovation led product development session focusing on the delivery of effective products/services for live betting consumer engagement. Expert panel discusses the complexities of developing products for live and reactive markets, and whether industry stakeholders understand customer demands and interactions when placing live bets’.
Session Focus:
– Industry current capabilities
– Developing products with complex data
– Gauging success of new products
– Utilising live betting engagement as a Product Differentiator
Marco Blume, Trading Director, Pinnacle
Sergey Sabirov, Trading Director, Parimatch
Charlie McGarraugh, CEO, Stratagem
Giancarlo Tottoli, Co-founder, Jacktime
Nathan Rothschild, Co-Founder, iSport Genius
Chaired by Paul McNea, Director, IGaming Performance

Networking Refreshment Break

Innovation in Payments – The Crucial Interface – Sponsored by eMerchantPay
Onboarding new customers is tricky enough without the payment interface causing issues. This session looks at how the payments sector has been using technology to provide a smooth and safe UX experience for both customers and operators.
Alex Capurro, CEO, Easy Payment Gateway
Chris Smart, Chief Marketing Officer, eMerchantPay
Sam Barrett, Director of Gaming, Trustly
Chaired by Tony Plaskow, Commercial Director, Black Cow Technology

Innovation & Business Development – Time to innovate and/or how to build on supplier relationships to grow your business
Monica Rangel, Chief Business Development Officer, Betcart
Jari Vahanen, Senior Vice President – International Business Development, Veikkaus
Jacob Curciel Lopez, CEO, Optima

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party

After the off – Opportunities in live betting
Has horseracing missed an opportunity to engage new punters with live betting products? What obstacles are facing the sport in providing the best data to facilitate live betting?
Will Duff Gordon, CEO, Total Performance Data
Paul Witten, Product Director, SIS

Sponsorship – Looking at life after ABP
Levy reform has seen the end of the controversial Authorised Betting Partner (ABP) Scheme – so what can racecourses do to entice bookmakers to invest in sponsorship?
Mark Brosnan, CEO, Matchbook
Tim Reynolds, Spokesman, Sun Bets

Networking Refreshment Break

Going to the dogs: What is the future model for greyhound racing?
With greyhound tracks changing hands, what will the sport’s future make-up look like? What scope is there for international expansion?
Dominic Ford, Director Roar Betting & Chairman of BAGS
Ben Keith, Owner, Stars Sports Bookmakers

Improving the horseracing betting experience
It is in both the industry’s and the sport’s interest to give punters a more enjoyment. How have recent initiates been received, like the Champions Series? What would bookmakers like to see from racing, and vice versa?
Will Lambe, Executive Director, BHA

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party

Tennis – Staying between the lines
Although one of the most popular betting sports, tennis has found itself caught up in a number of match fixing issues. How is the sport responding to the challenge?
Phil Suddick, Integrity Manager, TIU
Edwin Weindorfer, CEO and founder, e|motion sports GmbH
Matt Fowler, Betting Integrity Officer, ESSA Sports Betting Integrity
Andreas Bardun, Head of Sports, LeoVegas
Neil Roarty, Editor, BettingPro.com

Networking Refreshment Break

Cricket – Breaking boundaries in betting
Unibet becoming an Official Betting Partner for Warwickshire CCC, which includes the delivery of betting opportunities around Birmingham Bears’ home matches in the T20 Blast, exemplifies a new wave of interest in the short formats of the game.
What sort of innovations can help cricket to shake its status as a minor betting market in the UK? What can be done to replicate this interest in test cricket? Does the presence of more betting partners in cricket raise concerns over the integrity of the sport?
Anthony Charles, Executive Director, Genius Tech Group

Rugby – Code cracking: why bookmakers should try hard to reach the fans – Sponsored by Secure Trading
Why is there so much more bookmaker sponsorship in Rugby League than Rugby Union? Is this because the Rugby League punter is considered to be a closer match to the demographic of a Football punter? With that in mind, what has encouraged LeoVegas to get involved with Leicester Tigers, and Secure Trading with the RFU? Given the comparative lack of data and in-play markets, is the aim of Rugby-based advertising to activate players on Rugby markets, or is this just another way of bringing players into Football-focused products?
Chris Rose, Head of Brand, Leicester Tigers
James Gordon, Managing Director, JDG Sport
Joe Hill, Senior Marketing Executive, Betfred
Laurent Dhaeyer, Managing Director, Secure Trading Group
Shane Gannon, Head of Trading (Betting), Perform Group
Chaired by Andy Scott, Ex-CEO, 188BET

Networking Lunch Break

Stamping out the Cheats – Ensuring integrity in esports
Whilst match-fixing scandals have been relatively minor in esports brief history the risk remains high. There’s been cases of bookmakers offering odds on matches where ultimately there’s no prize-money available. The incentive to cheat remains so how does the industry mitigate the risk?
Session Focus:
– How different parties (publishers, bookmakers, tournament organisers, suppliers, players) can work together to ensure integrity?
– Does esports have a potential issue with drugs?
– Is software/hardware cheating prevalent and how can it be detected and prevented?
– Is lack of publisher activity going to lead to a major scandal?
James Dean, Managing Director, ESL UK
Eric Konings, Integrity Officer, Kindred Group
Kevin Carpenter, Chairman, ESIC
Chaired by Dom Sacco, Content Director, British Esports Association

Networking Refreshment Break

Saving Las Vegas – How esports and land based casinos can and should work together – Sponsored by Millennial Esports
There’s a buzz around Vegas with many trying to make Nevada a world esports hub. But how does this crossover translate into real world operations?
Alex Igelman, CEO, Millennial Esports
Blaine Graboyes, CEO, GameCo
Seth Schorr, Chairman, Downtown Grand & CEO, Fifth Street Gaming
Chaired by Melissa Blau – iGaming Capital, Director

Data, Data, Data – The issues we face with betting on esports
There’s a huge amount of data points in esports and it’s often difficult to get hold of which can cause problems in accurately pricing markets. How can we overcome the data challenges in esports? Will we reach a stage where publishers of esports titles open their API so accurate, live data can be obtained? What’s the danger to operators when data is unreliable? What challenges do we still face in providing accurate, real-time in-play betting?
Marco Blume, Trading Director, Pinnacle
James Watson, Head of Esports, Sportradar
Mortiz Maurer, Head of Esports, BetGenius
Chaired by Per Lambaek, CTO, HLTV.org

Networking Lunch Break

IMGL Masterclass: How do you enter new markets?
As regulation of the gambling industry continues around the globe, what do operators need to do to make sure they are ready to enter these market?

Networking Refreshment Break

US – Opening the Sports Betting Landscape?
The news that the Supreme Court is going to hear New Jersey’s challenge against PASPA could have huge implications for the industry. But what is the likely outcome and what would be the timeframe for change?
Daniel Wallach, Becker & Poliakoff
Matthew Cullen, US Sports Integrity Alliance, Founder & CEO
Jeff Ifrah, Founding Partner, Ifrah LLC
John J. English, President, WEBE GAMING LLC.
Chaired by Quinton Singleton, NYX Gaming, Senior Vice President

Legislation in Nigeria – an operator’s perspective
Akin Alabi, founder of Nairabet, which has 800 retail outlets in Nigeria, explains how his business works with the local regulators, where the laws work and where they are problematic.
Akin Alabi, CEO, Nairabet

Networking Lunch Break

Basketball – A slam dunk or still courting appeal?
As a huge European sport, basketball has always been popular with punters and bookmakers with a marketing budget, How does the sport interact with betting considering the NBA’s arm’s length approach?
Bane Prelevic, President, PAOK Basketball
Claudio Coldebella, General Manager, Openjobmetis Varese BC
Patrick Comninos, CEO, FIBA Basketball Champions League
Patrick Comninos, CEO, FIBA Basketball Champions League

Boxing/Fighting – The next title contender?
Does the sports of boxing offer the best value in sponsorship and promotion for Bookmakers? A surge of in UK World Champions, combined with engrossing personalities has placed boxing at the forefront of sports agenda for TV viewing figures and media coverage. What impact will the novelty bouts such as Mayweather v McGregor have on popularity and credibility?
Session Focus:
– Boxing sports coverage – PPV, Sky Sports, Box Nation
– ‘Fight Night’ Marketing
– Fan engagement
Russell Yershon, Consultant, Energybet
Chaired by Jonathan Smith, Founder, Sportsbook Training Services

Networking Refreshment Break

US Sports – International appeal – Sponsored by Don Best
Stuart Tilly, CEO, Redzone Sports
Ari Lewski, Executive Director, Digital Sports Tech
Jon Thompson, Trading Consultant

Betting on Politics
Betting on Politics returns to #Boscon 2017, as an expert panel discusses new market realities following a political landscape changing 2016.
Political betting experts review the UK 2017 Snap Election. France 2017, Brexit negotiations/impacts and the reality of Donald Trump’s US presidency.
Session Focus:
– Politics as a betting market
– Judging political/public consensus
– Bookmakers relationship with Media/News stakeholders
– New realities and political intricacies impacting Political markets
Matt Shaddick, Head of Politics, Coral Ladbrokes
Paddy Power, Head of Trump Betting
Chaired by Ted Menmuir, Head of Content, SBC Global
Chaired by Steve Donoughue, Consultant

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party

How to sell your affiliate business
With so much consolidation in the affiliate sector, how do you make your business attractive to potential investors or buyers?

Channel hopping & vertical jumps – why diversification is important
Rather than concentrate on the single platform or a single sport, many affiliates are diversifying to protect their revenues and encourage growth. This session explores how some firms are achieving that goal.
Christian Edler, Founder & Investor, Dreamworx Online Ltd.
Charles Gillespie, CEO & Founder, Gambling.com
Rene Gabriel, Sales Director, Livesport Media

Speaking with a single voice
Industries are much more effective at having their perspectives recognised at decision making levels if they co-ordinate their message. This session details why affiliates need to work together.
Gemma Boore, Mishcon De Reya

Networking Refreshment Break

Data crisis – how the GDPR will change your affiliate business
The GDPR will be implemented next summer with many affiliates still totally unprepared at how this will affect how they can handle customer data, This session will break down what it means and what needs to be done.

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party

How can AI be effective in terms of sports trading?
Given the vast amount of data points received from both sports and customers, where can machine learning be implemented to the greatest effect, without potentially causing massive risk?

CRM – digital identity and marketing technology
What we can now know about sports betting punters and their behaviours and how will this help operators model their offerings around that data?

Networking Refreshment Break

DATA INTEGRITY – how safe is the data you are using?
Fast or accurate – where is the trade off in today’s dynamic betting arena? Should the industry block spectators from betting, given their advantage over the data feeds? How quickly can events be accurately resulted? How can the sports themselves help?

How live data is pushing back the boundaries for in-play betting
Live betting is dependent upon live data
Matt Stephenson, Business Development Director, BetGenius

Official Betting on Sports Networking Drinks

Official Betting on Sports Networking Party