The road to SBC’s Betting on Sports continues, and with four weeks to go, we caught up with event sponsor ECOMMPAY.
We sat down with their Head of UK & Western Europe, Paul Marcantonio, who told SBC about ECOMMPAY’s ‘bespoke payments solution’, as well as what has caught his eye at the upcoming Betting on Sports.
#boscon, held 17-20 September at Olympia London, is the world’s leading sports betting industry event, with this year’s conference set to boast 300 leading industry speakers across 50 sessions, with 120 exhibitors displaying their latest products.
What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports?
Betting on Sports has always been a fantastic platform to catch up with industry friends and peers. I’m particularly looking forward to the Payments Expert Forum which has proved to be highly informative.
What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
Our ability to provide a holistic and bespoke payments solution is best in class, ECOMMPAY prides itself on efficiency in the payments process as well as focusing on optimising a frictionless customer journey, whether its local acquiring or through a robust portfolio of alternative payment methods.
What industry innovation will capture the most attention in 2019?
The use of AI and facial recognition.
Which sports betting operator has impressed you the most in 2019?
Impressed with Betfair’s approach to supporting responsible gambling, making it very easy for customers to navigate through useful online widgets such as Budget Calculator, Budget Diary or providing useful advice to problem or potentially problem gamblers.
The gambling industry does get a hard time and is often criticised for not efficiently monitoring customer behaviour and identifying the ‘warning signs’ in good time, more can always be done in this area but it is encouraging to see large brands such as Betfair embracing the issue.
What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
It has to be Paddy Powers hilarious ‘Save Our Shirts’ campaign who ‘leaked’ the design of Huddersfield Town’s shirt for the new season. It had ‘Paddy Power almost like a sash, and was widely mocked online as being the worst kit in history.
When Huddersfield revealed their kit, there was no sash and the ‘Save Our Shirts’ campaign was launched by Paddy Power. Now whenever football fans see Huddersfield Town in their kits, they will remember this story and thus the brand is promoted without anything being on the shirt. They have since added Motherwell FC, Newport Town and Southend United.
If you could attend one sporting event, what would it be?
It would most definitely be Anthony Joshua’s rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. Still one of the biggest sporting upsets I have ever witnessed (and not yet fully recovered from), retribution is afoot and AJ will be victorious, retain the heavyweight belts and bring them home!
Which parts of the conference agenda have caught your eye?
The Payments Expert Forum, always more to learn in the world of payments.
Delegates will be treated to world-class hospitality with plenty of business and networking opportunities at some of London’s most iconic venues including the Natural History Museum. For more information about the event, please visit the Betting on Sports website.