Kambi 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 Senior Content and Communications Manager Gerard Starkey about what he is looking forward to at #boscon2017, his perfect sporting event, and how sports and betting can work better together.
SBC: What are you looking forward to at Betting on Sports?
GS: I’m particularly looking forward to the live data panel on the afternoon of day two, where Kambi’s Head of In-play, Simon Noy, will be discussing how data drives our market-leading Live product. Elsewhere, there’s a strong line-up for the US regulatory panel earlier in the day, while the CEO and World Cup 2018 sessions will also be high on my agenda. More generally, the event offers a great opportunity to get up to speed with many different issues impacting the industry and the chance to network among peers.
SBC: What are you promoting at Betting on Sports?
GS: Kambi will be looking to meet with those interested in offering their customers the best sports betting experience available. Whether you are looking to launch a sportsbook for the first time, or transition away from costly proprietary operations, Kambi can provide a scalable and flexible solution that is proven to drive regulated revenues and empower operators. If you’d like to offer a Tier 1 sportsbook able to meet your brand objectives and growth targets, please feel free to get in touch.
SBC: Where can betting work together more closely with sport?
GS: I think sports and betting could work more closely together in the scheduling of events. One example is horse racing, where big races often clash with other major events in other sports – this has been recognised with the later start time of the Grand National but more could be done. Declarations for big races could also be made earlier, while sports such as snooker tend to make draws quite late, meaning there’s often very little time between fixtures being known and their start time – which results in less opportunity to bet pre-match.
SBC: What sports betting partnership has stood out in the past 12 months?
GS: Sports betting partnerships continue to play a vital role for operators looking to increase brand exposure in certain markets. An interesting development has been the increased number of tie-ups between Asia-focused firms and English Premier League clubs, while UK-facing operators have instead looked to the Championship for shirt deals. In fact, the Championship this season is like a ‘Kambi League’, with seven of the teams in that division having struck major sponsorship deals with Kambi operators, which a great endorsement of the Kambi product.
SBC: Describe your perfect sporting event
GS: It would be to watch Millwall win the FA Cup, and to do so by beating West Ham in the final (and Chelsea in the semis). Furthermore, I would have backed Millwall ante-post, to qualify in each round, and to win the final in 90 mins – which they duly would, comfortably. I’d also watch this from the recently installed terraces at Wembley. Suffice to say, this has yet to happen. Perhaps this could be the year…
