SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Everyone loves a good quote, whether it be from a statesman, philosopher, songwriter or playwright, sometimes just a few words can cut right down to the true meaning of an issue.
At SBC News, we can’t get enough of quotes, so we sifted through our features from 2022 to pick out 12 of the best covering a range of topics that have defined betting and gaming over the past year.
Mikael Lijtenstein – getting personalisation right
In one of SBC News’ first interviews of what would turn out to be an eventful year, Mikael Lijtenstein, AstroPay CEO, explained the importance of payments and withdrawals as part of the overall user experience.
“User experience is extremely important, especially when we wish to provide a payment solution that is trusted by our users. People want personalised experiences and value alignment from their service providers.”
Freddie Longe – meeting the demands of the modern fan
The sports ecosystem is an ever changing beast, with sports betting and media rights taking prominent roles – Freddie Longe, Executive VP and Managing Director of IMG Arena, made some predictions for future development of the multi-dimensional space.
“When you think about the modern sports fan, they’re very technologically sophisticated and demand incredible levels of innovation and consumer experiences. As a consequence, I expect we’re going to see a huge amount of ongoing diversification of product offerings.”
Charles Cohen – gambling and the cost of living 
An issue that has grabbed headlines across the UK for the better part of two years is the costs of living – and something which Charles Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of DoTrust, believes has an ‘obvious’ link to gambling.
“Price hikes, and particularly the kind of unpredictable and sharp increases we are seeing currently, erode away at many people’s disposable income… That is, the money they use for a pastime such as gambling. Previous recessions have shown that while betting customers are unlikely to stop gambling altogether, they are likely cut down on their spend.”
Pontus Lindwall – a tough big market for smaller firms
In the March edition of the SBC Leaders magazine, Betsson CEO Pontus Lindwall was the lead interviewee, breaking down the difficulties of being a small fish in the big pond that is the global betting and gaming sector.
“More countries will have regulated online gambling and this will certainly lead to further consolidation. It is incredibly tough for smaller entities to compete with tier one organisations – they need to have good products and a team of talented staff while ensuring compliance.
“This is an expensive undertaking and is making it increasingly difficult for smaller organisations – some of which are doing incredible things – to achieve profitability.”
Matt Furniss – knockout data in a knockout cup
Data specialists Stats Perform took an active role in football analytics this year, and the firm’s Sr. Data Editor & Audience Engagement Manager provided an overview of its role in the 2021/22 FA Cup.
“I think that due to the nature of cup competitions, like the FA Cup, seeing clubs from different levels play one another, there is an element of taking some of the data with a pinch of salt.
“Seeing a player like Romelu Lukaku score a hat-trick against a fourth-tier side in the cup holds less importance than scoring one in an important Premier League fixture or a Champions League knockout game.”
Reece Calderbank – Spotlight on Africa
With much of the global focus glued to North American developments, FSB’s Business Development Manager discussed African opportunities, and how markets in the continent are ‘evolving at pace’.
“The opportunity for me is stark. As smartphone penetration continues to increase in the region we’re seeing the impossible becoming possible when it comes to the reach of technology.”
Lee Otter – the strong foundations of bricks and mortar
Retail betting is more resilient than ever, said Lee Otter, BoyleSports’ Director of Property and Development, in an interview with SBC News in Manchester’s Deansgate area, as he elaborated on the bookmaker’s plans for UK expansion.
“I have 100% confidence in retail staying strong, and I think that comes down to the fundamental difference between being online and in a betting shop, which is the social environment.
“C
ustomers get the general experience of being around like-minded people and the feeling of having cash in your hand, but it predominantly revolves around that social interaction.”
Carsten Koerl – Stateside drivers of betting tech 
Sportradar’s CEO sat down with SBC following the firm’s Q2 trading update, offering his predictions for the future of sports technology, and why the US will be a key locality for development.
“We can look at what’s happening with technologies like the metaverse and other visualisations like virtual reality – both of which are bringing the bettor closer to the sport. Actually, the United States will be the prime candidate for these developments because sports fans consume data in such a different way to the rest of the world.”
Katerina Biloruska – A brand born in Ukraine
At a time of monumental importance for Parimatch Tech’s founding country, Co-Founder Katerina Biloruska, explained why making a stand against Russia’s invasion is a ‘core principle’ of the Parimatch Foundation, of which she is Chairwoman.
“We are uniting businesses, governments and NGOs to address social problems. Through that collaboration, we can resolve problems. I think businesses have to support their country and people more than ever.”
Alex Kornilov – the gradual emergence of innovation
The emergence of the US betting scene and the ‘levelling’ of the competitive landscape has led the term ‘innovation’ moving from a hypothetical concept to something real, BETEGY’s CEO argued.
“Ironically, innovation in the igaming industry can be very rare! Why? Because the market itself doesn’t promote it. As a result, the industry has been traditionally unwilling to change, often with high barriers to entry which scares CTOs and CEOs because why would you fix what is not broken, as it is in effect going against the grain.”
Jamie Hart – horse racing’s enduring appeal 
As a sport intrinsically linked to betting, horse racing has much to offer but has some hurdles of its own to overcome – UK Tote Group B2C and Liquidity Director Jamie Hart outlined how Britain’s parimutuel operator strives to support the sport.
“Where fixed odds exist you need to give customers what they already want, but in other areas you need to be clever, which you can be with the Tote. Horse racing is still the best betting event and product, there is nothing better than being in that moment, fighting out the finish, and we don’t want to lose that.”
Chris Nikopolous – what does the future hold?
As the year drew to a close, Betby’s Chief Commercial Officer shared his views on ongoing industry trends, and what direction betting and gaming could take when the clock strikes midnight on 31 December.
“Sports betting and online gaming has changed a lot during the last 10 years. Better technology caters for more reliable data and automation, while regulation in many countries creates the right legal framework for entrepreneurship to thrive. I expect this trend to continue.”
