Covers at the 2019 Betting on Sports Conference in London

The Covers team was thrilled to sponsor and speak at the September 2019 Betting on Sports conference in London.

Covers team members Mark Harper, Shane McGinley & Benny Devine took advantage of the opportunity to connect with old and new friends alike at this world-class sports betting industry event, held at the Olympia London exhibition centre.

Recognizing the value of the partnership we have with Sports Betting Community (SBC), it was important for us to participate at #BOSCON as a sponsor, including being panel members at the following two sessions:

Session: “Jostling for Position – affiliation worth the investment?”

Paneled by Mark Harper, Covers General Manager.

Session description: Given that most of the sports betting regulations are heavily retail focused, is the affiliate gold rush all it’s cracked up to be? Or is the New Jersey experience enough in its own? What can affiliates do with traffic in non-regulated states?

Presenters:

• Mark Harper – General Manager, Covers Media Group
• Adam Rosenberg – Managing Director, Global Head of Gaming & Leisure, Fortress Investment Group
• Or Lifshitz – CEO & Founder, Sidelines
• Moderator: Robert Davidman – Partner, Fearless Agency

“First of all, the attendance for my panel in the ‘USA in Focus’ track, ‘Jostling for Position, affiliation worth the investment’, was great. The other point to mention is how Europeans are now becoming accustomed to the nuances of dealing with the opportunities in the US. They understand that state-by-state legislation and licencing needs to be considered and that patience and research are the watch-words. What also came out of the panel was that aligning with content experts, familiar with the US landscape is key to strategic roll outs” said Mark.

Session: “Global Opportunities – where is the land of milk and honey?”

Paneled by Shane McGinley, Covers Senior Business Analyst

Session description: We look at the landscape and factors influencing the way that casino affiliates and operators need to change their marketing strategies in these markets.

Presenters:

• Shane McGinley – Senior Business Analyst, Covers Media Group
• Matthew Symonds – Web Analysis Solutions
• Simon Pilkington – UK Manager, Kafe Rocks
• Moderator: Shona O’Donnell – Head of Strategic Events, Better Collective

“It was great to be part of a panel with speakers and a moderator who are experts in their field. This event is not only great for networking but also a fantastic learning experience due to the high quality of panels that SBC put together” said Shane.

Some random thoughts from #BOSCON as we look back:

• The growth of content and attendees at the ‘USA in Focus’ track verses previous years at Betting on Sports London (2017 and 2018) was significant. It was attended by many people who are considering entering the US market space eager to learn from the experience of those who already have, such as Covers. The major lesson for all was simply to treat each State like a separate country due to the different regulatory approaches that each State is adapting.
• The excitement during discussions we had with operators and technology companies during the ‘Emerging Markets’ track.
• The growth of exhibitors on both floors inside Olympia conference centre. With the Casino Beats/Affiliate Insider exhibitors on one floor and the Betting on Sports conference exhibitors on the other. Impressive stuff.
• The panel on “Live Betting – The Next Steps” within the “Technology in Focus” track was extremely educational on how the emergence of technologies within sports, such as VAR, impacts Live betting and what it means to the books from an operational stand point.
• Will be interesting to see how the event will look in Barcelona, where we believe the plan is to have all strands of the Conference (Betting on Sports/Digital Media Forum/Casino Beats) on the same floor.

What’s next for Covers and Sports Betting Community?

We’re proud to announce that Covers will be continuing our valued partnership with SBC by speaking, sponsoring and exhibiting at the upcoming SBC Betting on Sports America conference, April 28 – 30, 2020, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, New Jersey.