After going virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Sports Betting Community (SBC) Summit North America conference and expo is back in person this year.
The event, which will be held in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey, begins Nov. 30 and will last through Dec. 2. The conference’s primary days are Dec. 1 and 2, with Nov. 30 featuring a kickoff networking event. The conference will feature discussions, business meetings, and networking with some of the biggest players in the sports betting and iGaming industry.
Companies such as Rush Street Interactive, FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are among those attending the conference, which also includes a trade show between 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 1 and 2. Sportsbook platforms, sports data, and casino games are among the products that will be displayed.
As for the panel discussions, SBC broke the two days up into a few “tracks,” which include several different panel discussions focused around an overarching topic.
Dec. 1 discussion of regulation, payments
The four tracks for the Wednesday portion of the event include “Leaders in Sports,” “Innovation & Technology,” “Regulatory Roundup,” and “Payments.” The tracks will include panel discussions occurring simultaneously.
The morning session of “Leaders in Sports” includes a 40-minute panel discussion featuring Matt Prevost, chief revenue officer at BetMGM; Jon Kaplowitz, the head of Penn Interactive; and Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings. The trio will discuss trends and developments in the sports betting and iGaming industry, while Cathryn Lai, the chief commercial officer at OpenBet, will moderate the chat.
In the afternoon, a group will tackle DFS-related topics in the “Innovation & Technology” track. Representatives from ProSwap, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Spotlight Sports Group will look forward to how DFS can remain relevant in future years, even as legalized sports betting grows in popularity.
For those interested in Canada, a panel in the “Regulatory Roundup” track will discuss the country’s emerging betting market Wednesday afternoon. The Canadian Football League will be represented in the discussion by Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Tyler Mazzereeuw. Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, will moderate the discussion.
Trustly opens the “Payments” track, as two representatives from the company discuss the importance of efficient digital payments in sports betting.
The Dec. 1 keynote speakers are Soo Kim, chairman of the board at Bally’s Corp., and Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.
Dec. 2 looks toward the future of sports betting
The four tracks for Thursday’s portion of the event are “Future of Sports Betting,” “iGaming Americas,” “Engagement, Marketing, & Affiliation,” and “Capital & Growth.”
Early Thursday afternoon, the “Future of Sports Betting” track will feature a panel discussion titled “The Changing Tribal Sports Betting Landscape.” Looking ahead to the future of tribal gaming will be the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, and a few other panel members, including Rob Lekites, vice president of retail sports betting at GAN. Michigan and Florida will be among the states discussed during this panel.
Other noteworthy panels include a discussion of the future of iGaming by Rush Street Gaming President Richard Schwartz; the COO of Bally’s North America Interactive Division, Adi Dhandhania; Jeff Millar, the North American commercial director for Evolution; and Don Ryan, COO of GAN.
Sports Handle’s own Brett Smiley, the site’s editor-in-chief, will be on a panel the afternoon of Dec. 2 about maintaining an authentic voice as a brand. Sarah Oliphant Crennan, VP and head of content at Yahoo Sports, is among those also on the panel.