Over the space of two days, Gaming America attended two gaming conferences that looked forward to the future of the industry, amplifying expert voices on the issues that the gaming world currently faces.
The first was Entain Sustain, an event set up to celebrate the launch of the gaming juggernaut’s ARC program. ARC, which stands for Advanced Responsibility & Care, is part of Entain’s sustainability mission which has also seen the company launch its EnTrain platform and plant one million trees as part of its pledge to have net zero emissions by 2035.
The second event, SBC’s Betting on Sports Europe, was slightly different in tone, less focused on sustainability in gaming and more looking to the future, of sports betting yes, but also the industry as a whole.
Entain Sustain
The word of the day was sustainability, from sustainability in gambling with the ARC program to the role of operators in fighting climate change and building a more sustainable world. The conference began with an introduction from Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Entain’s CEO, who laid out the company’s mission in the simplest terms possible.
“I want us to be a leader in this important area of sustainability,” she said with confidence. “We believe that the most sustainable business in our industry will also be the most successful.”
The CEO noted: “80% of millennials consider a company’s morals before applying for a job,” suggesting that these values are key when attracting new talent.
With that, Nygaard-Andersen, who is one of eight female CEOs in the FTSE 100, outlined some of the steps Entain is taking to ensure it is viewed as one of the most responsible businesses out there.
Firstly, she introduced the company’s EnTrain initiative, a program designed to improve access to technology for marginalized and underrepresented peoples. EnTrain will aim to positively impact one million people by the end of the decade, according to Nygaard-Andersen.
As the day progressed, we heard from speakers such as Virginia McDowell, a non-executive director for the sports betting giant, who highlighted the need for more women and girls to enter STEM professions.
"We want to address the shocking amount of talent that we allow to fall by the wayside,” McDowell said in regard to the number of girls who have an interest in STEM but are not given an opportunity to pursue it.
Gaming America also heard from Havard University. Dr. Nelson held a panel highlighting some of the research Entain is involved in regarding sports betting and problem gambling.
Specifically, the talk detailed a number of different studies the University has provided to the sports betting behemoth to help with sustainability efforts.
These include research snapshots such as studies with a focus on the distribution of betting and transactional activity within a sample of sports bettors, and what metrics are related to problem gambling.
Soon came what was seemingly the main event of the day, Robert Hoskin’s introduction to the ARC program.
“We have to embrace technology,” Entain’s chief governance officer stated as he described the process that led ARC’s launch, beginning in 2018 and supported by Epic Risk Management.
ARC leads to a “30% reduction in increased risk level,” Hoskin said, emphasizing the impact Entain believes this technology can bring to the gaming world by providing real-time interventions when AI suspects problem gambling has arisen in a customer. As shown by a hands-on demo available at the show, once problem gambling is detected, players will be made to set betting or time limits or have a conversation with one of Entain’s employees.
As the day came to a close it was clear the Entain wished to project an image of sustainability and responsibility. As one of the world’s biggest gaming organizations, this perception is evidently important, and while questions remain over how a company can remain responsible towards players and the environment, while also seeking profit, the schemes outlined at the conference show Entain is clearly trying.
Betting on Sports Europe
The next day, Gaming America attended Stamford Bridge to report on SBC’s Betting on Sports Europe conference, where leading voices on sports betting gathered to discuss the industry’s future. We attended a number of panels, including ones with a focus on esports, responsible marketing, the US sports betting market, and the importance of partnerships in the industry.
A key take away from the day was the sheer level of optimism surrounding the US sports betting market, analysts and executives alike clearly have faith in the United State’s potential to become one of the biggest sports betting spaces in the world.
Speaking on this, Andy Wright, CEO at Sporting Group, noted: “The growth of the NBA and NFL is astronomical.”
While Omer Dor, CEO at Sports IQ Analytics, added: “We haven't begun to scratch the surface yet, it's only a matter of time before we see the TikTok of sports betting.”
However, while excitement for the future was the key theme of the day, a number of speakers warned of the dangers the US market faces in terms of responsible advertising and gambling.
Wright warned: “My only concern is, it is the Wild West right now, responsible gaming will arrive and they need to make sure they keep themselves in line. Three operators currently have 80% market share, that is not sustainable.”
In a separate panel, Ricardo Pinco of Darwin Gaming was positive: “The US, despite being an immature market, has a bigger focus on responsible gaming advertisement than many other places,” he said.
Martin Lycka, SVP for American Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gambling at Entain, concurred, he added: “Ultimately, it's in the industry’s interest to be responsible; the likes of the US, Canada and Latin America have a great opportunity to become leaders in this, with the positive mood that exists in the region moving over the Atlantic to Europe.”
As the day came to an end, the positivity surrounding the future of US sports betting was easy to see, and while the market must learn from the mistakes made in Europe, the event showed that the US is heading in the right direction.
