The Sports Betting and Gaming Industry takes center stage at the Meadowlands this week. The SBC North America Summit takes place starting tomorrow and runs through Thursday. The SBC is known for comprehensive presentations and networking opportunities. The participants read like a Forbes A-list of gaming: DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM and Entain are some of the sports betting operators that will be attending. Fanatics, owned by Michael Rubin and run by Matt King are entering the market after establishing themselves in the world of licensed sportswear and collectibles. King will participate in a keynote at the Meadowland Exposition Center. SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark stated, “We are beyond excited to have Matt King as a keynote speaker at SBC Summit North America. Matt has the unique advantage of already having an established and celebrated legacy within the industry whilst still having so much to offer.”
The areas of growth and innovation are going to be paramount to the success of sports wagering. As I approach covering this conference, I see three components that will promote the gaming industry overall. One is the attention devoted to women and sports wagering. The attention given to increasing the number of women that sign up for mobile wagering should also extend to the employment opportunities extended to women in positions above the front-line level. The second area involves inclusion and diversity for minorities. The boards of the most successful companies are diverse and are documented for producing better results. Third is the use of the media to provide content and information to the sports wagering clientele. This can be the key to introducing the sports bettor to the other facets of gaming and entertainment that offer more revenue to operators.
The SBC has two meet-up events that are aligned with the 3 aforementioned areas I indicated. One is the Global Gaming Women Breakfast Meetup scheduled for Wednesday at 9 am and the other is African Americans in Gaming Meet-up in the Better Collective Network area from 3:40 to 5:00 pm. The Official Networking Party and Hall of Fame Awards is scheduled for Wednesday Night at Slate NYC in Manhattan.
I plan to provide live tweets on Twitter and photos on Instagram of all these events. A recap of the conference is planned at the end of the week.