BetMarkets has consolidated its position as a 'must-attend' event for sports betting industry professionals around the world, after its strengthened programme led to a strong rise in delegates.
The second annual global sports betting conference and expo opened its doors in Vienna yesterday (Monday), and wasted no time in getting down to the key issues relating to this important gaming sector.
Although the organisers of the event, Clarion Gaming, have yet to publish official attendance figures, the company’s Dawn Kirkwood said delegate numbers had already surpassed last year’s total earlier this month, and it was clear from the outset that BetMarkets has now started to carve out its own unique niche in the industry events calendar.
Last year, the show took place at Le Meridien Hotel in the heart of the Austrian capital, but it has now moved to a larger space on the first floor of the nearby Marriott to make room for the 13 exhibitors - nearly triple the five companies that set up camp at BetMarkets 2007.
Turnkey solutions provider Best Gaming Technology again secured the lead sponsor position, backed up by Admiral Sportwetten and exhibitors Net Entertainment, TAB Austria and Arland Technologies, among others.
Maurits Bruggink, executive director for the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, chaired the conference for the first half of the day, and oversaw lectures from a range of industry figureheads who addressed the contradictory nature of global sports betting regulation in both emerging and mature markets.
The concept of ‘gambling as entertainment’ was an important discussion point for many of the speakers, including Keith McDonnell, director of European operations for Bodog Entertainment and Brian MacSweeney, managing director of Endemol Gaming, the company behind the Big Brother reality television series.
However, while many of the speakers said it was important to bridge the gap between gambling and entertainment, Web 2.0 specialist Alex Czajkowski was keen push the online sector forward in terms of its continued evolution, stating: "We are already entertainers. Companies now need to think about how their players are contributing to the mission of their websites."
