MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle speaking at the 2020 Bet on Sport America Conference
MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle speaking at the 2020 Bet on Sport America Conference@SBCGAMINGNEWS on Twitter

Missed this week's #BOSAdigital conference? Mims has you covered with a recap including some NFL betting tips

The partnerships and innovations that are developing in sports betting are only beginning.

The Bet on Sport America Conference concluded on Wednesday. The virtual experience was informative and interactive. I was able to participate in a panel and ask questions. What set this conference apart from some of the other events I attended this year was that If I missed an event I could watch it later with on-demand functionality. Below are some of the highlights of the 2-day event.

Day One started with an interview with CEO Joe Asher from William Hill. It was conducted by Howard Stutz from CDC Gaming Reports. Asher told us that he was surprised by the firmness of the embrace of sports betting from the professional leagues. To that point, there is a sportsbook in the Capitol Arena that operates with Monumental Sports and Entertainment. The venue is doing a robust business. William Hill is currently in 14 states plus the District of Columbia.

The Betting and Broadcasting panel with ESPN Daily Wager Host Doug Kezirian and Seventy-Six Capital Managing Director of Sports Betting Evan Davis was compelling. Beyond deal-making, Kezirian predicted that broadcasters will face critical questions balancing their networks and commercial strategies to accommodate betting advertisers. “It will be tough, but I’m sure that we can all co-exist,” he said.

After the panel ended, I was able to ask Evan the following question:

We have 20 states that have sports betting including DC. The growth possibilities are tremendous. Do you see a company like Amazon or Facebook entering the space?

Davis responded: “It’s certainly possible, and it could be a game-changer because of their huge user databases and market caps. With that said, I think it is more likely that they could enter a partnership like the one between MGM and Yahoo. I also think it's possible that ten years from now we're talking about a company that doesn't even exist yet as one of the heavy hitters in sports betting.”

For the sports betting fans, I was able to find out some interesting statistics. In the NFL, the 2 quarters where most of the scoring occurs are the 2nd and the 4th and the least number of points scored is in the 1st quarter!

Other notable participants in Day One included Greg Carlin; CEO of Rush Street Interactive, Kip Levin; CEO of Fox Bet, and Adam Greenblatt; CEO of BetMGM. These leaders gave their vision for sports betting and gaming for the next 5 years.

Day Two continued with Bill Hornbuckle; CEO of MGM Resorts. He was interviewed by David Purdum from ESPN. Hornbuckle mentioned the highs and lows of his tenure as the CEO. He also gave his expectations and plans to lead the organization toward the recovery from COVID-19.

The conversations on the 2nd day included discussions about problem gambling and how it relates to sports betting. Before online gaming, operators were able to have visual monitoring of a patron and their gaming habits. Now parameters are available to a player that will help them exercise control. The American Gaming Association supports all initiatives that promote player protection.

The partnerships and innovations that are developing are only beginning. As more states add sports betting, the market will expand along with the number of participants. The value of having regional content that appeals to a local market is invaluable. The content should be in print, on radio, on television, in digital streams, and on social media. I will provide more information that will give operators, professional teams, and media partners the ability heightens the levels of customer engagement.

At this conference I was able to make valuable connections and expand my LinkedIn network. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for conversations & Instagram for photos/videos. Please also check out my website at smartresponsiblegaming.com.

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