Update on Sports Betting Research

Theatre A

This special session, brought to you by The Innovation Group, will review the state of sports wagering in Canada and the US, and draw comparisons to worldwide markets. Regulation, taxation, operations, and implementation will be discussed. We will also offer insights into player behaviour and preferences gained from The Innovation Group’s 2018 Sports Betting Survey.

Speakers:

Larry Flynn - President, 2 Vice Advice Inc.

Brian Wyman, PH.D. - Principal Consultant, Innovation Analytics

The Legal Dilemma of Daily Fantasy Sports

Ballroom C

Fantasy sports leagues and, in particular, daily fantasy sports leagues ("DFS") have been the subject of significant debate in many countries, including Canada and the United States for a number of years. DFS sits on the boundary between legal sports competitions and illegal gambling. While its place on one side of that boundary or the other is a continuing point of dispute in some jurisdictions, other jurisdictions have moved forward and chosen to regulate and tax DFS as a legal form of entertainment.

The panel will briefly review the nature of the legal dilemma in various jurisdictions and then move on to a review and discussion of the means by which governments of a number of countries and U.S. states have chosen to regulate DFS.

​

Moderator:
Danielle Bush - Partner, Miller Thomson

​

Panelists: 

Jeffery Haas - CIO, Draft Kings Inc.

Ensuring Integrity in Sports Gaming with Technology-Enabled Assistance

Theatre B

​

This international panel of sport integrity experts will highlight collectively what technological efforts are currently utilised and being launched to preserve and enforce integrity in sport, thus ensuring sport gamers have full confidence in the systems and procedures with sports betting. The panel will focus on technological advances to monitor and enforce sports activities, including whistle blowing technology, trusted athlete app, data integrity monitoring and technological advances in anti-doping efforts in sports.

​

Moderator:

Michael Hershman – CEO of ICSS Group

​

Panelists:
Andy Cunningham – Director of Sportradar Integrity Services

Dale Sheehan – Director, The International Centre for Sport Security

Rod Buckingham - CFL, Security Consultant

Can eSports Be Monetized: Challenges and Opportunities Facing Gaming Facilities

Ballroom A

This panel will provide an overview of the current status of eSports from a global, North American and Canadian perspective and discuss if eSports actually be monetised. Speakers will present specific details from several eSports competitions that occurred in gaming facilities in the form of case studies and will review the opportunities and challenges of eSports in gaming facilities.

​

Moderator:

Danielle Bush - Partner, Miller Thomson

​

Panelists: 

Angelo Damiano - President and CEO, Powerspike Inc

Trevor Mengel - Chief Business Officer, Stage Ten

Brick to Click - Leveraging Retail Betting Presence to Increase Online Revenue

Ballroom A

North American jurisdictions are increasingly looking to expand sports betting offerings both online and mobile. This session will discuss how governments and gaming companies can use current land-based and retail systems to increase their revenue and liquidity online. The session will focus on market segmentation, potential cannibalization, the technological solutions that exist to drive greater cross channel usage, and marketing tactics that can be used to maximize recruitment and increase profits.

​

Moderator: 
Patrick Harris – TRM Public Affairs

Panelists:
Jonathan Doubilet – Director, Corporate Development Playtech BGT Sports
Benjie Cherniak – Managing Director Don Best Sports