The Leadership in Gaming track at the SBC Digital Summit will feature a number of the industry’s leading CEOs, who will share their experiences of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online casino and slot operators.
Taking place on Tuesday April 28, the second day of the online conference and exhibition for the gaming industry, the agenda for the features sessions that tackle the biggest issues currently facing the casino sector.
“Gaming—The Industry’s Lifeline” will open the session with an examination of the extent to which the lack of sports to bet on has influenced the level of player activity at online casinos. The panel includes Alexander Stevendahl (CEO, Videoslots), Itai Zak (CEO, GoWild Gaming), Ariel Reem (CEO, Genesis Group) and Alex Tomic (CEO, Slotsmillion), with Ivan Filletti (COO, Gaming Malta) in the moderator’s seat.
The “Poker to the Rescue?” session will look into what the vertical has to offer the modern bettor. It will feature insights from Dmitry Starostenkov (CEO, EvenBet Gaming) and Ivonne Montealegre (Founder & Event Director, Malta Poker Festival), with Jonas Odman (Founder and CEO, Rising Sun Media) the moderator.
One of the day’s key sessions will address safer gambling during isolation and the change that customer behavior is currently undergoing. It features Martin Lycka (Director of Regulatory Affairs, GVC Holdings), David Williams (Director of Regulatory Affairs, Rank Group) and Avigail Nir (COO, Mansion Casino), with Andy Danson (Partner, Bird & Bird) on moderating duty.
Martin Lycka said, “The SBC Digital Summit will bring together a lot of talent from across the industry, which I’m certain will demonstrate our resilience and responsibility in response to the crisis.”
David Williams said, “If the industry believed that the scrutiny it was facing from media and political quarters was severe before the pandemic, COVID-19 made everyone think again. Operators are facing up to the challenges of delivering strategic, well-intentioned plans using a dispersed and often reduced workforce, while also rolling out emergency measures, all set against an expectation in some quarters that we will make fewer mistakes.”
The day will continue with an examination of live casino during lockdown, looking at how the vertical has handled studio shutdowns and how effectively it has coped with the added demand resulting from the closure of land-based casinos. The panelists include Jeremy Taylor (MD, Genting Online), Richard Atkinson (Head of Live Casino, William Hill), Tim de Borle (COO, Napoleon Sports & Casino) and Sam Brown (CCO, Hero Gaming), with Karolina Pelc (Owner, Basic Strategy) moderating.
Jan Urbanec (CEO, Endorphina), Ewa Kazmierska (COO, EnergyCasino), Neill Simpson (Brand Director, William Hill International) and moderator James Bennett (Director, Square in the Air) will continue the Leadership in Gaming track by looking at “Marketing Slots in the New Environment.” One of the key issues the panel will examine is how operators can effectively promote their games without looking like they’re trying to cash in on difficult circumstances.
The track concludes with a session conducted in Spanish, titled “España, Operación Puesta en Marcha — La Ejecución de la Estrategia’. The panel exploring the role of online casinos in Spain includes David Plumi (Managing Director Spain, Betsson Group), Eduardo Miranda (MD Bingosoft, Rank Group), Alex Zubizarreta (Country Manager Spain, Interwetten) and Samantha Asensi (Regional Manager, Bet Entertainment).
Stewart Darkin, Managing Director of SBC’s CasinoBeats brand, said, “The Leadership in Gaming track deals with some familiar themes in a new way, but also specifically addresses the challenge presented by the COVID-19 crisis, as the sector looks to its leaders — so many of whom are contributing to the Summit.”
The SBC Digital Summit runs from April 27 to May 1 and features six other conference tracks focused on Leadership in Betting, Latin America, lotteries, payments, the U.S. market and digital marketing.
An estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world can also take in a virtual exhibition featuring the latest offerings from the betting and gaming industry’s most innovative suppliers, attend the numerous product demos and special webinars at the exhibition booths, and make valuable new contacts in the virtual networking lounges.
