INTRO

Erin Gallagher SBC Leaders Editor

Welcome to Issue 25 of SBC Leaders Magazine!

“When someone says the word ‘America’, what do you think of?”

This was the somewhat desperate message I sent around to the SBC editorial team earlier this month when trying to find inspiration for writing this welcome letter. And answers ranged quite substantially - from the White House and Joe Biden through to Las Vegas, the Hollywood sign, the NFL and WWE. There were even some team members who thought of cheese - I couldn’t brie-lieve it either.

Something that this made quite clear, however, is the differing perceptions of North America and the US in particular. Think about the hustle and bustle of New York City, the bright lights of Las Vegas or even the tech hubs of Silicon Valley, they all conjure up different images.

You’re probably wondering why we’re starting off the magazine with a list of things associated with North America? Well, here comes my very long, convoluted segue to let you know we’ve added an American twist to Issue 25 of SBC Leaders Magazine.

When PASPA was struck down in 2018, the excitement around what could potentially be a leviathan US sports betting market was palpable. When it came to analysing what shape it might take and who would be the biggest players, it’s safe to say there was no shortage of “Monday morning quarterbacks“ ready with a sackload of predictions.

For this edition of the magazine, we have called upon some of the best and brightest from across the sports betting and gaming industries to hear what they have to say about market developments.

Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel, starts us off with her analysis of how she is leading FanDuel on the ‘path to profitability’ as she has taken the company’s growth from fantasy to sports betting reality. She tells us about her career prior to FanDuel, defining the ‘FanDuel edge’ to stand out from the crowd and the rationale behind such decisions as sunsetting the term “risk-free betting“.

Joining her in the discussions around sports betting developments is BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. With a heavy focus on responsible gambling efforts, he takes a look at comparisons between the US market and Europe - pointing out the dos, and more importantly the do nots, for regulation.

Bill Miller spotlights the fight against illegal gambling and the “major threat” that black market gambling can pose to players - with illegal operators estimated to cost the regulated sector upwards of $44bn.

In this magazine, we’ve covered everything from tribal gaming and sports betting regulation, right the way through to responsible gambling and cloud technology.

When pulling this magazine content together, it made me realise how interesting the postPASPA period has been. And now find we find ourselves looking at a market that has outgrown its nascent effervescence to one of growing maturity.

It’s a great place to be as SBC prepares to open the doors on the fourth iteration of SBC Summit North America. This issue also marks my final one as editor - but don’t worry, you are in fantastic hands as Martyn Elliott takes the reins. I will still be around to provide questionable puns and general cynicism about the state of the world as we know it.

So with that in mind, please enjoy Issue 25 of the SBC Leaders Magazine and the upcoming event in New Jersey!