SBC Summit Lisbon: Strategies for Monetizing Niche Sports

Analyzing the recent SBC Summit in Lisbon, it is evident that the conference addressed key issues for the industry, including the potential involvement of bookmakers in the Olympics through the use of various niche sports.

During the panel discussion, moderated by Sarah Butler, CEO and Founder of Sport Business Connect, several experts in sports betting explored the feasibility and long-term prospects of bookmakers supporting the calendar of niche sports, as well as the use of the Olympics for their promotion.

Speaking on stage, Wayne Stevenson, Founder and CEO of Globe Gaming, emphasized that the modern Olympics is significantly different from what it was ten or twenty years ago.

“The Olympics have changed over the years,” he commented. “15-20 years ago it was a more difficult event to try and get people interested from a betting perspective. 

“What you’re seeing from the last five to six years is events like golf being brought in, with all the top 20 players in the world playing, tennis with Djokovic, etc. Whereas previously they weren’t allowed because they are professional athletes. 

“When you’ve got the high profile athletes like that being brought to the Olympics, it does offer a new opportunity for sportsbooks to get on that big athlete name and try and drive interest. 

“Most of the time the Olympics are an occasional contest, you’re not gonna get the die-hard people who really look to be involved, but you’ve got a massive media coverage facing billions of people around the world. So it should be a really good opportunity.”

He also noted that operators should consider the influence of athletes on the Games, particularly by focusing on jurisdictional demand based on the most popular sports and the presence of local athletes.

Stevenson mentioned Adam Peaty, whose successes have significantly increased interest in swimming in the UK. He pointed out that a similar approach could be applied to niche sports.

Specifically, darts is a promising sport that, if included in the Olympics, would undoubtedly lead to increased betting activity among British bookmakers due to the large number of UK players in the top world rankings. 

Expanding on this idea, Narek Harutyunyan, CEO of FeedConstruct, emphasized that major sports like football, basketball, and volleyball traditionally take up a large share of sports betting. However, niche sports, such as archery and shooting, also have their advantages — a small but dedicated and stable audience.

Operators need to understand how to develop these fan bases, which brings us back to Stevenson’s point that individual athletes can serve as a powerful tool for generating interest.

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