eGaming Review May 2014 - 120 | Page 3

F E AT U R E / B I G D ATA ISSUE 120 ISSUE 118 EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] Senior reporter Gerard Starkey T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Andy Roocroft T: [phone] E: [email protected] Reporter Liam Stoker T: [phone] E: [email protected] Head of Content, Pageant Gaming Media Alun Bowden T: [phone] E: [email protected] PRODUCTION Head of production Claudia Honerjager E: [email protected] Art Director, eGR Toni Giddings E: [email protected] Sub-editors Rachel Kurzfield Eleanor Stanley Luke Tuchscherer COMMERCIAL Group commercial manager Sam Compagnoni T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Debbie Robson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Publishing account manager Jonathan Vintner T: [phone] E: [email protected] Director of business information Ben Robinson T: [phone] E: [email protected] Group head of content Gwyn Roberts CEO Charlie Kerr Circulation manager Fay Muddle Content sales T: [phone] E: [email protected] eGaming Review is published monthly by Pageant Media, Thavies Inn House, 3-4 Holborn Circus, London, EC1N 2HA ISSN 1742-2450 Printed by The Manson Group © 2014 all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used without the prior permission from the publisher W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M EDITOR'S LETTER I f you’re anything like me you will be extremely excited about this summer’s football World Cup. That it is in Brazil – football’s spiritual home – and the games are on at times which don’t require taking time off work or ludicrously late nights, makes it all the more enthralling for sports fans. Recognising the vast popularity of the tournament and the impact it will have on sportsbook operators the world over, we thought it an apt moment to take an in-depth look at the current state of sports betting. And while we’re at it, we explore some of the key tactics operators are deploying to make it the most profitable tournament ever. Taking bets is an age-old practice but even as someone that has only been punting for less than a decade, the whole concept has changed drastically. Nowadays, online operators are not just bookies; they must be a one-stop shop for informative and entertaining content across every device going. And if getting to grips with mobile customers wasn’t a big enough task, they now have to keep up with second screening trends and maintain a savvy social media presence to match. For customers like me, sports betting has never been easier and more fun, but given their tax and regulatory burdens too, operators have more battles to win than ever before. The World Cup provides a fantastic opportunity to attract new players in their droves and cash in on all their hard work over the past year. The cover story also weighs up the chances of home nation Brazil opening up to regulated online gambling. Like much of Latin America, the country currently has zero laws relating to the sector, however political will appears to be growing and European firms would be wise to keep a close eye on its progress. Closer to home, this issue also features an exclusive interview with the UK Gambling Commission’s Jenny Williams. She has been at the centre of a long-running process to re-regulate the UK market and has plenty to say on the shift to a Point of Consumption regime and a crackdown on the grey market activities of licensees. EDITOR Tom Washington T: [phone] E: [email protected] 3