(N)Ice
Spent a lot of last week doing the industry rounds at a couple of trade shows, one of them was ‘ICE’.
I mentioned last year that my interest was raised when speaking to the non betting exchange part of the industry. It seems that the knowledge, research and ability I have acquired over the many years I have been doing this, is in demand from other parts of the industry; so last week was a check point on that progress.
It shows you how vibrant a market can be when there is decent competition between people in an industry. The show was packed full and it was obvious that a lot of money had been spent on the stands, promotions not to mention the parties in evenings! Betting exchanges were notable for their complete absence.
Being primarily stuck in the exchange related world, its quite refreshing but also surprising at how vibrant these events are, as they show you how much money is around in the ‘conventional’ betting industry. You also realise that its the casino’s and related ‘casual gambling’ part of the industry is huge. It makes you wonder why exchanges haven’t worked harder to exploit this area by improving their technological reach. They could achieve this at realtively low cost and risk if they really wanted. They could also reach into other non sports markets, if they really wanted. I think that perhaps they are too precious about what they do or have been sidetracked on what their core proposition is. I feel that while they are looking out the front door, the back door is also open.
Anyhow, an interesting week and plenty of food for thought.
Category: Industry news
