Pondering some opposites on either side of the pond

In this month’s Licensing Expert article for SBC News, entitled Pondering some opposites on either side of the pond” that can be downloaded below), David Clifton comments on news from either side of the Atlantic Ocean that shows a yawning gap between the UK on the one hand and the U.S. on the other, not only in terms of social responsibility and player protection requirements but also in relation to attitudes towards gambling generally.

David concludes as follows:

As sports betting developments proceed apace in the U.S. it will be intriguing to see (a) to what extent increased levels of gambling regulatory concern arise there in the same way that they have reared their head in recent times here in the U.K. and (b) whether the U.S. industry reacts to those concerns in a manner that succeeds in avoiding the degree of regulatory crackdown that has been experienced by UK operators in recent times.

That may, of course, depending on how open-minded the American industry is to learn from the experiences of (and the mistakes made by) its UK counterparts. Some answers to that conundrum may be forthcoming at next month’s SBC Events‘ inaugural Betting on Sports America conference and exhibition, including the first panel session of Conference Day 1 on the subject of “Avoiding the pitfalls – lessons to learn from other regulated markets”, moderated by William J Pascrell III, Partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group, at which I will be speaking, together with:

  • James T Plousis, Chairman, State of New Jersey Casino Control Commission, 
  • William Bowers, Manager Human Resources at Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board and
  • Martin Lycka, Director of Regulatory Affairs at GVC Group

UPDATE: Since publication of David’s article, Martin Lycka has been replaced on the panel by Chantal A. Cipriano, Lawyer, Dickinson Wright LLP, Toronto and Lasha Machavariani, CEO/Founder, Setanta Sports Media