John O’Reilly
John O’Reilly Non-Executive Director at William Hill told the BOF conference audience that he is excited that betting is entering a new stage, following landscape changes to the industry and its stakeholders.
O’Reilly, a + 25-year industry veteran, has seen significant industry shifts in betting driven by new technology, changing consumer habits and regulatory change.
With regards to digital technology capabilities, O’Reilly stated that industry stakeholders are still very much on the ‘nursery slopes’. The William Hill director said that the industry’s future leaders will be those that dominate data dynamics and competencies.
Although betting operators are more reliant than ever before on technology output, O’Reilly believes that there are still too many ‘black holes’ and information ‘silos’ within existing betting operations.
As the market moves further towards a full digital integration across all product verticals, O’Reilly noted that stakeholders and leadership have to be aware of ‘maintaining a consumer connection’.
“Let’s remember that betting is a personal and unique experience to the consumer, which cannot simply be modelled,” he said.
Looking forward, O’Reilly points to the UK General Election on 8 June, stating that the industry should look to readdress its relationship with the government by acting on the ‘front foot’. He is disappointed that the industry has been unable to state its benefits to successive UK governments as an employer, tax generating sector and technology contributor.
Source: SBC News
