The second day of the SBC Digital Summit North America brought a whole new day packed full of expert speakers and timely information for its attendees. With sports hoping to start back up again soon, the day began with akeynote address looking at the evolving moment in sports betting with Zach Leonsis, SVP Strategic Initiatives at Monumental Sports Entertainment.

Leonsis quickly credited the operators of the U.S. market for the fantastic job they are doing rolling out sports betting over the past few years. “They take the regulations incredibly seriously,” he said. “They’re leveraging big data, they lockout problem gamers, they’re trying to encourage responsible gaming opportunities. But they’re also driving incredible fan engagement which drives ratings, which helps out team brands and league brands alike.”

Monumental is involved with William Hill’s push to have an in-arena sports book in Washington D.C., and Leonsis was happy to talk about it. “We have a unique opportunity,” he said. “Typically, sportsbooks are housed within casino properties and casinos aren’t legal in Washington DC. They are in Maryland and you can drive 30 minutes across the state line to MGM National Harbor for example.” 

He expects the business will thrive year-round once this pandemic is over. “We envision one day, post-pandemic of course, when you can get several thousand people in to watch an NFL Sunday together or a Saturday morning Premier League match or a big pay-per-view boxing or UFC event and enjoy putting 20 bucks down on the match and enjoying dinner and beers with a few friends. There’s something very special about the energy of a crowd and being together,” he said.