We are a little over three months out from the 2024 SBC Summit North America, which will once again take over The Meadowlands in New Jersey from May 7-9. This year, there will be plenty of discussion about not just the existing regulated markets in North America but also emerging markets, like Web3 and blockchain technology.
SBC Americas spoke with Maincard.io CEO and Founder Valerii Makovetskii about what he is looking forward to at this year’s events, what discussions he hopes to have about emerging tech and how these innovations in these verticals can assist sportsbook operators.
What elements of SBC Summit North America work so well for your organization, and why is it important for you to be there this year?
Firstly, the summit provides unparalleled networking opportunities, allowing us to connect with industry professionals, potential clients and strategic partners. These connections are invaluable for expanding our business network, fostering collaborations and generating leads.
Secondly, the diverse range of sessions, workshops and panel discussions at the summit offers valuable insights into industry trends, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies. By attending these sessions, we gain valuable market intelligence that informs our strategic decision-making and keeps us ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.
Additionally, the summit serves as an excellent platform for showcasing our products to a targeted audience of industry insiders and stakeholders.
Given the importance of staying connected, informed, and visible within the industry, it is essential for us to be present here this year. We hope to meet the old friends, find the new ones and continue moving forward together.
What’s your key objective at this year’s event and what are the main products/services you’ll be promoting?
We are trying to be at the forefront of this conservative industry by developing the fundamentals for moving the gambling companies to the Web3 space. To do so, we are introducing Maincard.io, a fantasy manager designed to educate billions of sports fans on the basics of blockchain in the most fun, safe, and engaging manner.
You know that the average age of the player in the gambling field is 37 years. Well, our audience consists of 22-27 year-old gamers who need the new ways of engagement with the content rather than typical betting. We provide these new gaming mechanics and create new patterns that hopefully will be then monetized by our colleagues.
What would you highlight as the biggest opportunity in the betting and gaming industry over the next couple of years?
One of the biggest opportunities lies in the continued expansion of online and mobile betting and fantasy betting platforms. With the increasing digitization of the industry, there is a significant opportunity to capture a larger market share by offering innovative and user-friendly experiences.
Furthermore, the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and blockchain into betting and gaming platforms presents exciting opportunities to enhance customer engagement, personalize experiences and improve operational efficiency. Leveraging these technologies can drive innovation, attract new customers and differentiate offerings in a highly competitive market landscape.
And this is exactly what we are building–a fantasy manager on blockchain with free-to-play mechanics to make the transition for the newcomers into the space as smooth as possible.
What elements of your business do you feel are best placed to take advantage of that opportunity?
Slots and poker tables are not very fun in online mode. Online casinos scare younger generations. So, we feel that fantasy gaming powered by blockchain and supporting community-building mechanics is the best way to attract the attention of the new generation of players.
Before taking their money, let’s engage them with free gaming mechanics, let’s unite them in clans and show the basics. If they decide that we are worth their time and money, they will proceed with a better understanding and a strategy.
What areas of the business should we be looking to for innovation in the next 12 months?
With the bear market in crypto coming to an end, we are hoping to see an increase in attention to the Web3 space and related projects. We see new faces like TON Chain with billions of dollars in their pockets and ambitions to take over the market. And their support gives power to startups at their earliest stages.
Online gaming is definitely going to grow faster, it’s just the matter of finding the right pattern. Not easy to make another Pokemon:Go or Stepn, but everyone has a chance.
What new technology do you feel will have the biggest impact for stakeholders?
The one that breaks down barriers and makes every transaction faster, cheaper and more transparent. But at the end of the day, the user doesn’t care about the technology, he cares about the user experience, and we should always remember that.
What core challenges do you help solve for your customers/partners?
We target 5 billion sports fans and 4 billion gamers. Our mission is to introduce them to the Web3 space with as little friction as possible. The ideal case is if they don’t even notice that they use blockchain while playing and then they start to understand the key mechanics as they develop in the game. This is how we can turn 1% of crypto natives into 51%.
Who have you especially enjoyed working with over the past year (partner/client) and why?
We work mainly with sportsbooks collecting real-time data about sports and esports events. Sportradar and Abios are our partners in this field, and we are very satisfied with their work.
Can you tell us more specifically how you worked with that partner and how the relationship is developing?
We started with one sport with each partner and grew to more than 10 sports within 12 months. Hopefully, we’ll keep adding one sport per month to bring new users to the platform.
What are you hoping to learn from the conference at SBC Summit North America and which elements of the agenda will you be focusing on the most?
We are mostly concerned with the blockchain regulations in the US. Hopefully, we will hear some positive thoughts on this topic, cause working in the grey area doesn’t fit anyone.