Sarah Robertson: “Regulations across the United States and Canada are rapidly changing”

Sarah Robertson, VP Sales at Kambi, talked with Focus Gaming News about Kambi’s attendance at G2E, the future of sports betting and gambling regulation across North America and the company’s future announcements.

Exclusive interview.- In this recent interview with Focus Gaming News Sarah Robertson, VP Sales at Kambi, shared her views regarding the return to G2E after the Covid-19 pandemic, the role of women in the industry and plans and perspectives for the next year.

Kambi recently attended the first edition of G2E since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. How did it feel to get back to in-person events after all this time?

It was fantastic to finally be back. Online events and meetings were a great way to stay in touch with our partners and the wider industry during the pandemic, but the whole sector has clearly missed face-to-face events.

G2E is always one of the biggest industry events in the calendar and it was very productive to be back in person. We were able to have meaningful meetings with current and prospective partners, as well as display our market-leading sports betting products to delegates in person. 

Although this year’s event wasn’t as well attended as years past due to travel restrictions, the quality of meetings and connections that we had were as good as ever and we look forward to exhibiting again in 2022.

Now that G2E has ended, what are Kambi’s plans for attending other in-person events going forward?

G2E was just the beginning of Kambi’s plans to return to having a regular presence at face-to-face events. Looking ahead, we’ll be attending several SBC events including SBC Summit North America in New Jersey at the end of November. 

“We’ll also be exhibiting at ICE in London in February as well as the National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow Convention in Anaheim in 2022.”

Sarah Robertson, VP Sales at Kambi.

Additionally, we’re in the early stages of planning an expanded version of Kambi’s Festival of Sportsbook following the success of our virtual event in 2021. 

Our Festival featured a series of online events over the course of five days that covered a range of topics designed to make sense of the sports betting market today, and offer a glimpse of what it may look like going forward. 

The Festival was really well received by attendees and we look forward to hosting the event again in 2022 on a larger scale.

You were recently included in the Innovation Group’s ‘Emerging leaders in Gaming 40 under 40’ 2022. How important is this achievement for you and Kambi? How do you see the role of women in the industry nowadays?

It’s an honour to be able to represent Kambi with a recognition like this, both in a personal capacity and from the perspective of women across the industry. You can find anything that interests you in this industry whether that be sales, technology or account management, and the importance of a good mentor can’t be overstated. 

“I’ve had the privilege to work with some incredible women over the years who have helped guide me through the industry and gave me all the right tools to succeed.”

Sarah Robertson, VP Sales at Kambi.

My advice to other women in sports betting would be to find a shoulder to lean on who can help guide you through your professional career and develop the skillset you need to succeed.

Kambi recently announced its Q3 2021 report. What were some of the highlights for Kambi during the quarter?

Kambi was proud to publish its Q3 2021 report in which we announced a 48 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue, taking revenue for the first nine months of the year to €127.5m and thus eclipsing the total for the whole of 2020. 

It was an incredibly busy quarter for Kambi, not least because we announced our acquisition of esports data and odds provider Abios, a deal which strengthens our capabilities in this fast-growing segment and will help transform Kambi into a leading supplier of esports products and services. 

Our partner network also continues to grow strongly and in Q3 we signed with Island Luck, strengthening Kambi’s reach in the Americas market. Island Luck is the largest gaming company in the country, offering online sports betting, casino and lottery throughout the islands. 

Meanwhile, in Europe, Kambi went live in the regulated online Dutch market in October as part of a new partnership with BetCity.nl, which was among the first group of operators to be awarded a license by the Netherlands gaming regulator. 

BetCity launched on day one of the market going live and has been performing strongly thus far.  

What are Kambi’s plans and expectations for the North American market in 2022 from a product perspective? Can we expect any new launches in the coming months?

Combination bets have become an integral part of the North American sports betting market from a product perspective and is an area Kambi has been focused on for many years now since launching Bet Builder. 

The growth of parlay betting in the US is why it was so important for us to develop and launch our market-leading Game Parlay product which has been incredibly successful having gone live in September for the start of the NFL season. 

Since launch, we’ve seen almost 50 per cent of NFL bettors placing a Game Parlay bet with approx. 40 per cent of Game Parlay bets involving more than one game, a feature not offered by the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings. 

In recent weeks, we added college football to the Game Parlay product, which again is not available elsewhere, while we continue to build out our ice hockey Game Parlay offering.  

We are also looking forward to expanding our esports product offering, and our latest acquisition of Abios will act as a springboard for us to do just that in states and provinces where esports wagering is regulated.

Just like sports betting in North America, esports is a fast-growing industry and we feel that the two can complement each other in so many areas.

How do you see the future of sports betting and gambling regulation across North America?

Regulations across the United States and Canada are rapidly changing and Kambi is constantly monitoring them. Most recently, we received some exciting news when we were granted 10-year Mobile Sports Wagering Platform licence in New York State, the fourth most populous state in the United States. 

We’re also closely watching developments in several states including California, Florida, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, among others. Elsewhere, we were pleased to see that the legalisation of single-event wagering in Canada came into force in August. 

Ontario is the most populated province in Canada and a huge entry-point for the rest of the country, with the application process already underway since it formally began in September. 

As we’ve proven over the past decade, Kambi knows what it takes to succeed across multiple territories and regulations so we’re in a great position to help our current and prospective partners make the most of these forthcoming opportunities.