Learn the challenges of betting and esports in London on August 31st

08 August 2017

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The next Esports Insider Forum Series event, on Thursday August 31st (6-10pm), will tackle the issue of betting and esports head on with a thoroughly knowledgeable and opinionated panel. 

Toby Oddy, Digital Fuel

With in excess of 100 bookmakers now offering odds on various esports markets, the time is ripe for stakeholders in and around this space to fully grasp both its potential and its challenges. Lining up on the panel are Digital Fuel CEO Toby Oddy, Sportradar’s Head of Esports James Watson, Blinkpool CEO Suraj Gosai and Ultraplay’s Head of Esports Trading Peter Ivanov.

The Integrity Commissioner of ESIC, the one and only Ian Smith, will chair the session.

Suppliers Sportradar and Ultraplay have been offering odds and data on esports for some time, whilst Blinkpool is a new arrival on the betting scene. The esports only operator recently secured its UKGC licence. Toby Oddy meanwhile is involved in esports via marketing agency Digital Fuel, esports agency Code Red and some focused affiliates. 

This #ESIForum is being run ahead of next month’s Betting on Esports Conference (September 13-15) which we are putting on as a part of SBC Global and in partnership with SBC Events. This will see six esports betting focused panels dissecting a number of discussion worthy topics in the space, over two days with more than 25 high level speakers involved. The likes of Kinguin CEO Viktor Wanli, Win Technologies Betway Group’s Head of Esports Adam Savinson, ESL UK MD James Dean, Millennial Esports CEO Alex Igelman and more will be present to give their views. The event will also have a focused esports betting exhibition area and almost excessive networking opportunities with parties each evening. 

More information on this one can be found here, it’s a part of the wider #BOSCON2017 conference so there’ll be over 1,000 delegates in attendance overall. 

Back to the Bunkr though, where the August 31st evening will be the second in the #ESIForum Series. We run these events on a monthly basis in association with Digital Fuel, at Fnatic’s Bunkr in Shoreditch. You can watch an overview of the first below, for which a panel featuring Fnatic CEO Wouter Sleijffers, Wolfsburg FIFA Pro David Bytheway, and Gary Taphouse debated the topic of football clubs in esports.

Fortaura Media was our Video Partner for the first and they’ll be there again documenting the second. The format on the night will mirror that of the first, albeit it with slightly altered times, and Tekken over FIFA for the tournament this time around. In essence, it’s networking and drinks followed by a 40 minute panel with audience questions, then back to the drinks, a Tekken tournament (with a mystery prize) and some much needed pizza. 

SpecialEffect will once again be the Charity Partner of the event and they’ll be there showcasing some of their products and the fantastic work they do to ensure everybody, regardless of physical ability, is able to game should they choose. 

We’ll also be laying on plenty of food and drinks, included in the ticket price, during the evening so arrive with an empty stomach. 

You can secure your tickets here (£15 plus VAT) to confirm your space on the night. Space at the Bunkr is limited and we expect this to be a sell-out so the best bet is to act now.