As sports betting evolves in the US and the various state markets become increasingly competitive, the effectiveness of data as a tool for engagement amplifies.

The topic of how data and technology can be maximized was brought to the fore at the SBC Digital Summit North America in a panel moderator by Ryan Knuppel, the Founder & CEO of Knup Solutions LLC

Knuppel sought to gain the insight of the panel on what procurement of accurate data means to operators and providers within the sports betting supply chain. 

Michele Ciavarella, Group CEO of NEWGIOCO Group, noted: “When you speak about procurement, what you have to keep in mind is a couple of things. In order to keep the data and the providers honest, data comes from two sources; it’s a grouping of actuarial computations and it’s ingested by a software but then it’s put in with human inputs. 

“So, if somebody is changing a series of odds because an event has happened – somebody broke a leg, or there has been a trade, so there has to be some sort of oversight that the information is getting to everybody at the right time. 

“But at the end of the day, you can actually get a situation where the data input people, the big providers, we want to make sure that they’re providing the same information so that it can really be ingested properly and provide the product fairly to customers.”

“There has to also be some sort of segregation between the data providers and the operators. We have to keep everybody honest on our supply chain, so customers get a fair shake.”

Founding Partner of The Strategy Organisation Josh Swissman was keen to agree as he described Ciavarella’s points as ‘hitting the nail on the head’. 

He told delegates: “If everything that he [Ciavarella] just described works, that results from a customer facing standpoint in trust, transparency and ultimately the operators and platform providers will win and gain market shares.”

Anika Howard, VP of Brand Marketing & Digital Communications at Foxwoods, expressed the view that it’s really all about integrity. She stated: “Sports betting is a data rich and data driven experience, sports bettors depend on that information and depend on it being accurate. 

“It’s not just about having the data – it’s about making sure that it’s integrated correctly and there aren’t any delays, because all those things are critical and players will leave.”

SBC Digital Summit North America will conclude later today. But with plenty of activity and some big names yet lined up to speak, there is still time to register or obtain more information via the event’s official website.