SBC Leaders - The people behind betting and gaming's biggest brands

In the latest episode of the SBC Leaders podcast, SBC’s Global Relationships Director Kelly Kehn sits down in conversation with John Levy, CEO of theScore, one of the most consistently disruptive and fast-growing companies in both sports media and sports betting. 

Levy talks about the early days of mobile tech, and the leap that theScore took from TV to mobile-only, the difficulties of competing against huge entities like ESPN, TSN and Rogers and the similarities between how theScore built their brand on-screen and off. Levy gets into the forthcoming legalisation of sports betting in Canada and tells Kelly how nothing will change in the way that they present and operate their product. 

Kehn spoke to Levy about his family, his pride related to his sons working for him by choice after forging their own paths elsewhere first, and how theScore runs as a family operation - with or without blood relations. Levy also talks about what leadership qualities he hopes to impart on his own children. 

Following their recent listing on NASDAQ, Kelly also asked theScore CEO to identify the moments - both good and bad - that defined his career and how he found out the importance of building resilience during difficult times. Levy spoke about the biggest surprises that he’s found since becoming a CEO, similarities between life and business philosophy and regretting that quote on CNBC.

Finally, Levy teased what might be next for theScore and tells us how he believes there’s another round of disruption on the way in the way people consume sports media. 

00:15 - Intro

00:40 - Intro to theScore, why they’re a media-first company rather than sports betting-first

03:25 - Mobile technology, how theScore initially disrupted sports media in Canada, their initial moves into mobile technology, taking the plunge to be mobile-only, and not being scared to compete against big players. 

11:00 - Legalised sports betting in Canada, how theScore will present their product to the Canadian customer, the legal and lobbying process involved, and the incredible value of the Canadian market

16:20 - John’s family, including 3 sons that work for him, how theScore retains family values in the way it operates, what John hopes to impart onto his children in terms of leadership, the importance of showing respect in the workplace

22:30 - Moments that defined John’s career, putting on his big boy pants, listing theScore publicly on NASDAQ, painful experiences in business and the importance of learning from them, and building resiliency

24:55 - Biggest surprises as a CEO

28:10 His interview with CNBC, what’s next from theScore, disruption in sports content consumption

For more from John, check out SBC Digital North America, this Wednesday and Thursday (06/09 - 06/10). Register for FREE here.

Episode 4 of SBC Leaders is here! Our Global Relationships Director, Kelly Kehn, sits down with Maarja Pärt, CEO of leading crypto gaming firm The Coingaming Group, and gets her thoughts on growing with and beyond cryptocurrencies, creating and maintaining company culture, and what she’s learned since becoming one of the industry’s only female CEOs, and succeeding her mentor, Tim Heath in the role. 

Maarja tells Kelly about her ‘Unicorn Farm’ and the role it plays in cultivating Coingaming’s famous culture of innovation, and gives some great insight on the leadership role of a CEO, including the importance of owning up to her own mistakes, learning from difficult situations in the past, and how your perspective changes when you realise the buck stops with you.

Time Stamps: 
00:15 - Intro
01:45 - Coingaming’s growth and the growth of crypto
04:45 - Coingaming’s culture of innovation, and the unicorn farm!
11:25 - How Maarja keeps track of regulatory changes in crypto and igaming
15:30 - Maarja tells Kelly about some of the challenging experiences that have shaped her time as CEO
18:45 - Thoughts on leadership in the role of a CEO
21:50 - What it’s like being a female CEO in iGaming, thoughts on Maarja’s journey from CS agent to CEO
27:30 - What’s next for Coingaming? 
29:20 - Outro

SBC Leaders is a membership of global top tier operators and operator associations formed with a mission to bring the industry's best together in order to share ideas, collaborate on major issues, push innovation, and elevate the overall image of our industry through the promotion of its achievements.

In the third episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast, 12Bet's Rory Anderson shares some of his more memorable experiences in sports sponsorship with 12Bet and 888. During the chat, Anderson touches on the challenges of building up a company culture remotely, successful partnerships with Matchroom Sports, Arsenal and Crystal Palace, and what can be done to combat concern over gambling sponsorship without taking the nuclear option of a blanket ban.

In the second episode of the SBC Leaders Podcast, Betsson Group CEO Jesper Svensson is in the hot seat. Speaking to Kelly Kehn, SBC’s Global Relationships Director, Svensson gets candid on the topic of Leadership talking on a range of topics from the company's rapid expansion into LATAM to Betsson’s people strategy to lessons learned on leadership and what happened during his first week at CEO.

For more information visit https://sbcleaders.com/

FanDuel CEO Matt King is the first guest to take the mic on the ‘SBC Leaders Podcast’ - a  series that gets to know the people driving global gaming’s biggest developments. 
 
Speaking to Kelly Kehn, SBC’s Global Relationships Director, King provides his leadership take on FanDuel’s ambitions to become US wagering’s dominant mass-market player – developing a comprehensive strategy to overcome multi-state operating complexities within a rapidly changing nascent marketplace.