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Sports Betting: Bodog Europe Bookmaker Interviewed in Antigua by Point-Spreads.com: Besides acting as the world wide headquarters of the BodogBrand.com licensing and venture capital organization, Antigua is also the home of Bodog Europe, the i-gaming brand licensee that holds the exclusive rights to the brand for Europe and Canada.  Bodog Europe, and soon Bodog Canada, is one of three Bodog brand licensees for eGaming, with Bodog Asia being licensed in the Philippines and Bodog US, licensed in Kahnawake, being operated by the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group.
 
Bodog Europe is run by Managing Director Keith McDonnell and veteran trading director Jon Thompson.
 
Thompson is a seasoned market maker that has been involved in bookmaking since he was a kid, with his father being a bookmaker back in England. Jon grew up around the horse track and to this day is a registered racehorse owner in the UK with an array of winners to his name. Prior to joining Bodog, Thompson was the Trading Director for Scandinavian focused Expekt based in Malta and during his career has operated from all the major licensing jurisdictions.
 
Point-Spreads.com sat down with sports betting guru Jon Thompson on a recent trip to Antigua to drink a few pints and discuss how Bodog’s European brand licensee is going to conquer the European market.
 

TJ: How do European punters differ from North American bettors and how will this affect the way you create attractive markets?
 
JT: There are so many different breeds of customer in Europe and that certainly makes it a very distinct market from North America. I think the European player likes to gather more information before placing a bet and that has been boosted by the amount of public domain information on the internet. At the end of the day we are looking to create markets that will deal with the supply and demand across all our platforms as well as providing our customers with the attractive content and odds that they require.
 
 
TJ: With the European punters being more price savvy, how will Bodog Europe cater to these players on pricing?
 
JT: We profile all our customer base in an effort to make sure that we keep on top of their demands and to make sure that we can risk manage every position to the companies requirements. The European customer tends to be more price sensitive and reacts to market change and a major part of our risk management team is to react ASAP and maintain balance in our books.
 
 
TJ: You have worked in Asia, Australia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ireland, Malta and the UK so how does working in Antigua compare to all the other places you have worked in?
 
JT: It's obviously an earlier start for us due to the time zone but it's great having English Premier League action starting at 10am on a Saturday and the majority of the days action in play by 2pm. The early finish has been known to allow us to have a beer (or 2) on the beach now and again!   Sitting back with a cold drink listening to the waves break on the beach with wind chimes in the background and watching the sun setting - it's not a bad life.
 
 
TJ: Your passion is European Football, what can punters expect to see this football season from Bodog Europe?
 
JT: The European Soccer markets covered now stretches to almost every corner of the Continent. It's amazing that leagues such as Estonia, Lithuania and Russia were not even considered by Sportsbooks until recently and yet now the traditional soccer offer has been added to with more leagues coming to prominence each season. Our priority will be to get a first class offer out there on the major leagues as early as possible in the week and then look to add to that leading up to game day. We are very aware of the markets that attract interest and will be looking to offer them at competitive margins.
 
 
TJ: You have seen the gambling industry develop from the racecourses in the UK and Australia to the rapidly expanding i-gaming global industry that it is today. Where do you see the market going in the future?
 
JT: Live betting is the future of the Sportsbook without any question. There are so few companies that have exploited this channel aggressively that we feel that even as relative newcomers to the European market we have an outstanding product and highly recognizable brand and can make an impact very quickly. We are working with the best software developers and adding our own algorithms and really believe that we will make our mark when we are ready.
 

TJ: Is there a place for North American sports for live betting?
 
JT: Without question! The NFL and MLB are both ideal for offering live betting due to the amount of downtime that there are during the games that allow for markets to be reset.

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