Convergence Strategy Group’s Managing Partner, Suzanne Leckert, was featured on WTTW’s popular program “Chicago Tonight” to debate the City of Chicago’s proposal to allow sports books near the city’s five sports stadiums. The ordinance allows for large-scale entertainment and wagering facilities within a 5-block radius of each stadium, operational 365 days per year. The impact…
By: Suzanne P. Leckert, AICP The second article in Suzanne Leckert’s series discussing online and mobile sports betting for iGaming Business North America: Since my last article for iGB North America in August 2018, sports betting fervor in the United States has only increased. To date, 32 states (probably more by the time this article…
Nothing can truly prepare you for some of life’s major milestones. First job, first house, first child, first start-up . . . At Convergence Strategy Group, we are celebrating one year in business and I’m taking a moment to look back on where we started, and the lessons learned on the way. I have learned…
I had the honor recently to speak at the Spring Conference of the International Masters of Gaming Law held in New Orleans. The conference included two full days of thought-provoking and informative discussions of the most pressing legal issues for the gaming industry worldwide. My panel entitled, “UIGEA, the Wire Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory…
I need to preface this by saying I’m a Saints fan who was in the Superdome when their season came to an abrupt end, so I’m particularly bitter about the NFL right now, as are many sports fans along the Gulf Coast. To the extent that, for the first time in decades, I won’t be…
Fresh off the heels of some great discussions on sports betting over the weekend, I’ve put together a few quick graphics that shed some light on the potential for the legalized sports betting market. Utilizing proprietary consumer behavior data, with the Gulf Coast as an example, the above maps demonstrate: For each variable, these maps…
At Convergence Strategy Group, we are a team of lifelong learners. We are always seeking more information, better ways of doing things, and insights from across the globe. In the spirit of the holidays, Convergence Strategy Group would like to share a few of our go-to online resources – a few of our “favorite things”…
If you read the news, it appears that the entire United States gaming industry is obsessed with sports betting. Hungry for new product offerings and approaches, operators see the potential that sports betting has to produce new revenue streams. Sports betting and iGaming are very popular with players and largely profitable for operators across the…
We live in an age where data are abundant. This abundance allows analysts such as me the ability to delve deeper than ever before into markets, and to more fully understand their potential. With the spread of sports betting in the United States, it can be helpful for legislators, investors, developers, operators, sports teams, and…
I’ve just returned from two weeks in Germany and Austria, having been wowed by the gaming product I saw there. Encumbered by tax rates that would be considered high by non-European standards, a successful gaming industry has nevertheless been developed. From the spectacularly beautiful Casino Baden-Baden, the sports betting kiosks all over Munich, to the centrally…