Vincent Caldwell, one of the pioneers of internet betting, is set to join the Sports Betting Hall of Fame in a special ceremony on the final day of the Betting on Sports Europe conference and exhibition.
The Sports Betting Hall of Fame was launched by SBC in 2016 to celebrate the individuals who have made significant lasting contributions to the industry, and its latest members will be honoured at a lavish ceremony in the spectacular setting of London’s Natural History Museum on 11 November.
Caldwell has been central to a number of key developments in the international industry, having been licensed in eight jurisdictions, including the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and a number of US states.
His work has included the creation of several off-track, on-track and online licensed gaming companies, but he is perhaps best known as Founder, Chairman and CEO of betinternet.com.
The business launched in 1998 with two employees and, under Caldwell’s leadership, it became the first online betting company to list on the London Stock Exchange (AIM) with a valuation of more than £50 million just 18 months later.
Other career highlights have included establishing one of the first marketing companies in Macau to reach the lucrative market for Asian online soccer bettors and, with his American partners US-Off-track LLC, creating some of the first online co-mingled betting pools and taking bets from around the world having negotiated the picture and betting rights from hundreds of global racetracks.
Caldwell’s current online venture allows him to combine his visionary business skills with his love of horse racing. Isle of Man-based Virtual Software is a designer of bespoke software to develop computer generated virtual live racing products for the international pari-mutuel market – another world first.
He is Chairman, CEO and the major shareholder in the company, which has already created seven US virtual racetracks and is now completing its first international track, based in England. These virtual live racing products are offered as new betting content to online operators, with more than 87,000 races a year available.
Ahead of this week’s ceremony, Caldwell said: “It is a huge honour to be inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame.”
The European Sports Betting Hall of Fame Class of 2021 also includes Ludovico Calvi (President, Global Lottery Monitoring System), Simon Bold (Founder SBGL and Former CEO bwin International), Birgitte Sand (Former Director General, Danish Gambling Authority), Clive Hawkswood (Former CEO, RGA and Former Chairman, RAiG), and Jan Svendsen (Founder, Coolbet, Nordicbet and Triobet). All will be inducted at a special ceremony at the Natural History Museum on 11 November, the final day of the Betting on Sports Europe event, which takes place at Stamford Bridge, London.
The North American Sports Betting Hall of Fame Class of 2021 includes Yolanda Acuña (Former Director of Race & Sports Administration, MGM Resorts International), Joe Asher (President of Sports Betting, IGT), Johnny Avello (Director of Race & Sportsbook Operations, DraftKings), Joe Brennan Jr (Former Chair, IMEGA), and Jimmy Vaccaro (Legendary Las Vegas Bookmaker & Sports Marketing Director, South Point Hotel & Casino). They will be inducted at a ceremony at the MetLife Stadium on December 1, 2021, during the SBC Summit North America conference and trade show.
About the Sports Betting Hall of Fame
SBC launched the Sports Betting Hall of Fame in 2016, in order to honour, preserve and perpetuate the names and outstanding accomplishments of personalities who have brought lasting success to the industry.
The original inductees were Carsten Koerl (Founder & CEO, Sportradar), Mark Blandford (Founder, Sportingbet), and Howard Chisholm (Director, Bookmakers Technology Consortium).
They have since been joined by:
2017: Paris Smith (CEO, Pinnacle), Fred Done (Founder, Betfred), and Vigen Badalyan (Founder & CEO, BetConstruct).
2018: Norbert Teufelberger (Co-Founder, Bwin), Pontus Lindwall (CEO, Betsson), Warwick Bartlett (CEO, GBGC), Constantinos Antonopoulos (Vice-Chairman, Intralot), and Fabio Schiavolin (CEO, Snaitech).
2019: Denise Coates (Founder & CEO, bet365), John Boyle (Founder & Chairman, BoyleSports), John Anderson (former CEO, 888 Holdings), Armin Sageder (Founder, paysafecard & BGT), Richard Flint (Non-Executive Director, Flutter Entertainment & former CEO, Sky Betting & Gaming), Jukka Honkavaara (Bettor who placed the first ever online sports bet), Art Manteris (retired VP Race and Sports Book Operations, Station Casinos), Dennis Drazin (CEO, Monmouth Park), and Chris Christie (former NJ Governor).
2020: Ralph Topping (former William Hill CEO), Victor Chandler (Founder, BetVictor), Bill Mummery (pioneer in online betting & Asian market), Giovanni Garrisi (CEO, StanleyBet), Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo (former President, Coljuegos), Victor Salerno (President, USBookmaking & US Fantasy Sports), Raymond Lesniak (former NJ State Senator), Roxy Roxborough (Legendary Las Vegas Oddsmaker), Sara Slane (former Sr. VP, American Gaming Association), and Jay Rood (SVP, Risk & Trading, Bally’s Interactive).