SBC Summit Lisbon is fast approaching and as a taster of what attendees can expect at the event, the latest episode of iGaming Daily looked back at a scaled-down version of the keynote speech by NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino at the SBC Summit North America.
As well as his stellar NFL career, Marino is also known for his extensive charity work and he started the keynote by explaining the work of the Dan Marino Foundation, which he founded following his son’s autism diagnosis.
He said: “We decided to start the foundation and raise money and try to do the best we can for kids with developmental disabilities. I’ve been blessed to have companies, businesses, friends and all kinds of people help us to raise money.
“One of the main things we are doing now is transitioning kids into the workplace and we have companies down in South Florida that have been incredible to me like Publix and Walgreens. It just gives them self-esteem and a reason to go out and make friends and do the things that they need to do to feel important in life.”
In 2022, Dan Marino teamed up with Pixiu Gaming, the leading North American ‘keno’ specialists. As part of the partnership, Pixiu donates a percentage of profits from its series of Marino-branded titles to the Dan Marino Foundation.
In the second half of the keynote, hosted by Dylan Slaney, CEO of Light & Wonder, Marino looked back on his football career.
Marino spent 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins after being picked in the first round of the 1983 draft from the University of Pittsburgh. Upon his retirement, he held 40 single-season and career passing records and was selected for the Pro Bowl nine times.
Marino was known for the confidence that he played with and he was asked to expand on how that helped him be so successful in his career.
He said: “It’s like anything in life, the more success you have the more confident you get. From a young kid, I had a lot of success and I was very successful at the high school level, college level and when I got to the Dolphins.
“Confidence comes from being successful at the things you’re doing, preparing well so you’re reading when [tough situations] come up. If you do those things then you know you can do them again.
“People talk to me about the two-minute drive at the end of games, winning, coming back, all of those things and it comes from doing it originally and then when the situation comes up again, I know we can do it. That’s the attitude you have and if you’ve done it before the people are going to follow you.”
To end the keynote he was asked what advice he would offer to young quarterbacks currently competing in the NFL, such as the Chicago Bears’ rookie QB Caleb Williams.
“For all those guys that get drafted high, just believe in yourself, do what you’re doing and what you’ve done to put you in that position,” he explained.
“Work hard, be humble and enjoy the fact that you’re in that position, don’t take it for granted. All of us in this room, we’ve taken things for granted in our life. I remember taking for granted playing every week and all of a sudden I tore my Achilles and I had to go through rehab. I look back on it and I was taking my career for granted.
“That’s the kind of message I would give to the young quarterbacks that are coming to the league today. Work your butt off because you’re making a lot of money right now. There’s an opportunity not only for quarterbacks but for all the players to have an incredible career and be set financially for the rest of their lives.”
