Danil Emelyanov, Head of BETBY’s AI Labs, expands on how the provider is leveraging artificial intelligence to deliver industry-first solutions such as the newly announced AI-based feed.
SBC News: How is BETBY leveraging AI to explore new trends in sports betting?
Danil Emelyanov: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force across numerous industries, and sports betting is no exception. What began as a supplementary tool has evolved into a game-changing technology, unlocking new possibilities for user engagement and operational efficiency. At BETBY, we are leading this revolution, continuously exploring new AI-powered features to deliver innovative solutions for our partners and the broader industry. In line with this commitment, we are excited to unveil our industry-first AI-based feed —a groundbreaking product poised to reshape the sports betting landscape.
This cutting-edge solution harnesses the power of AI to generate odds for unique markets directly tied to the entertainment world, such as movies, TV series, games, and global events like elections. For example, the AI-based feed allows users to place bets on which characters might die in Netflix’s Squid Game or predict scenarios for upcoming Marvel movies—offering a level of novelty and engagement unmatched in the market. This shift toward entertainment-focused betting mirrors broader industry trends, where users increasingly demand creative and engaging options. By introducing these unique special markets, we not only meet user expectations but also empower operators with the flexibility to adapt to evolving market preferences—all with a 12% projected margin.
Moreover, this innovative product also aligns with our broader vision for AI Labs, BETBY’s comprehensive suite of AI tools. AI Labs emerged from a clear gap in the market since operators often rely on fragmented tools for tasks such as churn prediction, LTV estimation, risk management, personalisation, and business intelligence. BETBY recognised this as an opportunity to create a unified solution encompassing all these capabilities, and we’ve been continuously upgrading it with new features like the Betting Tips API. Now, the AI-based feed marks a new phase in AI Labs’ evolution: pushing the boundaries of innovation while bridging the gap between traditional sports bettors and casino-style players.
Ultimately, our goal is to offer unique, immersive content that transforms sports betting into a broader entertainment experience, akin to platforms like YouTube or Spotify. By committing to that goal and aligning with emerging trends, BETBY is setting the foundation for the future of the betting industry.
SBC: What challenges did BETBY face in creating the AI-based feed?
DE: Creating an industry-first AI-based feed came with significant challenges, particularly in market generation, data handling, and fraud detection.
In the early stages, our AI generated 100 potential markets. However, many of these could not be implemented due to unclear settlement criteria. For example, subjective conditions like whether a movie character will “significantly suffer” are difficult to quantify. To overcome this, we developed a second AI agent to evaluate market viability. This agent applies a rigorous scoring system to assess the clarity and quality of settlement criteria, and markets scoring below a set threshold are discarded, ensuring only actionable and reliable markets are presented. This dual-agent system has greatly improved the accuracy and practicality of our market offerings, making the task easier for our trading team.
Another challenge was posed by data management. Our models require vast amounts of structured and unstructured data—taken from publicly available sources about what to expect in relation to specific events. Efficiently processing this information while ensuring relevance demanded innovative data storage and retrieval methods, but we were able to overcome it. When generating markets for TV series, we collect large volumes of content and filter it to extract only the most relevant details, such as specific character arcs or plot points. Then, when a market is generated, the system does not use the whole info, only the relevant parts for the specific market. So if we want to generate markets for character A from a specific TV series, the system will only extract the content regarding that same character.
Last but not least, fraud detection was another critical hurdle. Entertainment-focused betting is susceptible to information leaks—such as plot spoilers—that could be exploited by users, something we want to avoid at all costs. To address this, we integrated robust risk management measures. For instance, odds are carefully monitored for suspicious activity, and if unusual betting patterns emerge, such as heavy wagers or a big number of users betting on the same scenario, we can cancel bets or limit stakes. While initial monitoring will rely on manual oversight, we are developing alert systems to increasingly automate fraud detection and enhance security.
SBC: What are the next steps for BETBY’s AI-based feed?
DE: The future of the AI-based feed lies precisely in greater automation, as well as in expanded capabilities. Currently, market settlements require manual verification by traders, but our immediate goal is to reduce this workload by equipping traders with tools that suggest settlement criteria and provide direct links to source information for validation.
As accuracy improves, we aim to enhance the automation of the settlement process, allowing traders to focus solely on high-stakes or complex markets. For instance, when our system achieves a 99% accuracy rate, traders will only need to verify outliers or markets with exceptional betting volume, freeing them for more strategic tasks. This increased efficiency will reduce operational costs and improve user satisfaction—it’s a win-win situation.
Additionally, we plan to expand the feed’s coverage to other unique markets, such as books or music, as well as refining its odds-generation algorithms. The ultimate vision is a comprehensive AI solution that seamlessly handles market generation, odds calculation, and settlement with little intervention from our trading team. This end-to-end capability will redefine industry standards and empower operators to deliver unmatched betting experiences while increasing user loyalty.
SBC: Besides the AI-based feed, what new features are being fuelled by AI?
DE: Even though this is not a new thing, personalisation has become a cornerstone of modern sports betting, and it’s a key focus of our AI strategy. By analysing user data—including past bets, preferences, and real-time activity—our AI tailors the betting experience to individual users. This ensures users receive recommendations aligned with their interests on the top section, enhancing engagement and satisfaction. For instance, if a football enthusiast usually bets on La Liga games, they will see a curated feed with upcoming matches, relevant statistics, and combo suggestions.
This level of personalisation transforms the user experience from functional to deeply engaging, allowing operators to receive higher value and more consistent bets. In fact, 10% of soccer users on the BETBY partner network are already actively leveraging the betting tips feature, and top-section recommendations have driven a growth of more than 60% on bets placed in markets such as Japan. The idea is to tailor every aspect of the player journey—not just recommended bets but also relevant banners for specific users, for example.
Additionally, AI also drives innovation in player prop markets. Traditional prop markets focus on straightforward metrics like goals or assists, and AI is king in managing data. By leveraging this technology, we can answer the user demand for innovative markets. For example, instead of offering only standard markets like corners and cards in soccer, AI allows us to present odds for more advanced statistical markets such as offsides, shots on target, or even expected goals. These innovations attract more bettors and expand revenue opportunities for operators.
SBC: Given its importance, do you think AI will become a standalone product?
DE: The potential for AI to function as a standalone product is immense. While some tools, like risk management, will remain integral to our platform, others, such as the betting tipster, can be adapted to serve operators independently.
But for now, we are not planning to provide AI tools separately from BETBY’s ecosystem. AI Labs’ biggest strength lies exactly in the fact that we have a suite of AI tools that work together and are not fragmented, and we are only focused on improving our existing features and launching new ones.
However, one thing we are sure of is that broader adoption of AI solutions will follow as the product matures. That’s because AI is not just a tool for enhancement anymore; it is the foundation for the future of sports betting.
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