What’s next for sports betting? LeoVegas Group Director of Sports Strategy, Per Carlander, shares his takeaways from ICE Barcelona – highlighting the rise of rich data, e-sports, AI and the increasing importance of player engagement. Read his thoughts on how the industry is evolving and what’s shaping the next big moves in sports!
Sports has been a major growth driver for LeoVegas Group, and the momentum is only picking up. What key insights from ICE Barcelona do you believe will propel the next phase of growth in sports betting?
“ICE is always an eye-opener. Every year, I get blown away by the scale and size of our industry. What really stood out to me this year were two key themes in sports betting: rich data and entertainment. In particular, the importance of granular data at the player level. We’re increasingly relying on fast, accurate, and rich data from sports events to offer our customers a real-time, exciting experience. The more detailed and real-time we can get, the better the experience for the bettor. We’re talking about data that enables us to offer live, interactive bets on the biggest sports stars, which I believe is going to be a key growth driver in the years to come.”
You also mentioned “entertainment” as a key takeaway. Why is this so important?
“It’s really about the broader context in which we’re competing for our customers’ time. We’re no longer just competing with other betting operators. We’re up against the TikToks, the Netflixes, the gaming apps, and all other forms of digital entertainment. People have limited time and they want to be entertained. If we’re not providing an exciting and engaging experience, they’ll simply spend that time elsewhere. So, innovation is crucial – not just in terms of technology, but in creating a high level of player engagement, which makes people want to keep coming back.”
How will sports betting evolve with AI? What opportunities are you most excited about?
“While we’re still in the early stages, AI is already reshaping the sports betting landscape and the pace of development is rapid. I’m most excited about how we can leverage AI for personalisation, helping us to better understand our customers so that we can deliver relevant betting experiences that they can’t get anywhere else.”
Were there any other ‘hot’ trends or discussions that caught your attention during the conference?
“Brazil was of course the word on everyone’s lips. It’s a massive market with huge opportunities, and there’s no doubt that the competition will be tough. The company that can deliver the best customer experience will likely emerge on top. Another key trend was e-Soccer and e-Basketball. These sports have quickly risen in popularity, and we’ve seen interest grow over time. The demand for esports betting is here to stay, and it’s an area where we’re doubling down on our efforts to provide the best gaming experience for our customers.”
