Tech & innovation – FairOdds Network

June 30, 2026

The industry we didn’t expect

As the industry prepares to gather at iGB London, conversations are increasingly shaped by data, market signals and long-term strategic thinking. Yet the most important shifts are not always the ones making headlines.

With unique visibility into the market from different vantage points, Robin Harrison of Worldgaming (formerly Clarion) and Alexandra Kavelich of SOFTSWISS come together to discuss how trends emerge, how businesses distinguish meaningful change from noise and what today’s industry should be paying closer attention to.

1. Worldgaming (formerly Clarion) and SOFTSWISS observe the market from very different vantage points. Because you see the industry through different lenses, I’m curious: what are the earliest signs of change that you’re noticing today?

Robin

Robin harrison, global content director b2b at worldgaming

There are a few different ways to interpret this question. This might be quite obvious, but the centre of gravity for the industry is shifting. Much of the ..

June 24, 2026

Brazilian organisations support federal government crackdown on illegal betting

The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) and the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL) expressed their support for the government's decision to combat illegal betting by suffocating payment institutions.

On Friday, President Lula signed a decree adopting a series of measures to combat illegal betting and strengthen the regulated market in Brazil.

For the ANJL, the measures represent another step forward in protecting the regulated market. They are the result of an ongoing process of institutional cooperation between the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA), representatives of the regulated sector and other actors involved in the regulation of the sector.

According to data released by the minister of justice, Wellington César Lima, at a press conference on the subject, 25.2 million Brazilians bet on illegal websites. For the president of the ANJL, Plínio Lemos Jorge, the number shows the scale of the challenge and justifies the strengthening of the anno..

June 23, 2026

Major national operation exposes billion-dollar illegal betting scheme in Brazil

Operation Conto da Sorte is the government's first serious initiative to combat illegal betting and will be intensified to ensure the sustainability of the legal iGaming market in Brazil.

On Thursday, the Federal Revenue Service launched Operation Conto da Sorte, a joint action with state Public Prosecutors’ offices that revealed an illegal betting scheme involving 37 companies and an estimated financial movement of BRL50 billion ($9.7 billion).

The information was confirmed by the Minister of Finance Dario Durigan and by official statements from the federal government. He stated that there is zero tolerance for illegal bets.

The operation executed 14 search and seizure warrants in Pernambuco, Ceará and São Paulo. The focus was on collecting documents and media, and verifying the actual structure of the companies under investigation. In addition, the court ordered the freezing of up to BRL145 million in assets. This amount may be used to compensate for damages resulting from th..

April 12, 2024

Charting Nigeria’s online gambling growth amid regulatory battles

One of the most exciting emerging global online gambling markets is Nigeria, boasting a youthful population that H2 Gambling Capital forecasts to lead it to gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €675.1m (£576.8m/$717.2m) by 2025. With a legal battle over regulation ongoing, though, how exactly is it achieving its success?

Firstly, it’s imperative to note the demographics of Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa with well over 200 million inhabitants. According to a report from The Economist, that population is predicted to grow to 400 million by 2050, surpassing the US as the third most-populous country on the planet.

Looking closer at Nigeria’s data reveals a hugely youthful population, with figures from the World Factbook outlining that approximately 41% of people in the country are aged between 14 and under, with the average age of a person in Nigeria just 19 years old.

Taking those demographics aspects into account it’s clear to see why there is excitement over how Niger..

April 10, 2024

Solving sports betting – the AI way

The advent of AI-assisted products in the sportsbook space appears to offer up the prospect of an epoch-changing leap forward in risk management. But does it mean that margin volatility will become a thing of the past? Not quite yet, suggest the experts. But the product is developing fast.

Buzz phrases don’t get much buzzier than “AI-assisted”. The mere mention of the phrase either prompts excited optimism about a tech-driven future – or a very real fear of the same.

In the betting and gaming space, the use of artificial intelligence may not quite engender the apocalyptic visions of the AI naysayers in the wider world. But it still appears to offer the possibility of very much changed business practices.

the advent of ai could herald huge change for sports betting, writes Scott Longley

Notably, given the central importance of data to any potential machine learning or AI developments, it is the two leading sports data collection entities that are leading the charge.

The pair launc..

March 5, 2024

EGBA lauds EU’s proposed introduction of digital identification

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has welcomed the European parliament’s approval of introducing a standardised electronic identification method called a “European Digital Identity” (e-ID).

The EGBA-endorsed move would oblige states in the European Union (EU) to issue an e-ID to citizens. This would allow them to authenticate their identity for online services. These e-IDs will be optional for citizens and businesses.

EGBA labelled the European parliament’s approval on Monday a “significant milestone” in providing a safer and more inclusive online environment for citizens in the EU. There were 335 votes in favour, 190 opposing the new regulations and 31 abstentions.

The proposed e-IDs will mean citizens would no longer have to resort to commercial providers to verify their online identification, something that has caused privacy and security concerns in the past.

The hope is that e-IDs will reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft, enhancing security for the EU’..

February 1, 2024

Endeavor to integrate IMG Arena into Openbet

Endeavor has announced it will integrate its sport betting brand OpenBet with its data business IMG Arena under the OpenBet banner, creating a full sports betting ecosystem for operators.

Global sports and entertainment company Endeavor announced the move on Thursday. Endeavor aims to leverage the expertise of OpenBet’s betting technology with IMG Arena’s data.

IMG Arena will operate under the OpenBet banner, offering its data to operators, media outlets and other rights holders.

Jordan Levin, chief executive of OpenBet, will spearhead the company, reporting to Endeavor president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro. Freddie Longe, former IMG Arena president, will remain with the business as a strategic advisor during the transition period.

In the announcement, Shapiro stated this move was in the works for a while following Endeavor’s acquisition of OpenBet. The September 2022 deal was worth $800m (£633.4m/€740.3m).

“When we acquired OpenBet in 2022, we envisioned a holistic ..

January 30, 2024

FairPlay Sports Media announces Quarter4 purchase

FairPlay Sports Media (FPSM) has announced the acquisition of deep-learning neural network Quarter4 (Q4), hoping to “unleash” the full potential of its proprietary data and technology platform.

FPSM underwent a rebrand from Oddschecker Media Group last week and has now announced its first purchase. The price of the deal for the Toronto-based Q4 remains undisclosed.

Q4, founded in 2019, specialises in predicting sports outcomes, as well as providing unique data and content opportunities.

FPSM says the move aligns with the company’s objective to “transform BetTech”, benefitting consumers, publishers and operators worldwide.

FPSM brands will leverage Q4’s prediction technology in combination with the group’s price movement data across “millions of sports events”.

Stuart Simms, FPSM’s group chief executive, declared: “The acquisition of Quarter4 is a significant milestone for our group, giving our various brands the ability to unleash our already market-leading data and tech platform ..

January 30, 2024

Genius Sports announces “first-of-its-kind” Edge automated pricing tool

Genius Sports has announced an automated pricing tool called Edge, which it believes is the first of its kind in the market.

Genius Sports’ tool will allow sportsbooks to maximise profits over “unlimited” sports events and bets. Factoring in real-time liability, Edge can recalculate odds at a fixture and market-type level for maximum profitability, including bet-builder products.

Genius Sports product director Thomas Holland revealed early adopter partners of Edge have enjoyed an 18% average rise in margins. The tool is available now through Genius Trading Services or as a standalone solution.

“The explosion of betting content means sportsbooks offer hundreds of thousands of events every year,” Holland said in the announcement. “This makes it almost impossible for trading teams to truly optimise pricing and ensure they are squeezing maximum margin out of every bet, especially where turnover is highest.

“We’re excited to roll this ground-breaking solution out across our sportsbook p..

January 24, 2024

Home field advantage: Strive creates a PAM for North America

Three years on from entering a crowded, competitive field, Strive Gaming has built a foothold in the North American market. As its roster of clients expands, president Damian Xuereb aims to ride the market’s evolution through a new wave of growth.

Strive Gaming president Damian Xuereb is sure of one thing. “Strive was certainly not a first mover in the US,” he says. But the US market is approaching its sixth anniversary. Strive Gaming has been in play for just half of that.

Established by Xuereb and CEO Max Meltzer, both veterans of the post-PASPA gold rush, Strive knows the market. Coming in three years after the first bets were placed, it has watched what works and what doesn’t.

Strive’s experience of the post-PASPA Gold RUSH Sets up the business for success as the US market matures says president Damian Xuereb

“We had the advantage of understanding the state-by-state nuances in each market,” Xuereb continues. “We had the opportunity to do our research and ensure we built a pro..

January 24, 2024

Road to ICE 2024: Affordability checks looming large amid criticism

On the road to ICE, iGB will prep you for the biggest show of 2024 with this new series covering the latest developments since 2023's show.

The Gambling Act review white paper was a huge landmark for the UK gambling industry. The white paper outlined how gambling should be regulated in the UK going forward. Key terms included consultations on stake limits, a mandatory statutory levy for operators and the introduction of an ombudsman.

However, affordability checks have continued to be one of the reviews’ most debated issues. While many in the industry agree with the white paper’s proposals, affordability checks were met with fierce opposition from operators and trade bodies.

The need for affordability checks

Many of the white paper’s proposals were made with the intention of protecting vulnerable groups. Gambling Commission research published in November revealed that one in 40 Britons is a problem gambler.

the long-awaited white paper was released in april 2023

Lucy Frazer, ..

November 23, 2023

The art of harnessing artificial intelligence for sportsbooks

As we’ve seen this year, the groundbreaking and rapidly evolving technology powering artificial intelligence (AI) is sure to revolutionise the economy, including the world of sports betting. In the second part of this two-part series, Russell Karp, senior vice-president of DataArt, focuses on the many ways sportsbooks can benefit from harnessing the art of AI.

Today, one of the most promising uses of AI in sports betting is bettors’ ability to use the technology to place bets more strategically and attempt to minimise their losses.

Apps like BettorTakes and Juice Reel aim to boost users’ performance through comprehensive analytics of their past betting behaviours. As BettorTakes CEO Steve Rubenfaer described in an interview with DataArt this year, the app “show[s] you your patterns, biases and things you might not know about yourself”.

With these apps, AI can be used to assess bettors’ gambling history, in addition to player or team stats. AI can then present digestible, comprehensi..

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Tag: Tech & innovation