How Player Attention Is Evolving in Sports Betting

They are also competing with the apps people open every few minutes, the videos they watch and the conversations happening around live sporting events.

For operators, keeping players interested is becoming a different challenge from simply offering more betting markets.

At SiGMA Asia Manila in June 2026, our host Surya Palli spoke with Chris Nikolopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer at BETBY, for Episode 66 of iGaming Real Talk.

The conversation explored how player behaviour is changing, why major sporting events require more than acquisition campaigns, and whether prediction markets or faster betting formats will play a bigger role in the future of sportsbooks.

Chris also explained the thinking behind BETBY's partnership with chess champion Magnus Carlsen and why the sportsbook supplier is exploring products that bring sports betting closer to other forms of digital entertainment.

Here's what stood out.

Sportsbooks are competing for attention, not just players

One of Chris's strongest points was that sportsbooks need to reconsider who their competitors really are.

Traditionally, operators have focused on competing with other sportsbooks through odds, markets, promotions and product features.

But Chris believes the competition has become much broader.

“We compete with TikTok, we compete with Telegram, we compete with X.”

A player following a football match might have several apps open at the same time.

They could be checking social media, watching highlights, discussing the game with friends or following updates on Telegram.

And if the sportsbook experience is not interesting enough, they may spend their time somewhere else.

Chris believes this change in behaviour means sportsbooks need to work harder on the overall player experience.

Real-time notifications, gamification and relevant content can help operators remain part of the conversation while a sporting event is happening.

The challenge is no longer simply getting someone to visit a sportsbook.

It is giving them a reason to stay engaged.

Major tournaments are no longer just acquisition opportunities

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was approaching when Surya and Chris recorded this conversation.

Surya asked how operators should prepare for an event that traditionally brings large numbers of new players into sports betting.

Chris explained that the industry's priorities have changed considerably over the years.

Around 15 years ago, a major concern was whether sportsbook infrastructure could handle the enormous number of users arriving during a World Cup match.

Today, Chris believes modern sportsbooks should already be equipped to manage those technical demands.

The bigger challenge is what operators do with the players they acquire.

“Acquisition without retention is a waste of money, right?”

Chris argued that operators needed to plan their retention campaigns well before the tournament began.

He gave a particularly interesting example involving the World Cup final.

Instead of waiting until the match finished to begin retention activities, operators should already have their campaigns prepared and running during the period of highest engagement.

That could involve personalised notifications, relevant offers and other ways to keep players connected to the platform.

Chris also pointed out that engagement matters between matches.

During a major tournament, players may have hours between the sporting events they are interested in.

If operators cannot offer something relevant during that time, those players may turn their attention elsewhere.

The World Cup has since finished, but the principle applies to any major sporting event.

Operators need to think about what happens after the initial spike in traffic.

Why micro-betting could become more important

The discussion then moved to changing player behaviour and the growing demand for faster experiences.

Chris believes shorter attention spans are influencing how people consume entertainment.

He used the example of someone watching a two-hour movie but repeatedly checking their phone throughout.

The same behaviour is visible when people watch sports.

Fans increasingly follow live statistics, notifications and social media conversations while the game is still happening.

Chris sees an opportunity for sportsbooks to adapt their products around these habits.

Traditional pre-match betting developed into live betting, allowing players to place bets while an event was taking place.

Now, the focus is moving towards even shorter timeframes.

Micro-betting allows players to interact with individual moments during a sporting event, such as what might happen in the next few seconds or minutes.

Instead of betting only on the final result, users can engage with smaller events as the match develops.

Chris believes these shorter formats could become increasingly important, particularly for audiences accustomed to immediate digital experiences.

But making them work requires more than introducing additional betting markets.

Sportsbooks also need technology capable of delivering relevant information quickly and presenting those opportunities without disrupting the wider experience.

Prediction markets are growing, but Chris sees some challenges

With prediction markets attracting considerable attention, Surya asked whether products such as Kalshi and Polymarket could eventually change the entire sportsbook industry.

Chris acknowledged the growing volumes and interest, particularly in the United States.

But he was cautious about treating the US market as a model for the rest of the world.

He explained that Europe, Asia, Africa and the regulated US market operate under different commercial and regulatory conditions.

A product that becomes popular in one market will not necessarily follow the same path everywhere else.

Chris also pointed out that the underlying concept behind prediction markets is not entirely new.

Betting exchanges and binary-style products have existed for years.

What makes some modern prediction platforms different is how they present and structure the experience.

One distinction he highlighted was the player-versus-player model.

In a traditional fixed-odds sportsbook, a player places a bet against the operator.

In many prediction markets, participants trade contracts with other market participants.

That creates different operational challenges.

Liquidity could become a problem for smaller prediction platforms

Chris raised an important issue that can receive less attention than the growth figures surrounding prediction markets.

Liquidity.

Larger platforms may have enough activity to support a wide range of contracts.

But smaller businesses could struggle to attract enough participants for their markets to function efficiently.

Chris explained that some providers attempt to address this by combining liquidity across different operators.

However, pooling activity between businesses can introduce additional financial and operational complications.

He also raised concerns about the risks of trading against other participants, including situations where one side may have better information.

For BETBY, Chris described a different approach.

Rather than relying entirely on a player-versus-player structure, BETBY has developed prediction products using a fixed-odds model.

The operator prices the event, and the customer places a bet against the house.

From the player's perspective, the experience can still involve selecting an outcome, such as yes or no.

But the commercial structure is closer to a traditional sportsbook.

Chris believes this approach can avoid some of the liquidity challenges associated with exchange-style models.

Could fast betting grow faster than prediction markets?

Although Chris recognised the potential of prediction markets, he suggested that another trend could have a greater influence on many sportsbook products.

Fast betting.

He believes shorter betting intervals and more immediate interaction could become increasingly relevant as audiences change.

Examples include markets based on what happens within the next few seconds of a live sporting event.

The opportunity is to make sports betting feel more connected to the action as it unfolds.

That thinking also helps explain BETBY's subsequent product development.

In September 2026, BETBY launched SlotBets, combining real-time sporting events with familiar casino-style mechanics through fast, 15-second rounds. The product builds on the shorter, more interactive betting experiences Chris was discussing during the June interview.

For operators, these formats also create opportunities to introduce sports-related content to players who may be more familiar with casino games.

But Chris emphasised that the technology behind these experiences is important.

Sportsbook providers need flexible APIs that connect with CRM systems, data analytics and other tools.

Operators also need to understand player behaviour and make decisions based on reliable information rather than assumptions.

Faster experiences also raise responsible gambling questions

The discussion about shorter attention spans led Surya and Chris into responsible gambling.

Chris acknowledged that fast-moving digital experiences can create challenges when players are constantly exposed to new notifications and opportunities to interact.

He believes individuals have a responsibility to manage their own activity, but operators also have an important role when players cannot do so effectively.

The level of regulatory protection differs across jurisdictions, and Chris recognised that there is still room for improvement.

This becomes particularly relevant as sportsbooks experiment with faster markets and more frequent engagement.

Operators need to consider not only whether a product can hold a player's attention, but also how it can be offered responsibly.

The same technology that supports personalisation and better customer experiences can also help operators understand when engagement may be becoming harmful.

As betting products become faster, that balance will remain important.

Why BETBY chose Magnus Carlsen instead of a football celebrity

Another interesting part of the conversation was Chris's explanation of BETBY's partnership with chess champion Magnus Carlsen.

Sports betting brands often work with famous footballers and other mainstream sports personalities.

BETBY wanted to take a different approach.

Chris explained that the objective was to choose someone whose personality and achievements reflected the qualities BETBY wanted associated with its brand.

For BETBY, chess represented strategic thinking, planning and the ability to anticipate what comes next.

Those qualities aligned with how BETBY wanted to position its sportsbook business.

The partnership became part of BETBY's Make Your Move campaign.

Chris also pointed to the wider interest generated when BETBY brought leading chess personalities together at an iGaming industry event.

The partnership was not simply about borrowing the popularity of a well-known athlete.

It was about creating an association between the ambassador and BETBY's identity.

Chris also highlighted BETBY's live chess betting offering, which gives the partnership a product connection beyond marketing.

For operators and suppliers considering celebrity partnerships, the example raises a useful point.

A recognisable name can attract attention.

But having a clear reason for the association may make that attention more meaningful.

What stood out to us

1. Sportsbooks are competing with more than other operators. Social media, messaging platforms and digital entertainment are all competing for players' attention.
2. Major tournaments need retention strategies from the beginning. Operators should prepare for what happens after acquisition rather than waiting until the event finishes.
3. Micro-betting reflects changing player behaviour. Shorter betting intervals and real-time interaction could become increasingly important.
4. Prediction markets face different challenges across regions. The US market does not necessarily indicate how these products will develop in Europe, Asia or Africa.
5. Liquidity matters in prediction markets. Smaller platforms may face operational difficulties when they cannot attract enough trading activity.
6. Fixed-odds predictions offer another approach. BETBY's model allows players to select predicted outcomes while retaining the traditional sportsbook structure.
7. Technology and responsible gambling need to develop together. Faster products require better data, integration and appropriate protections for players.
8. Brand partnerships need a clear connection. BETBY's relationship with Magnus Carlsen shows how an ambassador can represent a company's wider positioning.

What made this conversation interesting was that Chris connected changing sportsbook products with something happening far beyond iGaming.

People are consuming entertainment differently.

They are switching between apps, expecting faster responses and interacting with sporting events in more ways than before.

Sportsbooks are trying to adapt through micro-betting, prediction products, gamification and new formats that bring sports betting closer to other forms of digital entertainment.

But the challenge is not simply making every interaction faster.

Operators still need to build experiences that players find valuable, develop retention strategies that work beyond major tournaments and manage those experiences responsibly.

BETBY's approach reflects several of these changes, from its product development to the way it positions its brand.

And as sportsbook content becomes increasingly similar across providers, the differences may come down to how operators use that content and how well they understand the people using it.

If sportsbooks are now competing with every other form of digital entertainment, what will actually make players choose to spend their time on a betting platform?

Episode 66 of iGaming Real Talk, featuring Chris Nikolopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer at BETBY, was recorded at SiGMA Asia Manila in June 2026 as part of The Real Roadshow 2026.

This episode is brought to you by Kensho Media, helping iGaming companies rank higher with SEO since 2008, and Quantum Gaming, providing white-label and turnkey casino solutions for emerging markets.

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