We sat down with Otto Bonning, Head of Sales at DATA.BET, to understand the vision behind their expansion from esports dominance into sports, and what this evolution means for operators worldwide.

Why did DATA.BET choose to expand from esports into traditional sports?

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Otto: It’s a natural evolution for us. Over the past three years, we’ve built exceptional performance in esports for our clients, and now we’re ready to bring this expertise to the broader market. We have around 150 trading professionals, time-tested models, and proven capabilities – it only makes sense to expand our product offering. This isn’t just an add-on, it’s the next revolution in DATA.BET’s history.

What market gaps led you to develop a unified solution for these betting verticals?

Otto: The market lacks robust sportsbook solutions. Most operators face a choice: either sign up for a complete platform that includes everything from casino to payments, or piece together multiple providers. We identified a massive opportunity for our high-quality, plug-and-play solution that works seamlessly whether you’re a betting operator or a platform provider.

To meet this market demand and ease the integration journey, the DATA.BET team developed a Single Page Application (SPA or iFrame). Its key strengths lie in its flexibility, deep customization options – both visually and technically – and seamless integration.

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For casino operators, it’s a simple solution to add quality betting without creating additional pain. It is as simple as adding a new game provider and can be completed in under a month. For betting operators and platform providers, it’s not only an addition of high-quality traditional sports, but also premium esports coverage that will help them earn more. This is a convenient option because they can connect our Odds Feed via API, or our SPA (iFrame) to their platform.

We’re offering a high-quality, personalized solution that really works for both operators and platforms. The achievements that made us a top esports provider – performance, reliability, and ease of integration – now apply to our complete sportsbook offering.

How does DATA.BET differ from competitors when handling both esports and traditional sports?

Otto: Three key differentiators set us apart. First, our technical foundation is built by developers who excel at creating technically complex solutions that are actually easy to integrate and scale for clients. No headaches, just steady performance day after day.

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Second, we don’t just provide odds – we create them. Our in-house trading team combined with our data scientists and sophisticated algorithms, delivers consistent, high-performance margins across all sports. We work with official data sources, and our models are continuously tested and improved. This ensures we provide the best coefficients and quality feed.

Third, our betting product suite is comprehensive. Just like with esports, we’re bringing Bet Builder, Widgets, Video Streaming, and full functionality to sports and virtual. It’s not about having separate systems – it’s one unified, high-performance solution powered by our technical expertise, official data, and data science capabilities.

What problems do clients typically face before switching to DATA.BET?

Otto: Integration nightmares are, unfortunately, common in our industry. What we wanted to do was make one product and make it exceptionally high-quality from a technical standpoint, so that integration becomes seamless.

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If you’re a casino operator, you can be up and running within 10 days. For B2B integrations, we’ve seen major platforms go live in just five weeks.

Our partnership with NuBet is a great example – they chose us for our broad market coverage, fast and seamless user experience, and a strong feature set, including Bet Builder, Video Streaming, and detailed in-game Widgets. The integration was smooth and collaborative, with both teams working hands-on. As NuBet noted, feature delivery has been rapid, feedback is valued, and issues are resolved promptly, without being left hanging.

The key to success is our integration team – they work around the clock and take an extremely bespoke approach to each client. When our partners are ambitious to go live quickly, we make it happen. The speed ultimately depends on the their readiness, but we remove all the traditional technical barriers from our side.

How do you adapt your solutions for different markets, particularly emerging regions like LatAm?

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Otto: Regional differences are significant, from sports preferences to regulatory requirements. Take Brazil, for example. It’s heavily football-focused, which is why we’re enhancing our football content and securing official data rights for major leagues, including the Brazilian Série A  and other Latin American competitions.

But here’s what’s interesting: esports ranks among the top three most popular betting categories in Brazil. Since we know how to do esports, combining that with top-tier football coverage creates a perfect solution for the LatAm market. We’re not just translating our product – we’re building it specifically for these markets.

What’s your approach for operators using separate providers for esports and sports?

Otto: We focus on demonstrating superior performance in specific areas. While we respect operators’ existing relationships with other providers, we can showcase our strengths in particular sports and esports disciplines. We’re exceptional at basketball and table tennis, for instance. Our models in these areas consistently outperform the competitors’.

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The key is showing operators that consolidating with DATA.BET simplifies their operations and improves its margins and player experience. We work within the frameworks of our partnerships while finding ways to add value that others can’t match.

What’s particularly valuable is feedback from clients who initially were signed for esports, then also expanded to sports, and saw better performance than they had with their previous supplier.

What betting trends are you most excited about, and how is DATA.BET preparing?

Otto: The continued growth of live betting is transforming our industry. Players demand more engaging, responsive experiences – everything needs to happen in real-time. This is where our esports heritage gives us an advantage. Esports taught us that speed, accuracy, and synchronization are non-negotiable.

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We’re building products where odds and game statistics visualization are timely matched. There’s no tolerance for a broken streaming feed with 30-second delays while odds update faster – that ruins the betting experience. Our unified approach ensures everything works together seamlessly. Widgets, Video Streaming capabilities, extensive markets – all synchronized and working as one cohesive system.

What’s the core message you want operators to understand about DATA.BET?

Otto: Simple: Betting that works. Stress-free, hassle-free, high-performance.

We deliver a fully functional, customizable sportsbook solution that adapts to your needs. Want to launch a new brand? Easy. Expanding to new markets? We have templates ready. Need to change your entire look and feel? It’s just a few clicks.

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Our promise is steady performance, day after day, with all the tools you need to succeed. In an industry full of complexity, we’re the solution that works.

DATA.BET continues to expand its presence globally, with particular focus on emerging markets in Europe and Latin America. Their unified sportsbook solution represents a significant evolution from their esports roots, bringing the same performance-driven approach to traditional sports betting.

The appointment of the experienced executive signals a new chapter for the global betting brand, focusing on long-term strategy, market expansion, and industry leadership.

1XBET, the global gaming and technology brand, today announced the appointment of Simon Westbury to the role of Strategic Advisor. This move underscores the company’s commitment to appointing industry expertise to steer its next phase of global growth.

With over a decade of board-level experience in iGaming, Westbury will advise the 1XBET leadership on its international strategy, guiding sustainable entry into new markets and shaping the brand’s approach to key industry initiatives. His track record in driving strategy across B2B, sports, and media operations will be instrumental in executing the company’s long-term vision.

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Commenting on his new role, Simon Westbury stated: “What truly drew me in was the leadership’s clear and ambitious vision for the future of the 1XBET brand. It’s rare to see a company with this scale and global presence so committed to a new phase of strategic evolution. My role is to act as a bridge, providing the guidance and structure needed to help the team channel their ambition into sustainable, long-term success. I’m genuinely looking forward to helping shape this new chapter.”

Quote from 1XBET Company Spokesperson: “We are delighted to welcome Simon Westbury to the 1XBET team. His appointment comes at a pivotal moment as we continue our global growth strategy. Simon’s unparalleled industry expertise in operational processes, combined with his profound understanding of the broader industry landscape and its stakeholders, will be invaluable. We are confident that his strategic guidance will be instrumental in navigating new market entries and addressing the evolving challenges and initiatives within the sector. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to strengthening our leadership team with seasoned experts who can drive our long-term vision and solidify our position as a forward-thinking industry leader.”

The appointment marks a deliberate step in 1XBET’s strategy to reinforce its global footprint. Bringing in an external advisor of Westbury’s calibre highlights a clear focus on continuous improvement, change management and the ambition to set new industry benchmarks.

His advisory role is effective immediately.

Provider’s flagship real-money virtual football management game launches with iconic betting brand

Playbook Fusion, the pioneering new studio that combines the worlds of sports betting and video gaming, today announces that its flagship Playbook Football™ is now live in the UK with Ladbrokes.

Ladbrokes customers are the first to experience Playbook Football™, a unique, real money virtual football management betting game that enables players to build their own team, place bets, receive in-game rewards, climb divisions and compete on leaderboards.

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Playbook Football™ is delivered via Playbook Fusion’s proprietary RGS platform and supported by Playbook Fusion’s exclusive distribution partner, Games Global. The launch follows the recent announcement of Playbook Fusion’s licence from the UK Gambling Commission and certification with eCogra.

Steve Rogers, Founder and CEO at Playbook Fusion, said: “Playbook Football™ is here to change the game for sportsbook operators, and we are thrilled for it to debut in the UK with Ladbrokes.

“Uniquely, we have developed a gambling product that marries the skill, team building and persistence of video gaming with the opportunity to place bets. With Playbook Football™ players have control over the teams they build and can use skill and strategy to improve team ratings over time – it’s like nothing else on the market and sits in a category of its own.

“We look forward to working with the Entain team to engage players and deliver the interactive, strategy-led football betting experiences that we know they are now seeking.”