5 Star iGaming Media spoke with Yevhenii Ilchenko, Head of Sports at DATA.BET, about building a sports betting powerhouse from scratch, managing peak sporting events, and why flexibility is the key to winning in today’s competitive landscape.

A lot goes into building a high-powered sports betting platform. Why did DATA.BET make the move into launching a sportsbook offering?

Yevhenii: Let me first clarify something important – we’re not building a platform, we’re providing an embedded solution that works within existing platforms. DATA.BET’s expansion into sports betting stems from our technical capacity reaching a maturity level where our esports-proven technologies could be effectively adapted to sports.

Initially, we built our system to handle massive data volumes with exceptional speed and accuracy – capabilities perfectly suited to the complexities of sports betting.

We identified a critical gap: while sports betting is a mature market, many providers still struggle with the data processing efficiency required in today’s high-frequency environments. Without the fragmented, outdated approaches, DATA.BET’s existing infrastructure could fill this gap.

Our Single Page Application  (iFrame) is key here. Rather than forcing operators to replace their entire platform, we plug directly into their existing systems via API or SPA. This means they can enhance their offering without disrupting any operations.

This strategic evolution applies our proven technology to a complementary domain where automation, scalability, and performance create immediate value. It also expands what we can offer partners – more betting content and more value, all within a single integrated solution.

What kind of opportunities does this provide operators? 

Yevhenii: The key opportunity is comprehensive betting coverage across all three verticals – esports, sports, and virtual competitions  – through a single integration that takes just days, not months.

Platform providers and operators integrate once and instantly offer betting to all their clients. Either way, there’s no system overhaul or operational disruption.

What really sets us apart is our performance-boosting features, such as Bet Builder for customizable bets or Pitch Tracker, a 2D visualization map, to keep users informed of every movement, and more analytical tools that significantly increase time spent on-site. These aren’t just add-ons – they’re engagement drivers that help operators create comprehensive experiences where users find everything they need on one page.

We’re constantly developing and enhancing our product for our clients. While competitors stick to mainstream markets, DATA.BET’s team is crafting unique offerings tailored to specific regions and operators.

For example, we have Pesäpallo, Finland’s national sport, in our portfolio, matching the needs of our long-term client. We don’t just cover it, we provide comprehensive content, pre-match data, and betting markets because we understand local preferences matter.

Moreover, we hold official data partnerships across multiple sports data providers to cover a wide range of leagues. Whether an operator needs niche Scandinavian sports, emerging sports tournaments, or hyper-local leagues, we can build a custom content portfolio that matches their exact market demands and geographical focus.

How do you evaluate which sports and leagues to prioritize when entering new markets? What’s your decision-making framework?

Yevhenii: Market entry is both an art and a science, and we’ve developed a comprehensive framework that ensures we’re not just present, but genuinely competitive from day one.

The process starts with deep analysis. We don’t just look at which sports are popular – we analyze betting volumes, player preferences, and competitive landscapes. We study everything from peak betting times to preferred bet types and average stake sizes. This data-driven approach helps us understand not just what to offer, but how to offer it.

Adding new sports and leagues extends beyond simple content expansion – it requires developing the appropriate product strategy. In certain markets, this necessitates prioritizing live betting with comprehensive in-play markets. In other regions, the focus shifts to pre-match accumulators featuring enhanced odds.

Our approach provides the flexibility to test and iterate efficiently. When we identify opportunities in emerging niche sports, we can implement these offerings for specific partners without impacting our broader client base. 

What’s your strategy for handling major sporting events where every operator is competing for the same customers?

Yevhenii: During events like the FIFA World Cup or Super Bowl, the competition is fierce and margins for differentiation are razor-thin. Every operator tries hard to win more users, and micro-advantages can become macro-differences in market share.

Our strategy is built on understanding that one size doesn’t fit all. Everyone offers markets on who wins the FIFA World Cup final, but how you present those markets, what complementary offerings you provide, and how you tailor the experience to specific audiences – that’s where the real competition happens.

For GGBET.ua, our team developed and traded a media football tournament (UA Steel League) exclusively at their request – making us the only ones in the world to deliver this specialized service. This exclusive tune-up demonstrated our ability to go beyond standard market offerings and create a bespoke betting solution that meets specific partner requirements.

We work closely with each partner to develop customized strategies and match their needs, whether that means adapting existing products or pioneering entirely new market categories. 

During peak periods like the World Cup or March Madness, how do you manage team workload and ensure 24/7 coverage?

Yevhenii: Peak periods are when our industry comes alive. Every sport has its crescendo moments, and we need to be ready for all of them. Our operational strategy centers on robust technology infrastructure and intelligent team deployment. We maintain a globally distributed trading team providing 24/7 coverage, supported by advanced automation and AI-powered alerting systems. These models handle routine adjustments while flagging situations requiring human expertise, enabling our team to maintain quality standards even during significant volume increases.

Capacity planning begins months before major events through detailed analysis that identifies both obvious and hidden pressure points. For instance, during the World Cup, while competitors focus solely on match coverage, we prepare for the surge in domestic league betting as casual fans engage with football more broadly.

This preparation reflects our understanding that peak performance is a daily requirement in sports betting. Every week presents its high-intensity moments – a typical Saturday during football season can match the intensity of a FIFA World Cup or UEFA Europa League group stage day. On any given Saturday, our team covers 2,500 matches throughout the day, with peak periods seeing us manage up to 500 matches simultaneously. We’ve built our operations recognizing that excellence cannot be reserved for major tournaments alone; it must be delivered consistently across all sporting events throughout the year.

What’s your vision for where traditional sports betting will be in the near future, and how is DATA.BET preparing for that future?

Yevhenii: This betting vertical is evolving incredibly, and we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. The future isn’t just about offering more markets – it’s about creating experiences that truly engage players in new ways.

What we’re seeing is a fundamental shift in player expectations. They want three jey things – personalization, speed, and customizable bets. Take Player Props, for example – we’re moving beyond simple “will this player score” to complex combinations that let bettors express their deep knowledge of the game. Fast markets are another frontier, this features allows for betting on the next 30 seconds of play with odds that update in real-time based on game flow.

At DATA.BET, we’re investing heavily in technology that can simultaneously handle the complexity of offering many micro-markets while maintaining our performance standards.

We have several innovations currently in development that I cannot disclose at this stage. What I can share is that we’re engineering a technically sophisticated sportsbook solution designed to deliver seamless functionality for our clients.

What’s your biggest operational challenge as Head of Sports, and how are you addressing it?

Yevhenii: Building a sports offering from scratch while the industry evolves at a blistering pace – that’s the challenge that keeps me up at night, and it’s also what makes this job exciting. AI is revolutionizing how we price markets, real-time data processing capabilities are exploding, and player expectations are constantly rising.

Standing still means falling behind. My approach is to think like a chess player and be several moves ahead. We’re not just planning for next quarter or year – we’re building for the future. 

What drives me is the knowledge that we’re not just designing another sportsbook. We’re creating the solution to power the next generation of betting experiences. Every technical decision, feature we develop, and partnership we form serves this bigger vision.

And having a team that shares this vision makes all the difference. The challenges are huge, but so are the opportunities. That’s exactly where DATA.BET thrives.