Andris Backovs, Head of Trading, BETBY.

Every four years, the World Cup becomes the heartbeat of the betting industry. Operators know the stakes: the tournament brings record-breaking traffic, sky-high acquisition, and unprecedented engagement. But what many underestimate is just how decisive trading strategy becomes when the world’s biggest sporting event kicks off.

The truth is simple: in a market as competitive as World Cup betting, operators relying solely on third-party feeds are playing with a handicap. Feeds deliver scale, yes, but scale alone doesn’t win markets anymore. To truly differentiate and maximise margins, operators need in-house trading at the core of their World Cup portfolio.

Flexibility vs. Dependence

World Cup betting is unlike a regular season. Matches run at unusual hours, traffic is global, and bettors want depth across both elite and niche games. Feed-driven sportsbooks often end up offering the same set of markets, at the same prices, with no agility to pivot when demand spikes unexpectedly.

An in-house team changes that equation entirely. By owning both the pricing logic and the risk exposure, operators can respond to shifts in real time. “One-way traffic on a particular line can sink a margin in seconds if you’re dependent on feeds,” notes Andris Backovs, Head of Trading at BETBY. “With in-house control, we don’t wait for an external provider to adjust, we anticipate and move first.”

This agility was tested during the FIFA Club World Cup and CONMEBOL tournaments, when BETBY ran fully on its proprietary models. Despite the involvement of low-tier teams and unstable lines, exposure was kept under control through close cooperation between traders and risk managers. The result? Margins exceeded expectations, proving that in-house control directly impacts profitability.

Exclusive Markets and Localisation

Besides that, third-party feeds also limit creativity. They deliver the same set of markets across operators, which means everyone is competing on promotions and bonuses. In-house trading breaks that cycle by enabling the creation of exclusive, localised markets that resonate with bettors in specific regions.

“Think about a Brazil vs. Argentina knockout match,” Backovs explains. “Every operator will have standard lines on goals, cards, and corners. But what about player-specific props that matter for local audiences? What about markets tied to cultural narratives, such as Messi’s impact on substitutions or Neymar’s fouls drawn? That’s where in-house teams can create emotional, high-engagement betting opportunities that feeds don’t provide.”

But this localisation isn’t just for top-tier matches. Smaller fixtures, such as group-stage matches involving underdogs, often attract sharp local traffic. In this case, in-house traders can price these events with far greater sensitivity, keeping exposure balanced while offering users the kind of depth that turns casual bettors into long-term customers.

From Margin to Market Advantage

However, player acquisition is only half the question. Retention during the World Cup is the true differentiator, and margin control is what makes it sustainable. In-house models, powered by automation but overseen by expert traders, allow operators to adjust margins on specific markets with surgical precision.

Take BETBY’s soccer trading model: built entirely internally, it combines raw data inputs with semi-automated processes to deliver accurate odds faster than feed-based systems. Traders intervene only when necessary, meaning the model runs efficiently while still allowing for human judgment. This not only reduces errors but accelerates time-to-market for new events.

Andris Backovs puts it plainly: “When you own your trading, you own your growth. Every extra percentage point of margin we retain is capital operators can reinvest into acquisition, bonuses, or product innovation. Feeds don’t give you that leverage.”

The World Cup as a Proving Ground

The World Cup is the ultimate test for sportsbook operations: traffic spikes, market volatility, and user expectations collide in a way that exposes every weakness. Operators who rely solely on feeds may survive, but they won’t stand out.

BETBY’s experience with previous tournaments shows the upside of a different approach. Running high-volume competitions with only in-house trading models has proven that exposure can be managed, traffic kept under control, and margins actually improved, even when the fixtures are unpredictable.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the lesson is clear: external feeds are no longer enough. To win bettors’ attention and loyalty, operators must be able to craft differentiated markets, react instantly to traffic, and retain control over every margin point. That’s only possible with in-house trading at the heart of the operation.

Or, as Backovs sums it up: “Feeds give you coverage, but in-house trading gives you an edge. And at the World Cup, the edge is everything.”