Bookies have always looked for ways to make betting easier for punters. Take the example of when they went online. This move enabled them to offer their services around the clock to punters from all corners of the earth. Seeing the success of this, they later came up with incentives to attract more punters, including betting sign up offers and loyalty programmes. And now, they are working on adopting emerging technologies to make betting experiences even more engaging. We pay particular attention to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and micro-betting, and how these trends are slowly changing betting as we know it.

The Impact of AI

Everywhere you look, people have found a way to use AI to simplify their work and achieve faster results. Take the example of accounting. With AI tools, accountants are now able to make sense of data within minutes instead of scouring through data sheets for hours. In the same way, bookies have started integrating this technology into their websites in the following ways:

  • Personalizing experiences: Sports betting markets have increased over the years. Not only can punters specialize in a sport, but they can also specialize in specific regions. But the process of sorting through all the markets is often quite time-consuming. That’s why bookies have been adding AI to their sites. These tools are able to study each player’s patterns and understand what markets they prefer. This way, they are able to create shortcuts and offer advice based on these patterns. Punters feel seen and heard, and they also have an easier time locating and placing wagers.
  • Tailoring marketing: Since punters have different wagering preferences and patterns, an ad that works for one person may not work for the other. AI tools are able to analyze punters and group them into different categories based on their spending patterns and market preferences. As a result, punters see ads that relate to them, which makes them more likely to click on the ads as opposed to when they come across general ads. This tactic also favors the bookies as they can spend less on ads and still get high engagement rates.
  • Protecting players: Bookies are using this technology to monitor accounts, both for fraud and problem gambling behaviors. They flag and investigate accounts that meet the criteria for concern and act accordingly. For example, if a player seems to be spending more time or money on wagers, the site staff can reach out to them with problem gambling resources.

It is all about seeing the needs of the individual punter instead of treating them as one of many.

The role of micro bets

Back in the day, people would place wagers on long-term events. For example, if teams A and B were having a match, the betting options would be on the outcomes at the end of the match, such as who won. And while this was great, it left a huge gap in betting options. After all, what if a punter wanted to wager on what would happen immediately after one player got a yellow card? There were so many moments within the matches that were prime for wagers, but punters were unable to capitalize on them; that is, until bookies introduced micro bets. These wagers allowed punters to bet on smaller events within the bigger game, which paved the way for the following:

  • Higher engagement: Imagine watching a match, knowing that your fate will be clear at the end of it. How engaged would you be? You would probably not pay much attention to the small details. But what if you knew that you could wager on things that were happening in real-time? You would find yourself engrossed in the match, unwilling to miss a moment. Many punters have reported enjoying games more when they have the chance to be part of the action as it unfolds.
  • More betting frequency: As expected, the more engaged people are, the more they place wagers. After all, they get the chance to cash in on the wagers as the game unfolds.

In many ways, the micro bets lean into the instant gratification that many people have become accustomed to on social media platforms.

AI in micro bets

By integrating AI and micro bets in their systems, bookies have been able to provide punters with real-time odds. How? Micro bets rely on instantaneous calculations as the odds must be available to punters within seconds to minutes. Such stats are quite hard to calculate if you are relying on humans alone. But by using AI, statisticians are able to run the numbers and come up with odds within the required time, which is often split seconds.