Sportsbook Catalogue Model Strains Under AI-Driven Market Expansion

The traditional grid presentation of sportsbooks faces limits as AI trading systems expand the volume and variety of available bets. Bookmakers have improved interfaces and navigation over the past decade, yet the core model persists as a static catalogue of pre-set events and markets that players must scan and select from.

That structure suited a more finite offer. Bet Builder, player props and live betting have since multiplied the options, driven by demand for personalised, moment-specific and combinable wagers. During the FIFA World Cup 2026 final alone, Kambi processed more than one million unique bet combinations. The scale demonstrates both existing demand and the ceiling of the current catalogue approach.

AI Trading and Network Data Enable On-Demand Market Creation

Advances in trading and risk management now allow complex markets to be created, priced and managed at volume. Kambi’s AI-powered trading system, live since the 2022 World Cup, combines the company’s data advantage with automation to generate relevant opportunities at speed. The firm’s network processes more than 1.5 billion bets annually from millions of active players.

This infrastructure has produced measurable gains. Over the past year the proportion of live bets accepted with zero-second delay across the Kambi network rose from 0% to 48%, resulting in more than 20 million additional live bets accepted annually. The combination of real-time pricing, risk controls and network intelligence supports responsiveness without compromising accuracy.

From Static Lists to Intent-Responsive Experiences

The article in iGaming Future by Erik Lögdberg, Chief Product Officer at Kambi, argues that simply adding markets to the existing grid will not resolve the mismatch. Instead, the sportsbook must shift toward a responsive layer that surfaces opportunities based on expressed player intent around outcomes, players, moments or combinations. Incentives would embed directly into these experiences rather than function as separate promotions.

Discussion at SBC Summit Lisbon highlighted industry concern over a perceived plateau in sportsbook innovation. Lögdberg counters that AI trading, automation and on-demand creation signal the opposite direction: the grid becomes less central while intelligent interfaces, backed by disciplined risk management, take precedence. Operators that align with this trajectory stand to improve engagement and conversion.

Reporting: iGaming Future

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