The sports betting industry is moving towards full automation, with artificial intelligence expected to play an increasingly central role in shaping the market. Speaking to SiGMA News, Boris Chaikin, CEO of SSTrader, an AI infrastructure for the sports betting industry, outlined how automation is beginning to reshape both the player experience and the operator side of the business.
The AI sports betting market is projected to reach $29.7 billion by 2032. As Chaikin put it: “Sports betting has been a very technology-intensive industry over the last 25 years, since we started playing online. It is therefore no surprise that we are now quick to find ways to adopt AI and search for an edge in this technology – both for operators, players and beyond.”
According to Chaikin, the growing scale of betting options and events has created a demand for more sophisticated tools. “The exponential growth of betting options, patterns and events constantly calls for better and faster technology in analysis, prediction modelling and bet placement. With Palms Bet, we’re proving how AI can move from theory to market reality — real bettors are now experiencing personalised insights in real time,” he said, referring to the Bulgarian sportsbook that has partnered with SSTrader to launch the world’s first fully AI-driven platform.
Personalisation and automation
One of the most pressing challenges for the industry, Chaikin argued, is delivering tailored experiences to customers. “You hit the nail on the head – end-customers are struggling with the lack of personalisation in sports betting since this is something they’re already widely used to in most of their other online activities – search, socials, etc. Sportsbooks seem to be lagging behind in this aspect, and this is something which we at SSTrader have managed to address with our in-house models and AI technology.”
He suggested that automation could soon cover a significant proportion of sportsbook operations. “AI technology can assist in a lot of operational areas – odds compiling, risk management, boosted markets, bet suggestion, etc. Most of that tech is still fairly new, so I expect it to gradually affect about 30-40% of operations in the next few years.”
The company is already experimenting with a customer-facing AI layer. “At this stage, we have focused on creating a front-end customer-facing AI layer – delivering 24/7 customised analysis, predictions and bet suggestions, based on our in-house machine learning and AI-powered metrics such as expected goals, attack power, defence power, etc.”
Chaikin believes the benefits go beyond engagement. “For operators, the benefits are just as significant — AI not only boosts engagement and retention by giving customers a tailored betting journey, but also improves efficiency behind the scenes. Next, we will present AI-generated player props, as well as risk management and odds tools for the bookmakers’ back office operations.”
Accuracy and risks
Asked about the differences between AI-driven predictions and traditional methods, Chaikin stressed the objectivity of machine learning systems. “AI has no sentiments, it doesn’t really care about your preferences – its heart is as cold as ice. The power of machine learning, coupled with AI, is immense – speed and depth are unrivalled, while accuracy is constantly improving due to the built-in self-learning and self-improving mechanisms – it’s like Newton, Einstein and Hawking on steroids.”
But he acknowledged that the technology still carries limitations. “While I am an obvious supporter and massive fan of the technology, we need to take into account the fact that it’s still relatively novice and unpolished. We’re all familiar with the issue of hallucination (which at SSTrader we have drastically minimised), and we’re yet to explore both the full potential and the drawbacks and hiccups of the technology. At this stage, I would not leave it unmonitored.”
On regulation, he expects scrutiny to increase. “We are still a few major steps away from full automation of all processes. I expect regulators to seriously engage on this once automation reaches core trading functions — likely within the next 2–3 years.”
Betting the future on AI infrastructure
Chaikin has built his company around the conviction that artificial intelligence will transform sports betting. SSTrader was founded as an AI-first infrastructure provider, a direction underlined by its latest integration with Altenar, which powers hundreds of sportsbooks worldwide.
The integration of SSTrader’s systems with Altenar, a platform powering hundreds of sportsbooks, could alter the competitive landscape. “Altenar have once again shown their appetite and instinct for innovation! This integration puts them a step ahead of other competitive sportsbook providers, although the AI infrastructure and products we build are open to use by all providers, operators and competitors alike.”
Chaikin argued that AI-driven personalisation is no longer optional and dismissed the notion that AI adoption is only vital for smaller companies. “Why only smaller ones? I believe AI-powered personalisation is a must, and slow adopters take a serious punt on the future of their business.”
Full automation on the horizon
For Chaikin, the next five years will be decisive. “Now we can talk full automation. In 5 years, I believe we can expect real, solid, fully automated, extremely personalised sportsbooks.”
He suggested the future lies beyond simple predictive tools. “Next in line are player props, broader coverage of sports and leagues, as well as development of risk management and trading tools. As I mentioned, we are not so much of a black box product company but rather a company delivering AI infrastructure for broader use. I would be very curious to see what others build using our data and APIs – we’re open to any collaboration ideas, realising that we should not be keeping the technology to ourselves.”
The impact of this shift could be profound for players as well as operators. “I would say this will fine-tune the relationship between bookmaker and client – putting it on a very personalised foundation – to the extent that each client will practically access their very own sportsbook. Personalisation can be applied to promote responsible gaming —spotting risky patterns early, tailoring safer play limits, and supporting healthier betting behaviours. AI doesn’t just deepen engagement, it can also reduce harmful play.”
