Conversational sportsbook opens a new frontier in online betting
The online betting sector is preparing for another shift in the user interface. After the move from retail to digital, and from desktop to mobile, the next phase could be the conversational sportsbook. This is a model in which users do not simply browse events, markets, and odds but interact with the platform through chat, a virtual assistant, or AI tools.
The idea is highly relevant to the industry because it would make the betting experience more immediate, more guided, and more aligned with users’ digital habits. Instead of manually searching for a match, opening multiple sections, comparing markets, and building a bet slip, a player could make a request in natural language, for example by asking for the main odds on a match, the options available on an event, or a summary of a selection.
How a conversational sportsbook works
A conversational sportsbook is an interface that allows users to interact with the betting offering through chat. It is not simply a matter of adding a chatbot to customer service, but of rethinking how players discover events, markets, and information.
In this model, chat helps users move around the platform in fewer steps, find a specific event more quickly, and build their bet slip more easily. The experience would therefore no longer necessarily begin with menus, filters, and categories, but with a conversation.
For operators, this approach can make the experience more immediate, especially on mobile, where space is limited, and every additional step can affect platform use. For less experienced users, it can make an offering easier to understand. For more regular users, it can become a fast, personalised search tool.
Why Europe is a mature market
The geography of innovation is a key factor. Europe currently appears to be one of the most relevant environments for developing conversational solutions in betting because it combines an established online market, high user familiarity with mobile devices, and structured national regulatory frameworks.
According to the report “European Gambling Market – Key Figures 2025 Edition” by EGBA and H2 Gambling Capital, in 2024 the online channel accounted for 39 per cent of the European gambling sector’s revenue. The most relevant figure for conversational betting, however, concerns mobile: 58 per cent of online revenue in Europe comes from mobile devices, a share that could rise to 67 per cent by 2029. Chat therefore fits into an increasingly mobile-first market.
From a regulatory perspective, the European Commission highlights its work to support Member States in modernising their national frameworks for online gambling and to promote cooperation between regulatory authorities. This aspect is important because innovation in sportsbooks cannot be separated from the regulatory context in which it is applied.
The mobile sector is also reinforcing this trend. Eurostat reports that in 2025, nearly 9 out of 10 internet users in the European Union accessed the internet via mobile devices, particularly smartphones. It is precisely on mobile devices that a conversational interface can have the greatest impact, as it enables rapid and natural interactions, in line with now well-established habits.
AI and responsible gambling
If a conversational sportsbook uses AI systems, the issue becomes even more sensitive. A chat can simply respond to a request, but it can also guide navigation, suggest markets, or simplify complex decisions. It will therefore be essential to distinguish between assistance, personalisation, and recommendation.
This issue forms part of a European context in which artificial intelligence is subject to increasingly stringent regulation. The AI Act provides for the establishment of regulatory ‘sandboxes’ to test innovative systems in controlled environments, with the aim of promoting legal certainty, regulatory compliance, and innovation. In the betting sector, this approach could prove significant when new interfaces directly impact the user experience and risk management.
Not just a new feature, but a change of model
The conversational sportsbook will not necessarily replace traditional interfaces in the short term. It is more likely to become a new access layer for the sportsbook, integrated with the app, live betting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and support tools.
The real transformation lies not only in the ability to place a bet via chat, but also in the shift from a bookmaker seen as a catalogue of odds to one seen as a digital assistant. For operators, this will pose challenges in both product development and compliance. For regulators, it will mark a new frontier in supervision. For users, it will be a potentially simpler experience, but one that also requires clear rules, transparency, and protection.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 8 July 2026.
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