2026 has been something of a rollercoaster, and we’re less than halfway through. As competition heats up and the jockeying for position continues, BETBY is continuing to demonstrate how to stay ahead of the game.
Among the many headlines witnessed, prediction markets have certainly caused quite a stir, we are days away from the world’s biggest sporting event and the conundrum of how to effectively take inspiration from social media brands continues to puzzle many.
In the short-term, this is exactly where the software provider has set its sights. A strategy that is tasked with delivering sustained long-term success and market leading status.
In conversation with SBC News, Sales Manager Trevor Johnstone elaborates on just how BETBY is embracing social media features, why the time is now for an entry into prediction markets, if a potential regulatory clampdown is causing concern and what is in store for the FIFA World Cup.
How to engage beyond sports
Prediction markets have taken the industry by storm in recent times, and, similarly with numerous trends, a scramble to achieve a leading position has been witnessed.
BETBY is certainly no exception to this, with the launch of the first fixed-odds prediction market solution. BETBY Predictions represents a natural evolution of the sportsbook experience, as the core principles of betting are applied to worlds beyond sport.
“It really comes down to timing and where the industry is actually heading,” Johnstone notes on why now was deemed to optimal time to enter the space.
“Prediction markets are starting to emerge, and it is actually the new big vertical beyond traditional sportsbook.
“At the same time, there is going to be a huge interest in crypto, finance, tech, entertainment, and global events. If we had to look at it from an operator side, there is a clear need for users to engage twenty-four/seven and not just when it is the sports season.
“In creating the prediction market, it feels like it is the natural evolution that we’ve had to take in order to keep up with the market and be leaders.”
Simplicity is the name of the game for BETBY. Ensuring a significant degree of consistency is critical in ensuring that users can feel familiar despite this representing a new product.
BETBY Predictions is simply specified and built mainly for a sportsbook, as Johnstone notes that the company will not be taking it anywhere close to a trading platform.
“From the operator side, it’s easy to scale because there’s no need for market changes or liquidity pools,” he continues. “We also have a dedicated prediction section, which is highly visible on our page.
“It’s not hidden, and obviously it’s very easy for the users to find and use.”
Prediction markets: certain success or destined for failure?
Despite the optimism that remains across the industry, significant question marks remain over what the future holds for the prediction-based model.
Regulators are becoming aware and security is increasing on a global scale, with a number of jurisdictions having restricted or even banned these platforms.
“Our approach is to stay proactive and responsive,” Johnstone remarks when pressed on any potential worry that this trend of clampdowns could continue.
“We have put internal safeguards in place around the type of markets that we’ve created. For example, we avoid anything that involves conflict, wars, human suffering or anything like that.
“We do use AI to actually create the trends. For Tier-1 and Tier-2 operators, they have the ability to ask us to create markets for them, but we still have the human element team that has to review it in order to make sure that it is safe and in the best interest for the users.”
Seeking social inspiration
Furthermore BETBY is also adapting to modern player behaviour trends, in particular the way users interact with a number of social media platforms.
The Stories feature introduces a more modern, familiar, intuitive way for bettors to discover and engage with content directly within the sportsbook interface.
This swipeable, quick consumption format aims to make promotions, key events, and odds boosts more visible and easier to engage with.
Johnstone elaborates by noting that it is crucial that the industry continues to take inspiration from other sectors that will be incredibly familiar with players.
“Users today expect digital experiences that feel like the platforms that they are already using, whether it’s social media, streaming services, or other entertainment apps,” he says.
“Sportsbooks and betting aren’t just competing with other sportsbooks anymore. They are competing for attention from other platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
“Stories adopts a familiar UX pattern that helps lower the learning curve and makes the experience a lot more easier for users to actually use and engage on the platform.”
Keeping World Cup engagement high
Elsewhere, a huge opportunity sits mere days away. The largest sports event in the world also represents the biggest bracket ever witnessed at a FIFA World Cup.
As many interested parties plot their tactics to maximise the impact of the tournament, for BETBY this is all about focusing on the overall experience, rather than just the increase in volumes.
“We’re looking at the market comprehensively, everything from outright to player props to advanced stats,” Johnstone concludes.
“We’re also building a dedicated World Cup hub in our sportsbook where users can access stats, fixtures, results, insights, all in one place.
“We’re keeping the engagement high throughout the tournament with things like our eWorld Cup simulator during off hours to keep users interactive.
“We’ll also have integrated our prediction markets to add another layer beyond the matches themselves.
“We are basically going to use AI-driven personalised information in order to play a big role in curating content and betting for individual users, and operators will be able to customise their offerings.”
