Danil Emelyanov, Head of AI Labs at BETBY, outlines how player trends are expanding beyond just sports betting towards entertainment categories such as Eurovision and the Oscars. Emelyanov also notes how AI can help sportsbooks fine tune their entertainment betting options via its Entertainment Feed solution.

Player behaviour in betting is evolving and, while traditional sports remain dominant, there is a clear shift toward entertainment-driven content. From the US election, which generated massive turnover, to cultural phenomenons like Eurovision that attract increasing betting activity, audiences are showing interest in markets beyond the pitch. These topics may not yet rival the English Premier League in volume, but they represent an emerging trend that BETBY is determined to pioneer.

At the same time, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and large language models have made it possible to process vast amounts of unstructured data — from social media to online forums — and transform it into meaningful, actionable insights. This combination of shifting player demand and advanced AI capabilities set the stage for the Entertainment Feed, an AI-driven solution that has been growing into one of the most innovative tools in iGaming.

At BETBY, we also recognised a powerful behavioural trigger: when users see markets tied to something deeply familiar — their favourite film, series, actor or influencer — they become more excited to place bets because it feels personal. The more content like this we can present, the more engaging and individually relevant the betting journey becomes.

The Birth of a New Category

Traditionally, odds creation has always revolved around sports: team stats, player performance and betting market liquidity. But with the Entertainment Feed, BETBY asked a different question: why stop at sports?

The Entertainment Feed was designed to generate markets around cultural events and social topics, anything from predicting the winner of a reality TV show to guessing which movie would top the box office. It is the first fully automated, AI-based feed in the industry, one that expands the very definition of betting content.

AI agents continuously scan social media, forums and news sources to detect potential betting events. Once identified, secondary AI systems simulate how users might react, creating odds based on predicted engagement. This results in a pipeline of markets that are not only relevant, but often mirror the conversations players are already having in their day-to-day lives.

All in all, the Entertainment Feed is a bridge between betting and entertainment, capable of drawing in new audiences who may not be sports fans but are deeply engaged with cultural trends.

Building Betting With Context

What makes the Entertainment Feed unique is its ability to create odds with context. Unlike manual “special markets” that operators occasionally roll out, this feed is powered by continuous monitoring of online conversations. That means the markets are timely and contextual.

Take TV series as an example. Rather than manually deciding whether to offer bets on a character’s fate, BETBY’s AI can detect spikes in fan theories or leaks around specific plot-lines. It then generates structured, actionable markets with clear settlement criteria. Instead of vague hypotheticals, operators get markets that are both engaging and enforceable.

Overcoming Challenges

Creating such a system was not without obstacles. One early challenge was ensuring settlement clarity. AI can generate hundreds of market ideas, but not all are actionable. To solve this, BETBY developed a dual-agent system: one AI agent proposes potential markets, while another evaluates their quality and discards those without clear settlement criteria.

Fraud prevention was another priority. Entertainment betting is vulnerable to leaks, for instance spoilers for TV shows or movies. BETBY introduced monitoring systems that flag suspicious betting patterns and, when necessary, cancel bets or limit stakes. As the models mature, more of this oversight will be automated, ensuring both fairness and security.

Evolving the Entertainment Feed

At SBC Summit 2025 in Lisbon, BETBY unveiled the latest evolution of the Entertainment Feed. Until now, the system has primarily generated markets. The new enhancement allows it to actively monitor live developments, ensuring that odds remain relevant in real time and settlements can be automated.

Currently, the feed is used by traders as an alerting system. With automation, it is moving toward a fully self-sustaining market creation and settlement engine. This means operators can offer entertainment markets with the same efficiency and reliability as sports betting, but with the added novelty of cultural relevance.

At BETBY, we’re pioneering a model where entertainment markets can be created, updated, and settled automatically. This allows operators to engage players in ways no other supplier can match, especially those who may never have considered betting before.

Acquisition Through Entertainment

More than just another product, the Entertainment Feed is a strategic tool. For operators, it provides a way to engage players who are less interested in sports but eager to interact with social topics, viral trends or entertainment events.

It also helps to maintain betting activity during off-season periods. When sports calendars slow down, entertainment keeps bettors active, ensuring consistent engagement in the platform.

By blurring the line between betting and broader entertainment, BETBY is turning the Entertainment Feed into an acquisition driver, a retention tool and, ultimately, a redefinition of what betting can be. Instead of asking users to adapt to sportsbooks, platforms adapt to them, reflecting their cultural interests in real time.