After the launch of BetVision for Basketball, Matt Stephenson, Global Partnerships Director at Genius Sports tells SBC why the sport is the ideal hub for in-play innovation, and what it takes to deliver a new standard of live betting UX.

New age of in-play
Competition among sportsbook operators has never been fiercer. Operators are turning to everything from price boosts to rewards and UX differentiation in order to build customer loyalty. Yet at the same time, they are competing with media and entertainment platforms for fan attention, a prized asset in today’s crowded digital economy.

Basketball fans now expect more and more – from instant updates to fast betting opportunities, and crucially, the ability to connect to every moment of the live action. They want interactivity, rather than just a passive way to engage. But while in-play basketball betting is booming – with 24/7 global coverage and thriving popularity of fast markets and player performance – there is plenty of room for growth in the live basketball UX.

Rather than tracking game and player stats via third-party apps and social media, what if your customers could browse relevant data directly within a live stream on the sportsbook app? What if you could contextually serve markets like First Half Race to 20, and Player Points Totals, that relate to every play?

Thanks to huge recent data and technology developments in the world of basketball, these immersive betting experiences are totally possible from today.

Basketball is a perfect fit

Basketball is a sport defined by speed: frequent scoring, constant substitutions, and momentum shifts that can flip a game in seconds. This means in-play betting markets update rapidly with every play. Breaks in play are minimal, which creates virtually endless opportunities for micro-betting.

At the same time, research shows 48% of 18-34 year-old European sports fans want more on-screen stats and overlays, while 40% of fans globally say consolidating all content in one place is the main reason they select to use a sports app.

This is the perfect environment for BetVision. By merging live streams, stats and in-play betting into one integrated live betting experience, BetVision is reimagining in-play basketball engagement. When fans are watching a 12–2 run unfold in a BNXT or B-League game, it surfaces contextual market recommendations within live stream, with the micro-markets that align perfectly with the rhythm of the game. From the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, every possession becomes a potential engagement point.

Research shows that micro-betting could generate more than $1.1bn in revenue in the US alone in 2025, and in 2030 could be responsible for more than 10% of all sports bets. With worldwide engagement, these basketball markets present sizeable opportunity.

With the global basketball season upon us, BetVision’s functionality allows bettors to watch live streams and place these bets inside the same experience. They can browse relevant player stats, track ongoing bets, and even tap-on individual athletes to display the latest props markets. Across 86 basketball leagues, it’s designed boost in-play entertainment in ways that customers want.

Today’s user expectations

It’s no secret that traditional streaming services in sports betting have left plenty to be desired. With frequent lags between the footage and odds, many solutions simply bolt video onto betting interfaces. But today’s basketball fans expect so much more.

They want contextual and personalised experiences – the kinds delivered by Netflix, Spotify, Amazon and other entertainment giants. Many operators now look towards the media and entertainment sectors for UX innovation. For years, sportsbooks have searched for a way to replicate the ‘Netflix’-style approach. BetVision brings in-play basketball betting, and streaming, into this modern media landscape.

It unifies all the elements of modern fan consumption into one fully immersive, single-screen viewing experience. This includes player performance data. Stats on rebounds, assists, blocks, all the way to steals and fouls, are fundamental to how fans understand basketball.

It’s true integration – BetVision connects low-latency basketball streams seamlessly with real-time odds, team and player statistics, and the operator’s betslip. This is a platform built to meet fans where they already are: delivering immediacy, interactivity, and seamless engagement.

Beyond legacy streaming

Legacy streaming platforms have long promised added value but delivered a disjointed, sub-par experience. Beyond the delays between odds and video that break immersion, many interfaces feel clunky compared to the sleek experiences fans now expect from modern entertainment. This has led to a world where streaming hasn’t been able to drive measurable value for operators.

BetVision rewrites that script. Across sports like football and the NFL, the solution has already proven what this model can do. Many operators are benefiting from a 3x increase in average bet size and a 2x boost in in-play turnover, while bettors are spending twice as long in-stream. For some operators in Europe and North America, one-third of BetVision wagers are placed on prop markets, demonstrating the appetite for deeper interactivity.

By presenting odds, data, and video in real time, BetVision eliminates friction. By embedding betting functionality directly within the stream, it transforms passive viewership into active interaction. Keeping users engaged for longer is key for operators looking to build brand loyalty, grow share of wallet and ultimately deliver better margins over time.

Pioneering in-play basketball

This launch isn’t a one-off experiment. Genius Sports has been a pioneer in in-play basketball innovation for more than two decades. BetVision is the latest step in that journey, building on years of leadership in trading technology, data capture, and interactive broadcasts.

With a long-term partnership with FIBA, and the recent rollout of its GeniusIQ-powered tracking data, Genius Sports has long worked to drive basketball to new heights.

With basketball added to the BetVision roster, we’re extending its reach across one of the world’s most dynamic sports. From Serie A and Ligue 1, from the NFL to the B.League, BetVision is becoming the future of sports betting. It’s a huge step forwards for in-play basketball betting.

Making every moment matter

As sports fans demand growingly interactive and contextual experiences, operators who embrace the new world of live basketball engagement will gain an edge.

Basketball fans want player performance, and they want the ability to interact as they watch games. Augmented reality and data overlays in sports broadcasts are now commonplace. By eliminating the friction of switching devices or apps for statistics and betting markets, BetVision allows bettors to engage continuously without ever leaving the live streaming player.

AI personalisation is reshaping content delivery across digital entertainment. For sportsbooks, the same technology now allows the delivery of micro-markets, stats and in-play betting markets in a highly-contextual way.

BetVision for basketball matches the next-generation of user expectations. It solves pressing UX and retention challenges for operators, while meeting the shifting demands of modern fans. In doing so, it marks a turning point in how sportsbooks think about live streaming, in-play betting, and customer engagement.

In a market where loyalty is fragile and differentiation is vital, BetVision offers both. And that could make all the difference this season.