8 Must-Have Features for Modern Sportsbook Platforms

The Continuous Modernization of Sportsbook 

The popularity of sportsbook is undergoing major evolution, projecting to surpass $77.87 billion by 2025. Live betting, the current most popular phenomenon, drives around 67% of the sportsbook revenues yet many platforms see a major drop in the retention rate – mostly due to fundamental or functional reasons.  

From casual punters to seasoned bettors, users today demand more than just odds – i.e. immersive experiences, seamless interface, accessibility ease, security, and more. Well, as the landscape for sportsbook development is taking paradigm shift, the need to understand novel features that are trending for its succession should be considered. 

 Clearly, fueling your sportsbook performance in 2025 and beyond requires operators to have these 8 sportsbook features at the minimum for competitive edge, performance advantages, and overall succession.  

8 Sportsbook Features You Can’t Ignore  

AI-Powered Odds  

Your sportsbook must deliver real-time, intelligent, and accurate odds in speed. But it’s no longer about speed – AI and automation are transforming it completely – optimized for both profitability and engagement.  

 Modern sportsbook betting platforms use machine learning algorithms to generate, adjust, and optimize odds based on live inputs. AI-powered odds intelligently utilize ML models, smart margins scaling on different parameters, bet predictions, and more to offer smarter odds and higher profitability.  

From the geographic orientation, having a platform for sportsbook that cater to local and international audiences with geo-specific sports coverage, regionalized odds, localized market offerings, and cultural relevance enjoy enhanced retention.  

Further, with complete control over betting margins, and live and pre-match synergy across different sports and markets, an AI-powered odds-supportive sportsbook definitely drives higher engagement, longer session time, and lifetime value.  

Sportsbook today utilizes machine learning for lines movement and management that predicts sharp bettor activity before happening, adjusts margins, and auto-balances the book to minimize risks and therefore engages players with higher profitability.  

Live Streaming Engine 

The thrill of placing bets is unfolding with the in-play betting feature – a very vital feature that accounts for a major portion of sportsbook revenues in mature markets.  

Beyond the main feed, multi-source streaming has now become the top trend. Multiple camera angles, exclusive feeds, alternate commentaries, sideline or overhead views, etc., have now become catalysts for user engagement and performance enhancement.  

Dynamic market coverage also has strongly embedded as a driving force for sportsbook business success. While major leagues like NFL, EPL, etc., dominate the market, smaller and regionalized sports drive loyalty by efficiently capturing untapped audience.  

Micro betting has also taken the betting adventure to the next level, driving high volume and rapid turnover. With options like live video feeds, multi-stream viewing, and real-time statistics, instant betting markets have taken a whole new way.  

Ever saw the ‘next point winner’, ‘next 5-minute total goals’, or likewise? That’s the new ideal micro betting that offers users with live and shorter attention spans, ensuring spontaneous response times even under peak loads.  

Multi-Crypto Support 

As online betting has become a global phenomenon, seamless transactions, multi-currency adoption, and cross-border payments have become the basic features to expect in a sportsbook.  

To meet these expectations across Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and beyond – modern sportsbook platforms must utilize multi-currency and multi-payments options. The support for multiple currency wallets in fiats like USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, and local tenders facilitate players to withdraw, deposit, bet, and save in their native currency at zero hassles of conversion – thus building user comfort and trust.  

Additionally, support for cryptocurrencies is equally important as these are taking over the online global payments model. Leveraged with faster transactions, greater anonymity, lower charges, and standardization in acceptance makes it more likeable among bettors today. Thus, crypto betting and wallets feature become a must-have for modern online sportsbook solutions to attract younger and tech-savvy audience.  

Security, not to forget, is paramount as and when the focus is on global payments and transactions. Having global payments tool with built-in tools to monitor exchange rates, auto-convert balances, and maintain regulatory clarity. Th multi-crypto and wallets system offers it all to modern sportsbook websites and platforms!  

AI-Powered Data Analytics  

In the age of content overload, a ‘one-size-fits-all' sportsbook doesn’t work anymore. Expectations for personalized content and user analytics tailored to their interests, regional preferences, and betting behavior have taken the first seat.  

The use of behavioral analytics and AI is dynamically leveraging sportsbook using content personalization to adapt the homepage, recommended markets, etc., based on their past activity, bet types, or more. Modern sportsbooks also fuel by providing users with personalized smart bet suggestions, trending bets, and regional sports prioritization to encourage user activity. 

AI and segmentation tools to assign personalized bonuses, offers, reporting, and progress trackers have now become more than a novelty – an improved analytics system for users that personalizes the progress visuals, tailor the incentives, and keep users active without overspending on business’ promotions.  

Responsible Gambling 

Player protection is just as important as profits. Responsible gambling is not just a legal requirement or a checklist – it’s a driver of user trust, market credibility, and competitive advantage.  

Acquiring the must-have licenses from relevant jurisdictions like MGA, UKGC, Curacao, etc., aids critical legal factors management. For sportsbook business operators, gambling responsibly covers complete users’ verification, anti-money laundering, and geo-fencing protocols. Not only the mandatory KYC checks, but also monitoring of suspicious activities, geographical bypassing, and other reporting becomes easier with the novel responsible gambling system.  

Some undiscussed yet critical factors of responsible gambling for sportsbook that makes it modern, safe, and edgy covers understanding and analysis of data privacy, cryptographic safety, global gambling standardization, self-exclusion protocols, blockchain security, crisis protocols, and much more. A modern sportsbook platform is undoubtedly the one which provides it all in one go.  

Social & Gamification Features  

Interactivity, rewards, value-driven experience, and more – today's sports betting users expect more than just placing bets.  

Modern sportsbooks integrate community-driven and gamification features ranging from live chats during games, group betting pools and interaction, social media integration, influencer partnerships, group or social media challenges, etc., to not only elevate user experience but bonus and rewards strategies too.  

Turning betting into a game or competition has gained sound traction, made possible by leaderboards and tiered rewards systems that covers VIP tiers with exclusive perks for players, weekly challenges, achievement badges, and whatnot.  

Even the inclusion of free-to-play prediction games, fantasy-style contests (build your imaginary team, earn rewards), token-based collectibles (trade player cards for bonuses), etc., can increase the number of sign-ups for businesses in this new age of gamification-focused bets.  

Of course, customer support at every moment of the sportsbook online betting tells your users about the credibility, authenticity, and repute of your platform. AI-powered customer support is the new and most trending feature that a modern sports book must have for prompt operational and technical support. AI chatbots, voice assistance-enabled resolutions, smart tickets routing, etc.  

Tailored player assistance is the next big thing here! Assume how great it would be from a user’s point-of-view to receive notifications like, “you’ve bet 10X today”, “You usually win on NBA overs, try again”, or else. This is how AI for support is driving the responsible gambling nudges, isn’t this interesting?  

AI/ML-Powered Bet Builder  

The online sportsbook betting industry is undergoing a data-driven and AI-powered revolution and bet builders have been the first and most advantaged feature out of it.  

An ideal sports betting solution provides users with a variety of betting options – from simple to complex. With the AI-driven bet builder tools, it is easy to analyze millions of data points and craft higher-profitability and smarter wagers – thus giving operators a competitive edge and higher user acquisition and retention.  

The AI Bet Builder feature for sportsbook platform development uses ML models to predict optimal bet combinations, live odds analysis for value bets identification, and much more. For instance, your AI tools may detect that team A wins 70% of the home games when leading at halftime – thus suggesting the right win bet.  

The bet constructor feature powered by AI has also smartened the parlay recommendations, personalized insights about betting, and game stats analysis. Bet construction from dynamic odds optimization, risk-adjusted suggestions, live adjustments based on in-game events, etc., increases the chance of player success.  

Further, modern sportsbook has become quite efficient to provide learnt insights based on users’ past bets, ‘hidden value’ bet recommendations, and alerts on biases. This comes in parallel with live game state analysis that covers momentum tracking, automated hedging suggestions, etc., to keep the user in profitability and therefore increased bet volumes for bookie platform.  

Omnichannel Compatibility  

While betting on sports, especially live sports, you might not know which device or channel your users would choose to operate on the sportsbook platform – smartphones, laptop, tablet, or else.  

That’s where and why omnichannel sportsbook compatibility comes in as a game-changer for the modern betting segment. An omnichannel sportsbook ensure unified accounts across devices (same wallets, bets, history access, etc.), real-time synchronization of data, and consistent navigation and UX. This feature for modern, scalable sportsbook is important for enhancement of user retention.  

Moreover, the majority of players switch between devices while betting on sport, thus offering true omnichannel experience becomes vital for higher engagement, smooth and uninterrupted cross-device betting. This can eventually benefit businesses in offline mode by local caching – that facilitates players to bet even with poor signals or connectivity.  

Further, for businesses seeking expansion in both online and retail betting landscape, having omnichannel compatibility can already help with the hassle-free migration and extension of your platform across all betting horizons.  

FAQs 

1. What is AI-powered odds management in sportsbooks? 

Sportsbook odds powered by AI uses machine learning to analyze real-time data such as weather conditions, player injuries, betting patterns, and more to adjust odds in less than a second. AI-powered odds calculation and management: 

• Adjusts dynamic margins based on risks assessments  

• Eliminate human errors  

• Automatically hedges against sharp bets  

2. Why is live streaming crucial for sports betting platforms? 

Live streaming has become a popular and most-liked sportsbook feature among punters worldwide. Integrating live betting and streaming features to your sportsbook can benefit in: 

• Enhanced user engagement due to in-play bets  

• Increased session time and frequency of bets  

• Encouraged impulsive micro-bets such as goal, card, next points, etc.  

• Adds value to the sportsbook platform, especially during regional sports and niche league coverages. 

Overall, live betting and streaming = higher user sessions and therefore revenue.  

3. Which payment methods should a sportsbook support? 

A competitive modern sportsbook is one which offers diverse localized as well as international payment options, including: 

• Fiat methods:  

• Credit/debit cards – Visa, Mastercard 

• E-wallets – Skrill, Neteller, PayPal 

• Bank transfers  

• Mobile money 

• Local PSPs or instant banking 

• Local methods – MPesa (Africa), PayID (Australia), etc.  

• Cryptocurrency methods: 

• Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Solana (SOL), etc.  

4. How does gamification improve sportsbook retention? 

Gamification is an important feature for modern sportsbooks that adds interactive elements and user-engaging rewards for enhanced engagement. Adding gamification to your sportsbook drives frequent user visits, makes the platform feel more like a game, thus building habit loops which eventually drive retention and lifetime value.  

It includes features like: 

• Missions, streaks, XP levels in bets  

• Leaderboards, live tournaments, in-play tournaments, etc.  

• VIP tiers, loyalty tiers, badges 

• Mystery bonuses, spin-to-win wheels perks 

• Social betting pools and collectibles, and more.  

5. What’s an AI bet builder? 

AI bet builder is a feature-rich element for sportsbook modernization which help users auto-generate customized multi-leg bets such as total corners, player to score, and match results, etc., on the basis of:  

• Team or player statistics 

• Ongoing market trends  

• Match context  

• Historical user behavior, and whatnot.  

Having AI bet builder for your sportsbook is essential as it: 

• Suggests higher profitability parlays using ML models 

• Personalizes betting tips for players  

• Adjusts momentum shifts for live events, and more.  

6. How does a sportsbook ensure responsible gambling? 

Top-tier sportsbooks incorporate responsible gambling in multiple areas of sportsbook management, such as: 

• Deposits, bet loss, and wager limits setup 

• Self-exclusion and account cooling-off periods fixation 

• Player data, age, and identity verification (KYC) 

• Behavior tracking with AI to prevent problem gambling, etc.  

Sportsbook ensure responsible gambling through: 

• AI monitoring – Flags suspicious and risky behavior  

• Self-exclusion – Temporary cool-offs to permanent bans  

• KYC/AML checks – Transaction screening, age verification, and more.  

7. What’s omnichannel sportsbook compatibility? 

Omnichannel compatibility for sportsbook refers to the platform’s seamless operational experience across – online (desktop, mobile web), native apps (Android, iOS), and retail locations (via kiosks, agents, POS, or other terminals).  

Having an omnichannel sportsbook in modern betting age is important for seamless experience across any device or channel, synchronized offline mode of operations, expanded reach and accessibility, and therefore revenue streams.  

8. Which licenses are needed for a sportsbook? 

Your modern, regulated sportsbook can avail multiple licenses depending on your target market. Prime licenses and regulatory bodies for sportsbook legal management include: 

• Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) 

• UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) 

• Curacao eGaming 

• Isle of Man 

• Kahnawake Gaming Commission 

• Swedish Spelinspektionen 

Additional compliances like AML/KYC, GDPR, and local responsible gaming policies are also mandatory for legal, fair, and smooth sportsbook operations.  

9. Which is the best provider for sportsbook platform? 

The best sportsbook provider is the one that delivers scalability, speed, security, and full customization benefits – and that’s exactly what KodeDice offers.  

Our end-to-end sportsbook and betting solutions are tailored for modern operators who seek to stay ahead in the evolving market of sports betting. We combine:  

• Seamless live sports betting and streaming integrations 

• AI-driven real-time odds management 

• Multi-currency, multi-crypto, and payments support 

• Geo-localized content, sports, payments, etc. coverage  

• Advanced bonus engine and gamification 

• Robust risks management and regulatory aids