AI and Human Expertise: Building More Personalised, Differentiated iGaming Platforms

AI has become one of the most talked-about technologies in iGaming, but Betable VP of Marketing Dan Shannon argues that the real opportunity lies in how it is applied and the expertise sitting behind it.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find an iGaming conversation that doesn’t eventually turn to AI. Everyone is talking about it, from platform providers to operators, and new tools and use cases appear constantly. The interest is understandable, and the technology is undoubtedly having a huge impact, but it also means that simply saying you use AI doesn’t tell us very much. 

The more important questions are: What are you using it for? What problem does it solve? What can operators do differently as a result?

That’s where the conversation around AI in iGaming needs to go next. The real value of the technology comes from applying it to genuine pain points and, crucially, combining it with the expertise of people who know the industry. 

At Betable, our approach is to be AI-first while retaining that invaluable operator instinct. 

Start With the Problem

AI shouldn’t be implemented just because the technology exists. There needs to be a clear reason for using it. Data is an obvious example. Operators generate huge volumes of information across their businesses, and the more there is, the more difficult it can be to understand. 

This is a key focus for us at Betable. Our technology can be used to analyse performance data, helping teams get to the information they need without manually working through large volumes of data. The benefit is clear: if an operator can understand what is happening across their business faster, teams have more time to plan and decide what action to take. 

That’s the type of AI application I find much more interesting than adding AI for the sake of saying it’s there. It starts with an operational problem and uses the technology to make something easier. 

Getting Closer to the Player

One of the biggest opportunities AI can offer is for operators to develop a better understanding of their players. Personalisation has been discussed as an ambition in iGaming for years, but delivering genuinely personalised, relevant experiences becomes increasingly difficult as an operator scales. There are simply too many players, behaviours and data points for teams to interpret manually. 

AI can make that information much easier to work with. An operator might have data around deposits, product engagement, player value and wider behavioural metrics. These data points can be useful individually, but bringing them together can provide a much more comprehensive understanding of how players interact with products. 

It’s this understanding that serves as the foundation for better personalisation. It can influence how an operator thinks about CRM, promotions, content or the wider player journey. The important point is that personalisation shouldn’t mean simply inserting a player’s name into a message. It should be about making the overall experience more relevant to how the player actually uses the product. 

Personalisation Should Create Difference

Operators increasingly have access to many of the same underlying components. The same games can appear across multiple brands, similar payment options are widely available, and many businesses are competing for broadly the same groups of players. That makes true differentiation difficult. 

This is where I think the combination of AI, data and a flexible platform becomes particularly interesting. If operators can understand their players in greater detail and have the freedom to respond to that understanding, they have a much better opportunity to create an experience that feels like their own. 

The goal shouldn't be for AI to make every platform smarter in exactly the same way. It should give operators more scope to make different decisions based on their own players, markets and commercial priorities. 

Operator Instinct Still Matters

None of this means handing operational control over to an algorithm. AI is very good at processing information at a scale and speed that people simply can’t match. It can identify patterns, surface useful information and make complex datasets easier to understand. What it can’t do is replace the context that experienced operators bring to the table. 

There may be a perfectly good reason why a particular metric has moved. A promotion may have been running, a major sporting event may have affected behaviour or the operator may be testing a different strategy in a particular market. Someone who understands the business can recognise that context, while AI could miss it completely. 

More importantly, operators need to decide what to do with the information they receive. Technology can support that decision, but commercial judgement, market knowledge and experience still have an important role to play. 

That is why we talk about operator instinct at Betable. AI should strengthen the people running the operation, not remove them from the process.

Giving Operators More Control

For platform providers, this creates a responsibility beyond simply delivering AI tools. There is little benefit in providing an operator with better insights if the underlying platform gives them limited ability to respond to them. 

AI needs to sit within a wider technology environment that operators control over their proposition. Understanding that something could be improved is one thing, being able to make that change successfully is another. 

At Betable, our approach is to combine intelligent technology with a platform designed to give operators flexibility over how they run their business. The operator remains at the centre of that process. 

That becomes particularly important as businesses grow across products and markets. What works for one operator, player group or jurisdiction won't necessarily work for another. AI can help identify those differences, human expertise determines which ones matter and flexible technology gives operators the ability to act.

Beyond the AI Label

We’re still relatively early in our understanding of everything AI will change within iGaming, and the technology will certainly become more capable as time goes on. 

For Betable, being AI first means looking at where the technology can solve real problems, improve understanding and give operators better tools to work with. Operator instinct means recognising that technology is only valuable when it is put in the hands of people who know how to use it.

Bring those two things together and AI becomes much more than another platform feature. It can help operators understand their businesses and players better, make more informed decisions and ultimately create propositions that are genuinely their own.