TYPES OF SPORTS BETTING EVOLVING
01 October 2026
2026-10-03 -- Live, in-game sports betting has rapidly grown to become a leading driver of revenues and engagement for US sportsbooks, leagues and broadcasters. Betting during live games now makes up more than half of the wagers placed on FanDuel and DraftKings, putting real-time wagering at the core of America's booming sports betting industry.
As in-game betting has exploded, leagues and media partners have worked to capture the revenue stream—allowing ads during games, selling betting-adjacent data to sportsbooks, and create more opportunities to place bets on fast-changing odds.
But there are risks as well. Live sports betting often carries higher take-rates for books, and public-health officials warn that continuous, fast-paced gambling could drive steep financial losses for gamblers, and deepen addiction.
The Data Behind The Booming Revenue Source
Fans and books have come to rely on live sports betting for its ability to boost engagement. Live gambling lets users place a wager after a match has started, with odds constantly updating as play progresses. At top sports betting apps, over 50% of all bets placed in recent quarters have come after play began, executives told Sports Business Journal.
DraftKings and FanDuel have each said live bets made up 52% of wagering over the last year, while Caesars Entertainment reported 60% of its handle during the first two months of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament came in-game. With more than $88.1 billion wagered in 2025, that translates to tens of billions placed live.
For sports and media companies, that shift to live betting has opened new opportunities to drive revenue. Sportsbooks pay licensing fees to authors for the data that underpins those in-game lines, and leagues are increasingly taking a stake in the companies that handle the feeds.
The NBA owns a stake in Genius Sports, which captures much of the real-time betting data for the league. The MLB has an equity stake in Sportradar. Both sports and media providers use lines data to build out betting features as a way to drive engagement and viewership.
Study Finds Increasing Problem Gambling Among Sports Bets
The growing popularity of fast-paced live betting is raising alarms for gambling researchers. Studies have shown sports betting has a higher rate of problem gambling than other forms of gambling, and the "uniquely hazardous" nature of live betting could cause addiction to worsen.
"Contrary to placebo gambling studies, we found that high-frequency sports betting to be particularly risky," said study co-author Dale II, assistant professor of medicine at UMass Medical School. "Rates of problematic gambling were higher among sports bettors than other classes of gamblers."
How Live Sports Betting Works
In-game sports betting allows players to place a bet mid-game, with odds constantly updating.
Sports betting apps offer in-game wagering, allowing betting on games in real-time.
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Live betting requires fast response times from players and bookmakers.
Mistakes, bias and overcorrecting on odds movements can create a bettor's edge in live betting.
Why Even the Pros Can Make Mistakes in Fast-Paced In-Game Betting
Sports betting providers are working to speed up the process of putting together in-game lines. BETBY unveiled a product at the SBC Summit in Lisbon in October, 2026 that centered on live sports slots, allowing 15-second wagering. FanDuel now includes both live streams and live markets in its app, eliminating the need to switch between playing a game and checking out the latest odds.
None of this would be possible without infrastructure improvements from providers on both ends of the bet. One provider, Kambi, has introduced an edge-side processing suite they say can process 90% of bet routing, verification and information distribution before it hits the central betting server.
These improvements can speed up line setting, but the markets are still fast enough to create chances for bettors with quick wits and steady eyes. There's a reason why building strategies for in-game betting is a major focus of success in the sports betting industry, even for the biggest players.
"When it comes to sports betting, strategy plays a crucial role in maximizing your chances of success. Many bettors underestimate the importance of strategy and rely solely on luck, but seasoned sports bettors know that a well-crafted strategy can significantly enhance your odds of winning," says Maxwell Barry, the Managing Editor of Gambling.com.
And of course, mistakes can happen. In the NBA playoffs, even a best-in-class business as FanDuel printed a line error for a No. 1 seed, giving the underdog LA Clippers +20,000 at one point on the money line. Fans took the moneyline over 6,000 times for Canadian dollars in the window of mispricing.
What Happens Next
While the revenue source for in-game sports betting is growing, it's also prompted scrutiny for both its potential perils and potential. Sports betting could be poised for its first regulated helmet-in-play ads with the communication along that process expected to start in 2027. And as the offerings from sportsbooks grow broader, B2B providers are already pushing advanced in-game formats.
BETBY has already been testing in-game betting with Teamcaru, Fanhub and ORIANY, and has ideas on moving from basketball to soccer, golf and baseball. "Our vision is an improved experience that accelerates the process while we continue our mission to unify the iGaming industry under one umbrella, bridging our unified payment system and player data," said Director of Business Development Alex Kazmin. "As we move forward, the goal is to continually refine and optimize our in-game sports retail betting platform, to provide the best gaming experience."
