Genius Sports (NYSE: GENI) co-founder and CEO Mark Locke believes the U.S. shift toward in-game wagering could unlock a major growth engine for the company and the wider sports betting industry.
Speaking Monday at the Goldman Sachs Communicopia + Technology Conference in New York, Locke highlighted that live betting penetration in the U.S. remains far behind mature markets like the U.K. — leaving a wide runway for expansion.
“The opportunity is absolutely massive,” Locke said during a conversation with analyst Benjamin Miller. “In the U.K., between 60% and 80% of all bets are placed in play, and the margins are much higher. In the U.S., that figure is closer to 30%–35%.”
That gap underscores significant upside for operators and data providers like Genius and rival Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD). Both companies play a central role in powering sportsbooks with the live data needed to support in-game and microbetting markets.
In-Game Betting: High Margins, High Value
European betting markets have long proven the profitability of live wagering, especially in slower-paced sports such as soccer. Locke noted that in-play bets not only drive higher operator margins but also fetch a premium for data providers.
“From our point of view, we also get paid roughly 3x the amount because the data is more valuable on those in-play games,” Locke said. “So as sportsbooks shift toward live betting, margins go up — and our data revenue compounds.”
Sportsbooks are incentivized to invest in such data because in-game bettors typically wager more than those who only place pregame bets.
BetVision: Genius’s Next Growth Driver
Locke also spotlighted BetVision, Genius’s interactive streaming product that integrates live sports viewing with betting. For example, DraftKings or FanDuel users can watch an NFL game on their mobile app and place wagers directly within the stream.
BetVision is a core feature of Genius’s expanded partnership with Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, first established in 2021. Under the new terms, Hard Rock gains access to the platform.
“BetVision becomes the interface for fans to engage with the game and the sportsbook,” Locke explained. “They’re placing bets, watching live action, seeing advertisements — it’s a complete user experience.”
With live betting on the rise in the U.S. and interactive platforms like BetVision gaining traction, Genius Sports is positioning itself at the heart of one of the industry’s most lucrative growth trends.
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