DATA.BET Reports Sharp Esports Growth in Q1 2026, Expands Into Prediction Markets

DATA.BET posted a sharp rise in gross gaming revenue and turnover from its esports betting product during the first quarter of 2026, the sportsbook solutions provider confirmed during an interview at iGB L!VE. The growth builds on years of momentum in a vertical the company considers its core strength, with head of sales Otto Bonning calling esports “our heritage” for the Limassol, Cyprus-based supplier.

The Q1 numbers arrive as esports betting continues to expand into a legitimate revenue driver for operators looking beyond traditional sports calendars. Once treated as a side product bolted onto conventional sportsbooks, esports wagering has steadily built its own dedicated audience of bettors who follow competitive gaming leagues the same way traditional bettors track the NFL or NBA. DATA.BET’s esports catalogue spans more than 30 competitive titles across tiers one through four, including major games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Valorant, and League of Legends, delivered through an odds feed, iframe SPA, bet builder, and live streaming widgets.

Prediction Markets Enter the Mix

Alongside the esports growth, DATA.BET has rolled out the first version of a standalone prediction markets product that operators can bolt onto their existing sportsbook offering. Bonning was direct about why the company felt the timing was right. “If you don’t have prediction markets added into the sportsbook today, I think you’re losing out a bit,” he said, adding that platform providers increasingly need the vertical as a baseline offering rather than a bonus feature in an industry where prediction-style contracts have become one of the fastest-growing conversation topics at conferences worldwide.

The initial version of the product steers clear of traditional sports markets entirely. Instead, it focuses on political outcomes, weather events, and other non-sports categories — a deliberate choice, according to Bonning, who indicated the company isn’t ready to cross into sports-based prediction markets just yet. That caution reflects the regulatory uncertainty still surrounding sports-linked prediction contracts in several jurisdictions, where questions about how these products should be classified and licensed remain unresolved. A second version that could expand the scope is reportedly already under consideration for later in the year, which would bring DATA.BET’s prediction markets closer to the sports-adjacent contracts already offered by some rivals in the space.

Betting on Diversification

The prediction markets launch fits a broader pattern of diversification for DATA.BET, which built its reputation as an odds feed provider before expanding into a full sportsbook solution covering more than 90,000 monthly events across traditional sports, esports, and virtual sports. The company’s trading team maintains market uptime above 90% and has emphasized player props and live betting coverage as it prepares for a busy back half of 2026, including the FIFA World Cup — an event Bonning and DATA.BET’s leadership have flagged as a major opportunity given the overlap between soccer fandom and esports audiences, particularly in markets where EA Sports FC and other football-adjacent titles already draw heavy betting volume.

Geographic expansion is also part of the strategy. Bonning pointed to continued growth in Latin America as a priority market, alongside newer pushes into Africa and Asia — regions where esports betting and full sportsbook solutions are still maturing and where suppliers with established odds infrastructure have room to grow. DATA.BET has already signed partnerships with operators across multiple continents to expand its footprint, leaning on its combination of odds feed technology, in-house trading expertise, and streaming capabilities to win over operators seeking a single supplier for both classic sports and esports coverage rather than juggling multiple vendors.

What It Means for Bettors

For bettors, the prediction markets trend reflects a wider shift already visible across the U.S. market, where sports odds platforms and operators have increasingly experimented with event-based and outcome-based wagering beyond the scoreboard. As more suppliers add these products into their standard sportsbook packages, operators offering sportsbook promo codes and expanded markets may find prediction-style betting becoming a standard menu item alongside moneylines and spreads, giving casual bettors more ways to engage with news events, awards shows, and other outcomes that fall outside traditional sports betting lines.

Esports betting itself has followed a similar arc from niche to mainstream over the past several years, with growth tracking alongside the same audience that fuels daily fantasy sports apps and prop-heavy betting products. Younger bettors in particular have shown a preference for markets tied to competitive gaming and granular player props, a trend suppliers like DATA.BET have been quick to capitalize on with dedicated esports infrastructure rather than treating the vertical as an afterthought.

DATA.BET’s Q1 results suggest that trajectory isn’t slowing down, even as the company works to build out entirely new betting categories on top of its existing base. With prediction markets still in an early “version one” stage and a second iteration reportedly on the roadmap, the supplier appears positioned to keep expanding its product lineup well beyond the esports coverage that built its reputation in the first place — a strategy that could shape how operators in emerging markets choose their sportsbook technology partners for years to come.