Altenar at NEXT Summit New York: The Expectations of the Next Generation of Bettors

(AsiaGameHub) –   On March 11, Matthew Ferrara, Altenar’s North America Sales Manager, took part in the Fireside Chat: The Next Generation of Sports Bettors at NEXT Summit New York, alongside representatives from Fanatics and Stokastic.

The session centered on a major industry shift: a new cohort of bettors who grew up with mobile-first, instant, digital-native experiences – and they expect sports betting to meet that same standard.

Betting is now integrated into the entertainment ecosystem

For this new generation, betting has never been an offline, slow activity. It has always been mobile, on-demand, and woven into their daily digital habits.

As discussed during the panel, betting is no longer solely about placing a wager. It is a component of a broader entertainment experience – shaped by social interaction, real-time engagement, and community.

Users do not only bet. They also:

• talking through betting picks in group chats
• reacting to live events together as a community
• engaging with related content alongside their betting activity

For operators, this shifts the core role of the product. It is no longer just a standalone tool – it becomes an integral part of the overall user experience.

User expectations are shaped outside the betting industry

One of the key themes from the discussion was that sportsbooks are no longer competing only with one another.

User expectations are formed by the highest-performing digital products across all industries. Speed, simplicity, and seamless UX are no longer competitive advantages – they are default expectations for users today.

Any friction, especially during peak high-demand moments, directly impacts user retention rates.

Personalization is growing increasingly critical

Matthew Ferrara highlighted an unaddressed gap that still exists across many sportsbook products: how content and betting markets are presented to users.

Matthew Ferrara, Altenar’s Sales Manager for North America, said:

If you visit a sportsbook and there are 3,000 available options, this can feel incredibly intimidating for the casual recreational user. Every digital product we use today is tailored to us based on our past interactions. Sports betting should be no different.

The core challenge is not the total number of betting markets, but the lack of clear structure and relevant personalization.

For the new generation of bettors, who are accustomed to personalized feeds across all their digital platforms, sportsbook interfaces need to evolve in this same direction.

For Altenar, this means focusing on:

• delivering relevant betting markets faster
• reducing how much manual search users need to do
• building a more intuitive, user-led experience

Building products around operator needs

A key point emphasized throughout the discussion was the critical importance of flexibility.

In a constantly shifting market, product development cannot remain static. Altenar’s product roadmap is shaped by:

• operator requirements
• market dynamics
• competitive insights and continuous product evolution based on market demand

Ferrara added:

We look at the broader digital landscape and ask: what do users expect today, how are products evolving across social media, ecommerce, AI and everyday digital applications – and how do we bring those same standards into the sportsbook experience.

The direction of the market is clear.

The next generation of bettors is not adapting to existing sportsbooks. Sportsbooks need to adapt to them.

That means:

• less user friction
• more relevant experiences
• more intuitive interfaces
• and stronger integration with how users already consume digital content in their daily lives

Operators that move in this direction will be better positioned to engage and retain users in an increasingly competitive market landscape.