Ryan, thanks for taking the time to speak with Trafficology. How have things developed at OpticOdds since we last spoke, both for yourself and the company?
The acquisition by Gambling.com Group closed January 1, 2025. Since then, the sports data segment has grown over 400% year-over-year, with OpticOdds being the main driver of that growth. The biggest shift isn’t just scale; but the calibre of partnerships. Bigger operators, longer contracts, deeper integrations, in partnership with the enterprise side really taking off. We’ve kept shipping out products with a focus on more sports, more markets, more in-play depth. While our team is bigger since we last spoke, we still move like a startup.
You joined the Huddle at ICE Barcelona 2025 - since then, Gambling.com Group has praised the momentum your brand has brought to the wider group. How are you fitting into the Gambling.com structure?
Our team is fitting in pretty naturally here. GDC Group is a marketing and media business that sends players to sportsbooks. We power the data layer underneath that. Their affiliates need accurate odds to convert users, and our API delivers that in real time.
The cross-pollination has been the exciting part. Their media reach gives us distribution; our data makes their product stickier. Leadership has been clear from day one; let OpticOdds keep doing exactly what we're doing, this gives us the resources to do it bigger. That’s exactly what’s played out.
Blunt question: How are the majority of players interacting with sports in the US now, via sportsbooks or prediction markets?
The lines are starting to blur. Kalshi offers sports contracts with great market depth and combos, Polymarket rolled out a US sports beta. For us as a data provider, it doesn’t matter which format wins. Both need fast, accurate odds data, and we already work with both sides.
Long term, I think sportsbooks and prediction markets converge more than they diverge
What is the OpticOdds stance on prediction markets, present and future?
We’re bullish on the category. They’ve proven there’s a massive appetite for event-based wagering beyond traditional sports. That’s a net positive for the ecosystem. Our stance is simple; we’re infrastructure. Whether someone is building a sportsbook, a prediction market, a fantasy product, or something totally new, they need real-time odds data. That’s what we do.
The regulatory picture is still murky. State-level challenges and federal bills are getting introduced. We’re not picking sides in that fight. We’re making sure anyone who needs odds or pricing data has access to the best available.
Long term, I think sportsbooks and prediction markets converge more than they diverge. Observing the data, the mechanics and the UX; a lot of it overlaps. Companies that sit on that data layer are well-positioned no matter how the frameworks develop.
FanDuel and DraftKings remain dominant but their stocks are feeling the pressure from Kalshi and Polymarket. BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics and ESPN Bet are trying their best to make inroads... How do you reflect on the wider US sports betting market?
FanDuel and DraftKings are still on top regardless of stock price, but the pressure is coming from new directions now. It’s not just tier-two sportsbooks trying to close the gap, but prediction markets as well.
What I think is underappreciated is that the data infrastructure layer is becoming the differentiator. Operators used to compete on odds and promos. Now the best ones compete on market depth, speed, in-play coverage and prop bets. That’s what we build, and how we can be a key advantage for operators.
A deliberately broad question... what is on the horizon for OpticOdds in 2026?
The World Cup is the big one. A home tournament across the US, Mexico and Canada. We’re already expanding soccer coverage, adding in-play markets and stress-testing infrastructure for the traffic spikes a tournament like that creates.
We’re investing heavily into Copilot, our automated trading product. The goal is to go from being the best odds feed to being a full trading intelligence layer. At the same time, enterprise growth continues. We want to be in every sportsbook, market maker, prediction market, media company and affiliate that touches odds data in the US.
The Gambling.com Group footprint opens doors internationally that we didn’t have before. Of course, prediction markets are an area of focus. As that category keeps growing, they need best-in-class sports data. We intend to be the provider.
And, finally, if you could single out one target for yourself personally as an executive, what would it be?
I want to keep OpticOdds’ identity as we scale. We built this team of ex-traders and engineers who genuinely love sports data. That intensity, that responsiveness, that willingness to jump on a call at 10pm to fix an integration, I don’t want to lose that. The moment we start acting like a big company, we lose what made us different. My job is to make sure that it doesn’t happen.