Sportsbook UX: Create Immersive Sports Betting App Experiences 

Less than a decade ago, sports betting was mostly illegal in the US. Now, it generates over 100 billion USD a year. In Europe, it has always been a crucial part of the sporting culture, and it’s expected to grow at 9.6% CARG during 2025-2033. Companies are flocking to this exploding market. And one of the things that could help them distinguish themselves is smooth and memorable sportsbook UX.  

In this post, we’ll go through some of the key UX design rules that can help make a sports betting platform engaging and memorable, and also discuss the latest trend in the space – the proliferation of agentic AI – and how iGaming companies can get ready for it.  

First, let’s say a few words about the importance of smooth UX. 

Why UX Matters So Much in Sports Betting 

Good UX isn’t just about standing out in a crowded market. It drives business gains. It’s been established that each dollar invested in UX improvement brings back a return of $100. 

Why is that? Well, because satisfied users don’t leave. 

When people describe great UX, they typically talk about companies that put extra effort into personalization, ensuring smooth navigation, and providing seamless flows on their platforms. All of these things have proven to keep user engagement high. 

In the specific context of sportsbooks, this means 

• The easier it is to find odds, place wagers, and track bets, the more players will do it. 
• The simpler the sign-ups and the clearer the value proposition, the higher the conversion rates will be. 
• The more frictionless and well-designed the betting experience, the longer bettors will stay on the platform. 

Besides that, by making online sports betting as intuitive and easy as possible, the operators will likely reduce the number of received support tickets. And that results in lower operational costs and, again, more engagement. 

In the next sections of this article, we’ll discuss how to use UX and UI design to make a sportsbook or any iGaming platform feel effortless.  

The Basis of Great Sports Betting App User Experience: Personalization 

While you don’t want to create a strange, overly atypical user experience, you don’t want to offer a basic one either. The rule of thumb – one that applies to nearly any industry, always – is that UX design is much more effective when it’s hyper-personalized. This is doubly true in a field to which hundreds of companies are now flocking. 

So, how to go about establishing personalization? First and foremost, sportsbooks should tailor and expand the content they provide to cover the interests of as wide a variety of bettors as possible (and as is feasible). Let’s break this down. 

Bettors are anything but a homogeneous group. Some are passionate about football, others love tennis, hockey, basketball, baseball – or, increasingly, esports. Some enjoy the simplicity of moneyline bets. Others prefer spreads, props, over/unders, or parlays. 

There are risk-takers, chasing long-shot odds, hoping to score big. And there are careful wagerers, the scalpers of the betting world, placing small, safe bets for steady returns. 

Some gamblers act on gut feeling alone. Others are ‘scientists,’ making moves only after crunching numbers, analyzing team performance, and calculating odds down to the decimal. 

There are casual bettors, for whom this is just an occasional pastime. And there are professionals – those who see betting as a serious income stream.  

Some players are novices, looking for fun without diving deep into strategy. Others are experts with a sharp understanding of betting markets. 

We could go on. The point is, for a digital sportsbook to succeed, operators should determine exactly what kinds of bettors they want to target and strive to cater to all of them. 

Some quick suggestions on what a good UX design can include: 

Specific content for enthusiasts. This is a no-brainer. A wagerer who loves soccer should mostly get updates, news, stats, promotions, and betting recommendations that are related to soccer. 

Bet type suggestions. If a user prefers prop betting, they should be shown prop bets for upcoming games. If they favor parlays, their suggestions should include parlay options and specific parlay bonuses. And so on. 

Risk limits. Players who don’t like high risk should be presented with safer bet options with shorter odds. Conversely, adventurous gamblers should see more long-shot bets. An advanced AI-enabled platform could analyze betting history to determine the level of risk tolerance automatically. 

Tailored info. When we’re talking about notifications and information access, analysts who like to delve in and interpret raw data should get plain stats, while casual bettors might just enjoy expert picks or concise summaries. The same goes for educational materials – players must receive information that fits their experience levels. Basic tutorials on different bet types for novices, and explanations of complex strategies, backed by statistical analysis, for the pros. 

Customizability. The flexibility of the user interface could mean that players are allowed to personalize widgets, and layouts, and filter incoming information based on their preferences, changing sport, league, bet type, and other settings. The more control they’ve got over their experience, the more likely they are to keep coming back and engaging with the platform. 

Personalized promotions. While this might be challenging to pull off, it’s a good idea for sportsbook operators to try and implement personalized and dynamic promotions – taking into account user betting history and preferences. For example, a bettor who likes to wager on a particular team and does so often could be given occasional enhanced odds or special promotions, such as payout bonuses, for that team’s games. 

Other Trends and Tips to Make Sportsbook UX Engaging and Intuitive 

While personalization alone can yield massive returns in terms of reduced churn, more conversion, and engagement, it’s not the only tool of the trade. Here are some other things sportsbooks use to boost their UX strategies. 

Omnichannel experience 

Once we have an intuitive experience to offer, we must ensure it is equally effective everywhere –  on every device and every platform.  

Firstly, branding and design must stay consistent. The same visual language, tone, and interface elements -device-adapted, of course – should appear across every touchpoint. A seamless look and feel on every device will create familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.  

Next, every platform must sync. A user who starts building a bet slip on mobile, for instance, should be able to finish it on a desktop app – or even at a physical kiosk if the sportsbook has one. Whatever the flow, it must be fluid and uninterrupted. 

The same goes for notifications. If the odds shift on a bet placed on a desktop app, users should be able to get the update on the mobile platform, and vice versa. And if the sportsbook has a physical location, it should be integrated, too. That means things like enabling users to check in and claim exclusive promotions for visiting, tying their online and offline play together, etc. 

Finally, consistency doesn’t mean uniformity. The sportsbook should always feel like the same brand, but the experience must fit the device. As a general suggestion, a mobile app should focus on speed – quick bets, live updates, and instant action. And a desktop platform should lean into depth – detailed analysis, research tools, and broader insights.  

Same quality, and tailored execution. 

User Journey Simplification 

A smooth, frictionless betting process keeps users engaged.  

Firstly, registration and verification should be fast and hassle-free. Balancing speed with security is an art, but it is crucial, considering that 67% of users abandon forms forever if they encounter any complications. 

KYC and AML compliance can’t be skipped, but it’s important that the number of required fields on the sign-up form is reduced to the essential minimum. If manual verification can’t be avoided (uploading an ID, for example), there should be clear instructions within the upload section of the registration flow on how to complete it fast. Also, ensure your platform supports multiple file formats. Additionally, look into applying automation (OCR, AI-powered document analysis) and streamlined biometric verification (facial recognition, fingerprint scanning) in areas where they could accelerate the registration and subsequent verification processes. 

Navigation within the apps must be clear and intuitive. A logical structure, easy-to-reach menus, and a strong search function are essential.  

The betting process itself should be seamless as well. That’s why many sportsbooks have one-tap betting and pre-filled slips features, and simplified bet confirmation. 

Next is payment simplicity and flexibility. If a sportsbook doesn’t provide options in terms of payments and withdrawals, users will find one that does. To accommodate the bettors, ensure your platforms support credit and debit cards, e-wallets, and maybe even crypto payments. Again, try to strip the associated processes of any unnecessary steps.  

The information you give the bettors must be crystal clear. Odds, stats, bet details, withdrawal times, tax info – it’s best to present it all in a natural language format that even newbies can understand. However, if experienced users want to read policies in full or get access to more granular analysis, they should have the option to do so.  

Live Betting 

Pay special attention to live betting features. Incorporate various graphical elements to simplify this dynamic and intense experience as much as possible. Here are some of the tools you can use: 

• Real-time odds change. Flashing odds or other visual cues help display odd changes quickly, helping bettors react fast. 

• In-play stats. Live scores, stats, and entire games can be represented with simplified graphics. Features like ball tracking and real-time player performance data can give bettors better insights on how to bet, making the experience even more immersive. 

• Live streaming integration. Live betting can be massively improved when a sportsbook integrates live game streaming so that people can watch and place wagers at the same time. 

Consider putting all these features in a separate section – the live-betting area of the app, through which in-play markets and all the relevant data are easily accessible. 

Community and Competition 

Another crucial part of UX design is adding elements of competition and social integration. They can deepen user involvement and give players a sense of belonging. These features turn betting into a form of group entertainment. Here’s what we mean: 

• Challenges and missions. Give players personalized betting challenges and reward them with badges and bonuses. This makes betting more gaming-like. The tasks could be varied: wagering on specific markets, building winning streaks, taking part in tournaments, etc. 

• Social betting features. This borrows from social media engagement principles. If a user can share bets with friends, make new acquaintances and talk about upcoming events on the platform, this makes the sportsbook experience that much more enjoyable for them. Furthermore, you can add the option to follow and copy-bet top players, so that users can learn and perfect their betting strategies.  

• Competitions. Leaderboards, tournaments, and betting contests all contribute to improving user experience. Seeing their name moving up in the leaderboard, on top of taking profit, adds a whole entire dopamine rush for the bettor. On the other hand, if a wager doesn’t pan out, players can find consolation in knowing they’re still on a list of successful players.  

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Weaving Seamless Agent and Voice Betting Features into UX Design 

We’ve been covering the transformational powers of AI agents for quite some time. And we speak from experience: Symphony Solutions’ BetHarmony is a perfect example of how sportsbook and online casino workflows can be completely reshaped and optimized by AI – to the point where traditional processes and operations that normally take hours to complete can be reduced to mere seconds. 

As companies across industries prepare for AI agents becoming omnipresent and, subsequently, users becoming more demanding of UX simplicity, sportsbook operators should start working to make their platforms agent-optimized. One particular area we recommend they focus on is voice optimization. Here are some high-level suggestions. 

Voice-First Navigation 

This is the foundation of a good voice-controlled sportsbook experience. It’s about making betting as natural as talking to a friend. 

• Implement the most advanced NLP tools to enable intuitive bet placements. The system needs to understand variations in how people phrase bets. Instead of requiring rigid syntax, it should recognize that “Bet fifty bucks on the Lakers,” “Put 50 dollars on the Lakers to win,” or “I want to bet $50 on the Lakers winning” all have exactly the same intent. The models or tools you use for this – custom or ready-made – should be advanced in NLP in general, as well as extensively trained on betting terminology. 

• Enable quick voice commands. Users should be able to quickly and easily place common bets or request frequently needed info without navigating menus. Allow them to set voice-activated “speed dials,” such as “Place $50 on the Lakers to win” or “Show me NBA odds,” which would function as shortcuts to the most common actions triggered when the agent hears certain keywords. 

• Support conversational bet modifications and confirmations. If a bettor suddenly changes their mind or wants to adjust stakes, they should be able to do that with simple voice commands like “Change that to $75” or “Hold on, I want to bet on the spread instead.” Additionally, the platform should provide confirmations to avoid accidental bets: “Okay, you’re placing $75 on the Lakers to win. Is that correct?” 

• Provide fallback options like “Did you mean X or Y?” This is to prevent misinterpretation. If the agent is unsure of what the user said, it should offer suggestions. “Did you mean the Lakers or the Clippers?” This can prevent a lot of frustration. 

Personalized AI Recommendations 

AI agents can help bettors be more informed and hone their skills. Here’s how you facilitate this: 

• Enable AI bet suggestions based on player habits and preferences. Analyzing past bets, favorite teams, and betting styles allows the AI to offer relevant suggestions, like this: “Based on your past wagers, you might be interested in the over/under for tonight’s game.” This adds value and can introduce users to new betting opportunities. 

• Provide real-time odds updates via voice notifications. Odds fluctuate constantly. AI agents can proactively alert users about changes in odds for their favorite teams or upcoming events. “The odds on the Cowboys just shifted to -7.5.” 

• Offer dynamic betting insights and AI-driven predictions. The platform can provide insights that might not be immediately obvious. “Our model suggests the highest probability bet for tonight’s game is…” These can be extremely valuable, as they enable even newbie bettors to apply detailed analysis and place bets more thoughtfully. 

Hands-Free Multi-Tasking 

One of the biggest advantages of voice interaction is the ability to do other things simultaneously. Sportsbooks should capitalize on this; supported voice commands should extend far beyond the betting process. 

• Allow live updates and scores via voice responses. Users should be able to stay updated on games while cooking, driving, or doing other tasks. “What’s the score of the Lakers game?” should give back a quick and accurate response. 

• Integrate with smart devices (Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri). This is how you expand the reach of voice betting and allow users to manage their bets from anywhere with a smart device. 

• Support voice-activated bankroll tracking and bet history access. Bettors should also be able to easily check their account balance and review past bets using voice commands. “What’s my current balance?” or “Go through all my bets from last week” should be readily available. 

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Summing Up 

As iGaming popularity continues to soar – the overall market value is projected to reach $125.6 billion by 2027 – the competition in the space also intensifies. Online casinos and sportsbooks should, therefore, focus on differentiating themselves and leveraging next-gen functionalities brought about by the latest tech. 

Smooth UX design is one of the ways to stand out. If sportsbook operators implement the suggestions discussed in this article, they can already form the basis for a strong competitive edge. If they also optimize their platforms for broad AI adoption, their market position could become untouchable. 

Symphony Solutions has vast expertise in both iGaming development and AI agent implementation, exemplified by our sophisticated Harmony and BetHarmony platforms, along with a plethora of other successful iGaming projects. 

If you want your sportsbook UX to be irresistible, we’d gladly apply all our vast experience to help you. Contact us right now, and let’s create something memorable.