How GR8 Tech aims to shatter limits on sportsbook revenue generation

In the gambling ecosystem, sports betting is a notoriously low-margin business.

In private – and, occasionally, in public – exasperated sportsbook executives across the globe have bemoaned bloodbath quarters where customer-friendly sporting results have squeezed initially impressive-looking handle to vanishingly small income.

Even the major operators are not immune to the issue.

Flutter cited the “most customer friendly NFL results in 20 years” for adversely impacting 2024 fourth-quarter net revenue margin by 150 basis points year-on-year. Translated into bottom-line dollars, the figures were significant. Just one NFL game – the Detroit Lions’ 40-34 win against the San Francisco 49ers in December – cost the operator an astonishing $74m in punter-favourable wagers.

Until now, online sportsbook and casino operators – especially in growth markets – have relied on higher-margin verticals like online casino to mitigate possible financial headwinds in the unpredictable world of online sports betting. Many who haven’t have seen their business dwindle.

Changing perceptions

Whether the favourites or underdogs prevail in cricket’s Indian Super League or a Springboks rugby contest in South Africa, betting operators are exploring ways to navigate the fickle fortunes of sport and optimise revenues.

GR8 Tech, a B2B high-performance sportsbook and igaming platform provider, is keen to support this mission and change perceptions more broadly about sports betting’s margin possibilities.

“The very fact that I, formerly a casino guy, now advocate for long-term sportsbook profitability, says a lot,” says Sergey Ghazaryan, who served as GR8 Tech’s head of casino business before becoming the company’s chief revenue officer six months ago. “Believe me, I do it because I see the value of our solutions for the operators and know what they are capable of.

“In casino, things are predictable and upfront… It’s not very hard to do it right. In sportsbooks, you need expertise to succeed – an understanding of the nuances of sports betting operations and all the things that may impact the results and minimise volatility from some underdogs winning a match and one lucky bettor going away with half your monthly revenue.”

Maximising margins

In response to the need for sportsbooks solutions that deliver more predictable results, GR8 Tech has released its new ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame. The ULTIM8 iFrame has been created to maximise margins and optimise revenue for experienced operators.

The ‘ultimate’ branding is not just a buzzword, the company claims – it’s a practical, operator-relevant promise that a cutting-edge iFrame alone really can make the difference.

The sportsbook solution covers more than 25,000 daily events spanning over 50 sports, and offers multi-bet features, customer relationship management, real-time fraud protection and – crucially – artificial intelligence-driven personalisation, which is increasingly seen as a decisive tool in a highly competitive vertical.

Its recommendation engine suggests events, parlays, tournaments, bet amount and presets, as well as bet builders – all tailored to betting segments based on individual users’ preferences and behaviors, providing opportunities to nudge up margins.

Flexibility is the name of the game here. Tiny tweaks that aren’t important for some user segments, but highly sought after by others, can be delivered to the exact set of users that’ll be most receptive to the changes.

“Most sportsbooks already segment users for risk management – flagging bonus abuse, and minimising exposure on low-tier events,” Ghazaryan says, referring to the opportunity presented by odds personalisation. “But we take that logic further, ultimately letting operators fine-tune margins for specific player segments – right down to an individual level if needed.

“Some users are not sensitive to a 1–2% odds shift, but care deeply about the experience: team branding, user experience, fast payouts. You can make subtle, data-driven adjustments that improve margin without hurting retention – and we have seen this strategy repeatedly deliver significant uplifts in GGR.”

“You can make subtle, data-driven adjustments that improve margin without hurting retention”

User experience

While small shifts in odds may not make or break the appeal of a sportsbook, especially for experienced operators, the user experience may well be a deciding factor in whether a punter stays loyal to an established brand or starts looking elsewhere.

GR8 Tech has acknowledged this by introducing a variety of features that are designed to keep users engaged. Live video integrations, statistical widget integrations, and current form analytics are available alongside a variety of wagering options – from bet builders to cashouts – that accommodate pre-game and live in-play betting.

“As a provider with an ambitious but well-substantiated strategic goal to become the first choice for the sportsbook-driven platform by 2028, GR8 Tech is very intentional about building tools that not only improve user experience but also drive measurable revenue – in ways no other sportsbooks in the market do,” Ghazaryan says.

Indeed, one way of driving measurable results for operators is to facilitate a wide range of wagers, Ghazaryan adds. It should be remembered, for example, that some sportsbooks have reported holding up to 20-30% of the amount wagered on parlays, which have rocketed in popularity over the past three years in key growth markets – significantly higher margins than typical standalone bets.

With this in mind, GR8 Tech offers Parlay Boost and Bet Insurance features to encourage punters to place such wagers, as well as cashout, which is more than merely a “player perk”, Ghazaryan says.

“In our solutions, it is a strategic lever,” he adds. “With dynamic payout models and real-time analytics, operators can influence when and how users cash out, maximising margins while giving players a sense of control. It is subtle, but incredibly effective when scaled across a large user base.”

Overcoming tech bottlenecks

Built for the modern age with existing pain points in mind, GR8 Tech’s ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame is “the perfect fit in many scenarios,” including for mature operators looking to overcome bottlenecks as they update their tech stacks, Ghazaryan says. The key message from the sportsbook veteran is that the iFrame combines speed, flexibility and monetisation tools into a single, high-performance product.

With built-in odds personalisation driving up to a 40% increase in gross gaming revenue (GGR), multi-bet features adding another 3-5% and flexible cashout tools delivering an additional 2-5%, operators have seen GGR uplifts of up to 50%, he adds.

A key selling point, though, is that integrations can be completed within a week through a carefully structured onboarding process that is supported by comprehensive documentation and expert support from the outset. An initial project manager steers each integration before a dedicated account manager provides a long-term point of contact, with GR8 Tech handling monitoring, updates, change requests and AI-powered fraud prevention.

“We have streamlined every step to remove friction and keep things moving,” Ghazaryan says. “Of course, there’s also a factor of how deeply the operator understands the niche and how quickly they can share company details necessary for the set-up. But pretty much every business process is a two-way street, isn’t it?

“If the synergy is there, operators get to start generating revenue almost immediately, without getting bogged down in development cycles or technical backlogs. The operator’s team stays focused on marketing and player engagement while we take care of operational integrity.”

Dispelling quality concerns

While some operators understandably fear a quality trade-off when promised with a rapid integration, Ghazaryan describes such an assumption as outdated.

“The ULTIM8 Sportsbook iFrame is not just a quick fix – it is a performance upgrade that delivers better retention and higher revenue, especially when internal teams are focused elsewhere,” Ghazaryan adds.

“Even in multi-brand environments, it offers a low-effort way to maintain a competitive sportsbook presence without draining resources. It is not about choosing between speed and scale. It is about having the right tool to match your growth strategy.”

For sportsbooks, such growth is largely untapped, Ghazaryan says, leaving plenty of headroom for revenue and margin optimisation in the future.

“As long as people follow teams, place bets with friends, or check scores obsessively, this vertical will remain in high demand,” he adds.

“What will evolve is how operators stay competitive: through better user experiences, smarter segmentation, geo-specific set-ups and tools that turn engagement into real revenue.”