The US sports betting market is one of the most dynamic and competitive in the industry, shaped by strong user expectations, rapid product evolution, and distinct local behaviours. Operators face the challenge of delivering the right balance of content, UX, and engagement to meet these demands. In this interview, Nikos Zygouris, Head of Sportsbook Product at Altenar, shares insights into how Altenar addresses these challenges through product innovation and market-specific design.
How would you describe the US sports betting market today from a product and user behaviour perspective?
The US market is one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving environments in the global sportsbook industry. What makes it unique is the combination of a very strong sporting culture and extremely high user expectations shaped by digital-first entertainment experiences.
Users are not just betting on games. They are deeply engaged with leagues such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, and UFC, and they expect those competitions to be front and centre in any sportsbook experience. At the same time, their expectations around UX are very high: speed, simplicity, and immediate access to relevant markets are non-negotiable.
At Altenar, we design the product specifically around these behaviours by prioritising low-friction navigation, fast market access, and regionally adapted content structures that reflect how US users actually consume sports content.
In that context, how important is content localisation and structuring for the overall user experience?
Content localisation is one of the most fundamental aspects of success in the US market. American bettors have very clear expectations about what they want to see first, and those expectations are heavily tied to their domestic leagues. If a user opens a sportsbook and does not immediately see NFL, NBA, NHL, or UFC content, the experience already feels disconnected.
The challenge here is that many platforms are built with a global mindset, where content is structured in a uniform way across all regions. That approach simply does not work in the US.
What we focus on at Altenar is dynamically prioritising content so that the most relevant competitions are always surfaced first.
Additionally, we give operators the flexibility to create very specific, context-driven categories, such as “NFL Week 10”, or themed groupings such as “Superstars”. This reflects how US users naturally consume content: not just by sport, but by narrative, timing, and key moments within a season. That level of localisation directly impacts engagement, retention, and ultimately conversion.
Which betting functionalities are now considered essential in the US market?
There are several features that US users consider baseline expectations, and failing to provide them creates immediate friction. Teasers are a good example: they have been part of the market for a long time and are widely understood by bettors. From a product standpoint, they are no longer differentiators, but rather necessary components.
Another major feature is Same Game Parlay, which allows users to combine multiple selections within a single event. What makes this particularly important in the US is the ability to include player props within those combinations. This reflects a shift in how users think about betting.
At Altenar, we support these mechanics through our Bet Builder functionality, ensuring that operators can offer the level of flexibility and depth that US bettors expect. The key here is not just feature availability, but seamless integration into the overall user journey.
Within these core features, player props are gaining strong traction. What’s driving this shift, and how should operators respond?
Player props have become one of the main drivers of engagement in the US, and this is closely linked to the long-standing popularity of fantasy sports. Users are already conditioned to think about individual player performance — points scored, assists, rebounds, home runs — rather than just match outcomes.
This creates both an opportunity and a challenge for operators. The opportunity is clear: player props can significantly increase betting volume and user engagement. The challenge lies in discoverability. If these markets are not clearly visible and easy to access, they underperform.
That is why we focus on surfacing player props in a much more prominent way. For example, we provide dedicated widgets that highlight specific player-driven markets directly on the homepage. This allows operators to showcase relevant props tied to key events, making them immediately accessible and aligned with user expectations.
From engagement drivers like player props to execution layers: What UX differences stand out between US and European bettors?
The differences in UX expectations are quite substantial. US bettors tend to favour speed, clarity, and immediate access to key information. They do not want to navigate through multiple layers to find core markets; they expect them to be visible and actionable right away.
A good example is the “six-pack” view, which presents spread, total, and moneyline markets together. This format is extremely effective because it aligns with how US users evaluate a game.
We also see strong demand for more advanced filtering capabilities. Users want to quickly switch between sports and competitions, and they expect those filters to work seamlessly across both pre-match and in-play environments. At Altenar, many of our UX improvements are focused on reducing friction and making navigation as intuitive as possible for US audiences.
UX clearly plays a role not just in engagement, but also in retention. Where do you see the biggest gap between acquisition and long-term activity in the US market?
Customer acquisition in the US is extremely competitive and expensive. Operators are investing heavily in marketing, promotions, and partnerships just to bring users onto the platform. However, acquisition is only part of the equation: the real challenge is converting and retaining those users once they arrive.
A common issue is that users sign up because of an offer, but the product experience does not meet their expectations, so they do not stay. This is where product plays a critical role.
At Altenar, we help address this by focusing on the first-time user experience and engagement. Features such as localised content, prominent player prop widgets, and familiar UX patterns ensure that users immediately recognise and understand the product.
In addition, our flexibility allows operators to tailor promotions, landing experiences, and content presentation to specific campaigns. This creates a much smoother transition from acquisition to activation and increases the likelihood that users will continue engaging with the platform over time.
If you look at the US market overall, what would you say is the biggest structural challenge operators need to solve?
The biggest challenge is meeting a very specific and well-defined set of user expectations. The US market is not just another region — it has its own betting culture, UX standards, and behavioural patterns.
Success depends on how well a product aligns with those expectations, from content localisation and feature set to interface design and betting flows. Even small mismatches can have a noticeable impact on user engagement.
Our focus at Altenar is to make the sportsbook feel native to the US market. That means not only delivering the right features, but also presenting them in a way that feels intuitive and familiar to US users.
