Gareth Crook, senior vice president of Sports at Pragmatic Play, explains how modern cricket betting products bolstered by real-time data, new market formats and tailored promotional tools, are unlocking fresh engagement and value for sportsbooks

How are evolving player preferences influencing the development of cricket betting markets?

It’s more relevant that player preferences across other core sports such as football and basketball have started to adopt the characteristics of a cricket betting product. In some ways cricket was the original in-play dominant sport: player markets and spot bets (now more broadly known as micro-markets) were already very mature, especially in certain territories.

Ultimately, player preferences are evolving toward the identity of what cricket has always been. Players today are demanding more choice both pre-match and in-play; however, they are clearly gravitating more toward in-play betting products where low latency, minimal friction, and very fast settlement are key.

In sports like football, we have observed a shift in user preferences from traditional core markets such as 1X2 and total goals, with increasing interest in player specific bets. In cricket, however, this focus on individual players has arguably always been a key aspect. The sport is highly driven by in-play betting, which accounts for approximately 80-90 percent of its total revenue. During live matches, there are typically hundreds of active markets available, and in major events, this number can exceed a thousand, all settled in real time.

The general premise of cricket betting is that revenue is driven by short shelf-life markets such as how many runs a team will score in a specific set of overs or a specific player’s performance. Team and over-run lines are highly dynamic and can change significantly from one ball to the next; this perfectly suits the current and future landscape of micro-markets across other sports.

What makes cricket particularly suited to in-play betting and live engagement tools?

Cricket is particularly suited to in-play betting and live engagement tools for several reasons. Firstly, the length of the match: in its longest form, a Test match can last up to five days, which makes pre-match bets less appealing because they take so long to settle. Modern sportsbook users tend to prefer markets with a shorter shelf life; being able to place and settle bets more frequently keeps turnover recycling and engagement high.

Secondly, cricket is a stats-driven sport. Much like the major US sports, key statistics, such as a batter’s or bowler’s average, act as clear indicators of performance. This analytical mindset has always been embedded in cricket; in contrast, football bettors have only more recently adopted statistical models, such as expected goals when making betting decisions.

Another key factor is the influence of live variables such as the toss, pitch conditions, and the condition of the ball. These elements often introduce a bias or give one team an advantage once the match is underway. Since they cannot be fully assessed before play begins, they naturally fuel in-play betting as this critical information becomes available in real time.

Cricket also consistently draws some of the largest global TV audiences of any sport, which makes it highly compatible with live betting. The ability for viewers to watch the match on television or via streaming and bet as the action unfolds is a key factor behind its popularity as an in-play product. It is a sport that is exceptionally well televised across multiple regions worldwide.

Finally, cricket offers a wide range of in-play markets: number of runs in the next over; total team runs in the first six overs; next wicket method; and many others. These markets only truly make sense once the match is underway, which is why cricket continues to be one of the most engaging and in-play-dominant sports in the world.

Cricket betting has a loyal but relatively niche following. How can sportsbooks tap into that potential more effectively?

At Pragmatic Play Sports, we are delivering millions of individual cricket markets in 2025; the majority of these will operate with latency of five seconds or below. This ensures operators and their players receive a fast, accurate, and reliable betting experience across all major cricket events.

Cricket betting does have a loyal but relatively niche following; and I think it will always remain somewhat regional. Despite the best efforts of world cricket to grow the game internationally, it will only ever be materially important to sportsbooks operating in territories where cricket is already a mainstream sport. For example, it is unlikely that operators in Latin America, North America, or much of continental Europe will suddenly tap into the in-play potential of cricket; it is a nuanced sport and not easily understood by audiences unfamiliar with it. Try explaining cricket to an American, and they will likely be surprised that a match can last five days and still end in a draw!

In countries where cricket is popular, operators face several challenges that need to be overcome. The first is availability of matches: at Pragmatic Play Sports, we expect to trade at least 10,000 cricket matches during 2025. Secondly, latency must be extremely low; cricket pricing can be volatile, so operators must source data officially to ensure accuracy and minimal delay. Thirdly, settlement speeds need to be quick and efficient so users can recycle turnover, especially given cricket’s wide range of betting markets and its heavy in-play focus.

Cricket’s loyal audience offers genuine potential for operators who can deliver a reliable, low-latency, and content-rich experience tailored to those key regions where the sport truly matters.

With so many formats, how can operators cater to different bettor mindsets across the cricket calendar?

Cricket’s structured stoppages across all formats naturally suit in-play betting and engagement. The sport’s rhythm creates clear pauses in play: wickets; drinks breaks; innings changes; and sessions such as lunch or tea. These moments act as natural engagement windows that allow operators to retain the bettor within the event experience rather than risk losing their attention between overs or innings.

For operators who dedicate a significant portion of their product roadmap to cricket, there are many opportunities to use these pauses effectively. Surfacing key and relevant statistics within scoreboards or widgets is one example; personalised bet suggestions that reflect a user’s betting appetite is another. These are features that align perfectly with the stop-start nature of cricket and help keep users connected to the live action.

Because the sport runs across so many formats and tournaments throughout the year, operators benefit from consistent content volume and availability. This guarantees that cricket is visible to bettors across time zones and seasons. As we have seen with other in-play dominant sports such as tennis, table tennis, and esports, continuous coverage is crucial to driving engagement; users expect to always find live content available to bet on.

At Pragmatic Play Sports we recognise this and trade a unique number of cricket events that stretches into five figures annually. This level of coverage ensures that operators can rely on cricket as a permanent and engaging fixture on their in-play pages throughout the calendar year.

How do official data partnerships and UX enhancements support deeper engagement in cricket betting?

I often highlight the importance of our partnerships with rights holders and official data providers across every sport. The importance of official data is amplified for in-play dominant sports such as cricket; market uptime, price latency, bet delays, and bet rejections all have the potential to frustrate the user.

Official data guarantees the maximum available market uptime, which is essential for a sport like cricket where markets are populated and settled continuously throughout play. It ensures very low-price latency, minimises friction for users placing live bets, and supports fast and reliable settlement. In short, official data allows operators to provide a seamless in-play experience that builds trust and engagement.

From a UX perspective, enhancements such as live video streaming, dynamic scoreboards, and real-time widgets all rely on the reliability of official data. These elements surface key statistics and visual cues in real time; and their accuracy is what sustains user confidence in the betting experience.

Finally, the way content is displayed within the in-play interface is equally important: ensuring that the most sought-after markets are ordered appropriately within the event layout keeps the experience intuitive and consistent. By combining official data with thoughtful UX design, Pragmatic Play Sports delivers a cricket betting product that is fast, reliable, and genuinely engaging for both operators and their players.

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