Bulgaria’s FIRST.bet aids Vyking’s entry into betting scene

Multinational casino aggregation platform Vyking has made its debut in the sports betting space, with support from technology company FIRST.bet. The sportsbook platform was designed and built by Vyking, which operates the frontend across both desktop and mobile. FIRST.bet’s role in the project is that of managing pricing, training, risk, bet acceptance, and settlement. FIRST.bet has provided its SportOS “frontend-less” sportsbook operating system to support Vyking’s new betting ambitions. The player interface, as well as decision making around design, user flow and bet slip behaviour, is handled by Vyking. “Vyking did the hard part,” said Tom Light, Chief Executive Officer of FIRST.bet. “They had a clear view of what their clients needed and they built it themselves, rather than asking someone else to build it for them. That is what SportOS is for. “Our job is the sportsbook behind their product: pricing, trading, risk, bet acceptance and settlement. What the player sees belongs to Vyking. I do not think an operator should have to inherit our visual identity in order to use our engine.” The move into sportsbook follows Vyking making another debut earlier this year, in the prize draws space. The firm’s investments arm, Vyking Ventures, undertook a strategic investment in PrizeKings, which is focusing on the UK and South Africa. The firms’ deal with Bulgaria-headquartered FIRST.bet – an experienced international B2B sportsbook provider which has been particularly active in penning Latin America-focused deals throughout 2026 – underpins the next stage of its planned development. “We know how players in our operators’ markets behave, and we wanted a sportsbook that showed it,” said Franz Gerhart, CEO of Vyking. “SportOS let us build that ourselves. We designed the product, our team wrote the frontend, and we put real work into the mobile experience, because that is where the players are. “FIRST.bet runs the engine behind it and that has held up. We own what the player sees, and when we want to change it, we change it.”