SOFTSWISS: prediction markets vs sportsbook – a match made in heaven or intense competition?

Anton Lishchuk, Prediction Markets Commercial Strategist at SOFTSWISS. Prediction markets have undoubtedly attracted a much wider audience and expanded the boundaries of how players can forecast future events. Despite this, intense scrutiny continues to be placed on the sector. As Kalshi and Polymarket continue to lead the way, obstacles persist in the form of regulators and authorities clamping down, or awaiting judgement for a potential similar judgement. However, as the competition intensifies, do sportsbooks need to open the door to its growing rival. Anton Lishchuk, Prediction Markets Commercial Strategist at SOFTSWISS, certainly thinks so. In conversation with SBC News, he addresses the company’s current strategy, protocols in place to counter any regulatory action and what could be done to prevent such decisions, as well as what advantages a redesigned sportsbook will bring for current and future partners. Could you talk us through SOFTSWISS’ current strategy when it comes to prediction markets? At SOFTSWISS, our strategy is to give licensed iGaming operators a practical way into prediction markets using infrastructure they already know. Our research shows that monthly prediction market trading volume grew around 393-fold, from $32m in January 2024 to $12.6bn in January 2026. The category is now competing with traditional sportsbooks for players’ attention, and we want operators to be able to respond without having to build an exchange from scratch. That is why we have chosen a fixed-odds model for event betting. The operator sets the price and manages the risk, while players get a familiar, straightforward way to back a yes-or-no outcome. By building on existing sportsbook infrastructure, partners can test demand for new event categories with fewer additional resources, while checking that each event is permitted under local rules. A significant degree of uncertainty currently surrounds this landscape. Is there a fear that the clampdowns being witnessed will continue on a global scale? Of course, further restrictions are a risk, and operators need to plan for them. But I would not treat action in individual countries as evidence that a worldwide ban is inevitable. Regulators are looking at different products under different national rules, particularly which events are offered, who takes the risk and how players are protected. Those are questions we need to address from the start. This is one reason we favour fixed odds for the prediction markets solution. Where sportsbook betting is permitted, a model in which the operator quotes the price and takes the bet may offer a more straightforward route for discussion with local regulators than a peer-to-peer exchange or decentralised model. That is our assessment, not a guarantee of approval: the licence, each event category and the safeguards still need to be checked market by market. We want to give partners a product they can adapt as those requirements develop. What do you believe needs to be done so that a widespread prohibition does not come to fruition? Reducing the risk of widespread prohibition starts with open dialogue with regulators. Operators need to explain which events they intend to offer, how prices are set and how outcomes will be settled. They also need to apply the standards expected of licensed betting businesses, including age checks, player protection tools, market integrity controls and clear rules. These safeguards should be part of the product from day one. Several of the most prominent restrictions have involved exchange-style prediction markets. Our fixed-odds model follows a more familiar sportsbook approach: the operator quotes the odds, accepts the bet and remains accountable for the outcome. We believe that can make discussions with local regulators more straightforward where the event itself is permitted. The product still needs the appropriate licence and must meet each market’s requirements. What protocols do you have in place to ensure that the time and effort placed on this has not been in vain? We considered regulatory uncertainty from the start of product development. The fixed odds model was a deliberate choice because it makes clear who sets the price, accepts the bet and manages the risk. That gives licensed operators and regulators a familiar basis for assessing the product, although it does not guarantee approval everywhere. For each jurisdiction where certification is required, we review the local regulator’s requirements and adapt the product accordingly. We carry out the technical and product work that falls to us as the software provider and strategic partner, so the operator has a solution suited to that market’s rules. Operators have their own licensing and compliance responsibilities; our role is to support a successful launch with technology that meets the requirements applicable to it. The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook has released a redesigned mobile layout. Why was this deemed necessary? Mobile is now the main way players use our Sportsbook. Across SOFTSWISS Sportsbook operators, mobile devices account for 94% of gross gaming revenue and 89% of turnover. That made the mobile betting journey a priority: if finding an event or a market takes too much scrolling and too many taps, we need to make it easier. The redesign responds to those everyday points of friction. Players can reach live, pre-match and top leagues content more quickly, apply filters across relevant sections and find popular markets when building a bet. Our aim was to make the experience clearer and faster on the device most players already use. What advancements will this deliver for both operator partners and players alike? For players, the changes make it easier to get from opening the sportsbook to finding a bet. Horizontal carousels bring live events, pre-match events and top leagues into view with less scrolling. Filters update the relevant sections together, while ‘show top markets’ makes popular selections easier to find when building an accumulator. For operators, the aim is to remove friction from the mobile journey. They can activate the new layout, choose what appears in each section and adjust the carousels through the CMS, without additional development work. We expect a simpler journey to support conversion, although the results will depend on each operator’s audience and configuration.