Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a talking point in nearly every consumer industry, and gambling is no exception. From picking the right sportsbook to identifying which bets to place, bettors are increasingly considering how AI might shape their choices.
While adoption is still relatively limited, YouGov data shows that openness to using AI is meaningfully present across a range of gambling activities, and crucially, many bettors say they’re likely to act on that openness.
Here, bettors are defined as those who placed a bet in the past 12 months, excluding lottery-only players. Just under a fifth of bettors (16%) say they have used AI tools in the past 12 months to help them make gambling-related decisions, ranging from choosing betting providers to which team to bet on. Another 14% say they haven’t yet used AI for gambling-related decisions but would consider doing so in the future.
The propensity to have used and to consider using AI in gambling decisions is (expectedly) higher among younger bettors. Among those aged 18-34, a third (33%) report having already used AI in this way, while another fifth (19%) say they would consider using it in the future. On the other hand, only 4% of those aged over 55 have used AI for this purpose, with 8% considering doing so.
Wider uses of AI in gambling
When asked where they might consider using AI, bettors show interest across a range of supporting activities. About a fifth (22%) say they would consider using AI to help them choose a gambling site, bookmaker, or app – though this is also the area of greatest resistance, with a majority (55%) saying they would not consider AI for this purpose.
By contrast, more bettors are open to AI when it is positioned as an informational or educational tool. Over a third (35%) say they would use AI to research betting odds or statistics, while an identical share would turn to it to learn or understand how to play specific games. Around three in 10 (31%) would consider using AI to plan or refine a betting strategy, and the same proportion say they would consider it for sports betting tips or predictions.
Younger bettors are more likely to express interest across nearly all of these functions. This suggests that while AI is seen as a potential companion tool in the gambling journey, enthusiasm is being driven disproportionately by younger demographics.
Likelihood of using AI for sports bets
Looking at sports betting, intent to use AI in the near future is notable. Overall, about a quarter of bettors (26%) say they are very or fairly likely to use AI to help decide what sports bets to place in the next 12 months. Within this, 5% place themselves in the ‘very likely’ category.
Among bettors aged 18-34, more than four in 10 (43%) say they are likely to use AI for sports betting decisions. Among the 35-54s, a quarter (25%) say the same, while just under one in 10 (9%) of those aged 55+ expect to do so.
The findings raise important considerations for gambling operators. While AI adoption for betting is still limited – fewer than one in five bettors currently use it for gambling decisions – intent measures suggest that adoption could grow in the months to come, particularly among younger demographics.
This presents opportunities for operators to build AI-driven features into their platforms. Tools that support bettors with research, budgeting or education could deepen engagement without overstepping into areas where bettors remain wary of handing over decision-making.
The post How open are British bettors to using AI now or in the future? first appeared on EGR Intel.
YouGov’s Richard Moller examines the prevalence of harnessing AI to make gambling-related decisions and what this might mean for operators
The post How open are British bettors to using AI now or in the future? first appeared on EGR Intel.