Better Collective has praised its new AI-powered Playbook product following its roll out and the sealing of a strategic partnership with X. The tool will add a “new layer of value creation” bosses said, as consumers move directly from the social media platform into sportsbooks in moments.
Playbook works by its X account posting a parlay, with users then able to reply to the post, tagging Playbook, and asking for a betslip for the operator of their choosing. From there, the betslip can be directly migrated to the operator and a bet placed.
Better Collective said it marked a shift in the affiliate landscape, away from delivering new sign-ups in a traditional sense, and instead harnessing the deep pool of X users to potentially drive traffic.
Here, the company’s co-CEO Christian Kirk Rasmussen tells EGR why the tool could be a gamechanger for the Danish firm.
EGR: Why is Playbook the right tool to deploy for Better Collective at this moment in the business’ journey?
Christian Kirk Rasmussen (CKR): Playbook fits perfectly with our ambition to move beyond customer acquisition and strengthen our retention-focused product suite. Fans are already discussing and following sports on X and other platforms, so putting AI-powered betslips directly into that conversation makes the experience seamless and valuable for them, while creating value for our partners.
EGR: How did the conversations with X progress and why is a strategic partnership important?
CKR: We work with X in other areas of our business and have for some time, hence the talks developed naturally around a shared vision: enhancing how fans engage with live sports. For us, partnering with X means meeting fans where they are. It also gives Playbook the scale and visibility needed to become a premier solution for retention in sports betting.
EGR: What were the technical difficulties in getting this project up and running with several moving parts?
CKR: Building Playbook required integrating AI-driven betslip recognition, smart deeplinks and sportsbook connectivity in real time. The challenge was ensuring speed, accuracy and a smooth user journey. We have had our own sports data platform integrate with the sportsbooks for many years and these integrations have helped us accelerate the process even further. The result is a tool that feels natural for fans to use.
EGR: Do you expect to add more operators to the Playbook partnership? And also expand outside of US firms?
CKR: Yes. Playbook is built to scale, and we’re already working on expanding the operator network. While the US is the starting point, we see strong potential for international roll-out as regulations and market opportunities align.
EGR: While the announcement noted the financial guidance has not been altered, do you expect this to have a significant impact on traffic sent to operators? And if so, can you quantify that?
CKR: In the final weeks leading to the Super Bowl earlier this year, our retention-driven product pilot demonstrated strong impact by powering more than eight million wagers through our QuickSlip product. We expect Playbook to drive meaningful engagement and traffic for operators over time.
EGR: Will there be scope to expand Playbook’s capabilities into full user creativity? I.e. a product similar to the old Sky Bet RequestABet function.
CKR: Definitely yes. We are already working on expanding the AI-suite of tools within Playbook to make the product even more engaging for fans to ultimately elevate the user experience.
EGR: How else is Better Collective looking to deploy AI capabilities across the business?
CKR: AI is already embedded across our products and operations, from content creation and personalisation to smarter data-driven fan engagement. Playbook is a flagship example, but we see AI as a tool that can enhance value across the entire user journey.
The post Q&A: Better Collective co-CEO on the affiliate’s new AI-powered Playbook product first appeared on EGR Intel.
Christian Kirk Rasmussen tells EGR that international expansion and further personalisation are in the picture following X partnership being agreed
The post Q&A: Better Collective co-CEO on the affiliate’s new AI-powered Playbook product first appeared on EGR Intel.