How do you define a niche sport or market? Is it based on turnover, event frequency, geographical relevance, or something else entirely?

Ultimately, it’s a very broad question, but if we simplify it, a niche sport is usually defined by the number of customers, the number of bets, and the amount of money wagered on that sport within a given region.

Where it becomes complex is that the definition of a niche sport varies significantly from one region to the next. For most European sportsbooks outside of the UK and Ireland, close to 90% of betting activity or revenue comes from just three core sports: football, tennis, and basketball. By that definition, the 50-plus other sports offered through our sportsbook, which collectively account for around 10% of turnover, could be considered niche.

However, in the UK and Ireland, a sport that might be considered niche in continental Europe (like horse racing) becomes a major revenue driver. There are similar regional contrasts elsewhere: in North America, football (soccer) is still relatively niche, with betting activity dominated by American football, baseball, ice hockey, and basketball. And in certain parts of Asia, esports (which might be niche elsewhere) has become a major sport in its own right.

We all saw how table tennis became an overnight staple during the pandemic. Do you see any other sports with that kind of breakout potential right now?

Table tennis became an overnight staple during the pandemic largely because of availability. While most major sports were suspended worldwide, a number of governing bodies and associations collaborated to organise local table tennis tournaments that could be streamed at scale to sportsbook operators who were desperate for trading content.

What’s fascinating is that even after the pandemic ended, table tennis has remained a fairly core product for many mid-to-large sportsbook operators. The reasons are clear: coverage and consistency. Thousands of table tennis events are streamed to sportsbooks every month, across different hours of the day, meaning 24/7 availability that caters to multiple time zones. That’s exactly why Pragmatic Play Sports ensures delivery of a market-leading table tennis product, complete with official data, live video streaming, scoreboards, stats, low-latency pricing, and in-play settlement.

As for which sport could show similar breakout potential, esports is the best example. It’s comparable in many ways: extensive year-round coverage, thousands of events across multiple titles, and constant availability across time zones. We currently trade in excess of 40,000 individual esports events annually. The infrastructure mirrors that of table tennis; official data, low-latency pricing, fast settlement, and video streaming that allows players to watch and bet in real time.

So, while esports might still be considered niche in some regions, its accessibility, volume, and engagement levels mean it’s very much on a similar trajectory to table tennis in terms of growth and mainstream adoption.

When you choose to launch or grow a niche market, what usually drives that decision? Is it operators asking for it, betting trends, data, or things like TV/streaming coverage?

When we decide to launch or grow a niche market, the main driver is what we perceive to be the growth potential of that sport. For sportsbook platform providers like us, operating across multiple jurisdictions, the real danger is underestimating the potential of a product. By the time it becomes mainstream, you’re scrambling to integrate it and risk being left behind.

Our recent launch of a market-leading esports product is a good example. We recognised the sport’s strong long-term growth potential and rolled out a comprehensive esports solution for all our global operators to ensure we were ahead of the curve.

Of course, potential operator demand is also a major factor. A good example here would be padel. We’ve seen increased appetite from operators for trading coverage because padel is becoming a widely adopted recreational sport, which naturally increases familiarity and betting interest among consumers. As media coverage and live streaming of paddle tournaments grow, that interest continues to build. Watch this space!

That said, not every televised or streamed sport is destined to become a viable betting product. You see this every Olympic cycle: sports such as swimming or squash attract short-term attention but rarely generate the sustained engagement or betting turnover needed to justify full integration. So, while we monitor trends and media exposure, the key driver remains our long-term assessment of a sport’s scalability and commercial viability for operators.

Smaller markets can be riskier and attract sharper players, so does that change how you price and automate them, or even where and how you display them in the sportsbook?

Yes, absolutely. Smaller or niche markets do require a different approach to pricing and display. The main challenge with niche sports is that there is often less reliable information about the competition, event, or participant, which makes accurate pricing more difficult. As a result, operators typically trade these events with lower limits and are more cautious about exposure, as the markets can be more volatile and susceptible to sharp action.

In general, you’ll see a lower risk tolerance for niche sports than for major sports such as football, basketball, or tennis. This is reflected in both betting limits (the amount an individual user can stake) and price volatility, since the markets are far less liquid and it’s harder to eliminate inefficiencies in the odds. The variables that go into pricing (form, team news, weather, and available data) are often less comprehensive or slower to update for niche sports, which naturally increases risk.

In terms of how these markets are displayed within the sportsbook, they’re not hidden, but they don’t receive the same level of prominence as the core revenue-driving sports. That said, modern sportsbooks are moving toward personalisation and segmentation. A user who consistently bets on niche sports will increasingly see a front-end experience tailored to their preferences. This forms part of our personalisation ambitions here at Pragmatic Play Sports.

For example, I personally bet mostly on rugby union and golf (both of which could be considered niche from a global perspective) but my front-end experience can still prioritise those sports for me. That’s the value of a segmented, data-driven approach to sportsbook presentation: the product adapts to the bettor, rather than the other way around.