Thomas Donson, DATA.BET: “Esports is still in many areas a maturing product that’s very immature”
Shows & conferences - 17 October, 2025
During SBC Summit Lisbon 2025, Focus Gaming News spoke with Thomas Donson, Head of Trading at DATA.BET, to discuss the company's journey from an esports-first data provider to its expansion into traditional sports, the technological advantages gained along the way, and the unique dynamics of the esports betting market.
Donson began by explaining that DATA.BET was “one of the first big ones” to emerge in the esports data sector, building its tools, AI software, and innovative features like the esports Bet Builder entirely in-house. He identified the Covid-19 pandemic as a crucial period for the industry’s growth. “I think that was the golden time for esports when everything else shut down,” Donson said. This allowed DATA.BET to capture a significant share of what he still describes as a “niche market” and develop products that could appeal to both specialised clients and large, traditional sportsbooks.
A key point of discussion was how the company leveraged its expertise in the fast-paced esports environment for its move into classical sports. Donson noted that esports is incredibly data-heavy and constantly evolving with new game updates, maps, and characters. “It’s not something which is static. So we learned to develop at an extremely fast pace,” he explained. This agility and advanced modelling capability have been applied to traditional sports, which Donson believes “haven’t really developed that much over the last 10-15 years,” allowing DATA.BET to introduce more detailed markets and features.
Regarding market dynamics, Donson pointed to the growing trend of player-focused betting, which he called the “Cristiano Ronaldo effect.” He elaborated, saying, “wherever he goes and plays people will follow him, people will bet on him and it’s very similar for esports.” This highlights the importance of offering player props to cater to fans who follow specific media stars with massive social media followings. While DATA.BET has a global reach, he identified LatAm, the Americas, and Africa as key growth markets.
Finally, when asked about the unique risks associated with esports betting, Donson was unequivocal: “Data is where this becomes really key.” The primary risk is data latency, where bettors with faster information can get “ahead of us.” To combat this, he stressed the company's focus on using official data feeds to ensure the information is as close to real-time as possible, thereby protecting integrity and providing a better, safer product.