Remember when pre-flop bets were the only options in sports betting? That’s a rather quaint notion given the rapid rise of live betting and microbets.
Scrolling through an amended complaint in the lawsuit filed by Christopher Sage and Terry Thompson against the NFL, DraftKings, FanDuel, Genius Sports, and others, lawyers for the plaintiffs alleged that Genius received $126,100,000 in commissions from live microbetting in 2025. They claimed that Genius received a commission on every microbet placed and that it accounted for about 19% of total revenue that year.
It speaks to the size and scope of live betting’s trajectory in recent years. Optimove revealed that 52% of the overall US wagers made online during 2024 were live bets. The study found even higher rates in more mature gambling markets, including Greece (70%) and Italy (57%).
Live bettors in the US also spent an average of $1,583.90 per month, much higher than the $846.20 for pre-match bettors.
In May 2025, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said during an investor call that live betting accounted for more than 50% of overall handle in Q1 last year. That marked the first time in-game wagers represented the majority at DraftKings.
“We think there’s even more upside from there,” Robins said on the call.
Robins was even more bullish after Q2 2025.
“We are the leader right now and have by far the best offering,” he said. “We had over 90% uptime in all of our core live markets last quarter, which is an industry-leading number. And we have a wider offering than anyone else in the industry.
“So, I feel like we’re really playing from a position of strength in the area that’s likely to be the biggest source of growth for the handle side of the OSB market in the next few years.”
DraftKings expanded its live betting menu for Major League Baseball with the launch of “Moonshot” last month. The slot-style product allows users to make a single wager that can build in value as play unfolds toward a target payout based on predetermined multipliers.
Health Concerns Accompany Microbetting’s Rise
This week, the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) released a white paper entitled, Why New Jersey Must Ban Online Microbetting.
For the uninitiated, microbets allow you to wager on the next play or outcome of a game. Example: Will the next pitch be a ball or a strike in baseball? That particular microbet caused all kinds of problems for Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of spot-fixing by deliberately throwing balls.
The CFG is a non-partisan advocacy organization that aims to reform the gambling sector through evidence-based policy. Its new policy paper cited these key findings:
- Sports bettors involved in microbetting are more likely to be high-risk gamblers and experience more negative consequences.
- In-game bettors displayed greater mental health vulnerabilities, including emotional dysregulation, impulse control, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, as compared to bettors who only bet on the full game.
- One study found that 78% of microbettors met the criteria for problem gambling; only 5% did not.
“Legal sports betting in most states, including New Jersey, is less than ten years old, yet 43% of Americans already believe sports betting is bad for society,” said CFG Director and problem gambling policy expert Brianne Doura-Schawohl. “Highly addictive, slot-like betting products like microbetting are a major reason why people are concerned, and rightfully so. The Lancet medical journal has flagged this form of betting as high-risk.”
The paper concluded,
“Evidence continues to suggest that microbetting is a more addictive and dangerous product than traditional sports wagers, creating an urgent mental health threat that demands immediate action. The numbers are stark: despite 78% of microbettors meeting the criteria for problem gambling, sports betting operators are aggressively marketing this product to younger bettors through coordinated brand campaigns designed to normalize gambling among young people.”
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