In an exclusive interview with iGaming News Today, FIRST.bet CEO Tom Light discusses how AI could reshape sportsbook technology, why execution matters more than feature lists, and what the next generation of sports betting will demand from operators and suppliers.
Sportsbook is moving quickly. Player expectations around speed, personalisation and product quality continue to rise, while AI is opening new possibilities for how operators build and differentiate their experiences. For Tom Light, the direction is clear: the companies that stay closest to the product, the customer and real player behaviour will have the advantage.
Speaking exclusively to iGaming News Today, Tom draws on his experience across operators, suppliers, product and commercial teams to explain why sportsbook leadership requires an understanding of the entire operation. Trading, risk, VIP management, integrations, customer support, regulation and player behaviour all feed into the final experience. That is also why he remains closely involved in customer meetings, product discussions and operational reviews at FIRST.bet.
One of the biggest themes in the conversation is the changing role of technology suppliers. Tom argues that having features such as Bet Builder, Cash Out or Early Payout is no longer enough to create meaningful differentiation. The real competitive gap comes from execution: how fast those features work, how deeply they are supported, how accurately they are priced and how reliably they perform during live events.
AI could accelerate that shift significantly. Tom expects operators to gain far greater ability to create personalised front ends and player journeys, while sportsbook suppliers increasingly provide the intelligence, infrastructure, pricing and execution underneath them. FIRST.bet has already started moving in this direction through SportOS, giving operators greater freedom over how their sportsbook is built and presented.
The full interview also explores how player expectations have changed, the relationship between innovation and regulation, Tom’s approach to leadership and the trends he believes will define sports betting from 2027 onwards. From richer live betting and faster settlement to increasingly personalised sportsbook experiences, his view is that the next phase will be defined by the quality of execution.
Tom Light’s full exclusive interview with iGaming News Today: READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
About FIRST.bet
FIRST.bet is a Tier-1 sportsbook technology provider: a fully managed, high-performance sportsbook engineered for speed, scale and precision across LatAm, Europe and Africa. Founded by former SBTech leaders, FIRST.bet delivers market-leading sportsbook technology with a proven track record in regulated markets. The company holds licences from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) and is GLI-33 certified and ISO-audited.
FIRST.bet was named ‘Sportsbook Supplier of the Year’ at both the SBC Awards 2025 and the EGR LATAM Awards 2025, ‘Best Sportsbook Provider’ at BiS SiGMA South America 2026, ‘Sports Betting Supplier of the Year’ at the EGR B2B Awards 2026; Founder and CEO Tom Light also received the ‘Individual Achievement Award’ at the EGR Awards 2026.
