Real-Time Edge: ALT Sports Data on sports betting innovation
Imagine placing a bet not just on who will win the Skateboarding heat, but whether or not they’ll land their next trick. Will it barely count, or will it be closer to perfection, scoring above 9.0? Or maybe you want your wagers tailored to your betting history, with your bespoke commentator talking in a broadcast that’s produced only for you.
Outlandish? Maybe. But also entirely possible, and in the very near future.
Welcome to the brave new world of real-time sports betting, where the milliseconds matter and every moment is an opportunity for entertainment. At the heart of this wagering renaissance is , a company turning emerging and alternative sports into betting gold, and imagining a future where live odds and personalised wagering are all fair game.
Fresh off the back of their recently announced Formula 1 partnership, SiGMA News spoke with Co-Founder Michael Jordan and Director of Data Science Tim Wall to find out just what the company’s vision means for the sports betting industry.
“We believe that the real opportunities within iconic sports like F1 are the things happening within the race,” says Michael. “Whether the 5th position car will overtake the 4th position car on an upcoming turn is way more engaging than who is going to win the race in 90-120 minutes.”
But before we dive into the massive potential of real-time betting, let’s rewind to where (and why) it all began.
From GoPro to odds gurus
Before ALT Sports Data reimagined the future of sports betting, its founders were already immersed in the world of alternative action sports. Founder Joe Dunnigan and Co-Founder Todd Ballard both came from GoPro, where Todd had spent a decade as Chief Marketing Officer, building relationships with the top athletes in snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross, surfing, you name it. These guys were embedded in the culture.
“We recognised that sports betting was becoming legal in the U.S.,” says Michael, “but fans of alternative sports didn’t have any way to engage in it with the sports they loved. There was no gaming experience available, and we wanted to change that.
“We also wanted to boost the economy of these sports for the players. These athletes put it all on the line, and almost all of them have full-time jobs to support themselves. We want to build up our league partners to the point where athletes earn enough without a second job.”
Their mission isn’t just about monetising niche sports. It’s about elevating entire ecosystems, making sure the athletes are compensated fairly, fans engage more deeply, and the sports themselves get the spotlight they deserve.
An obvious but completely untapped market
Michael brought the data edge. Back in 2009, he’d built a fantasy sports game for professional surfing, which he later sold to the World Surf League (WSL), surfing’s equivalent of FIFA. He also created Surf Stats, a deep statistical database of surfing performance inspired by Major League Baseball-style metrics, which are now showcased in the WSL broadcast and website.
“Todd and Joe found me on LinkedIn,” he laughs. “With Surf Stats, we had invented all these performance metrics for surfing, things that had never been tracked before, and we were using predictive analytics to price surfers in the fantasy game. That became the foundation for what we’re doing now with alternative sports betting.”
Together, the trio saw an obvious but completely untapped market. Alternative sports might be niche individually, but collectively, their fan base is massive. These are passionate, loyal, underserved communities with no way to participate in the sports betting boom unless they follow one of the big five sports.
“There’s no outlet for these fans,” Michael says. “But there are tens of millions of them. And they want in.”
ALT Sports Data is turning fantasy into reality
Once data wizard Tim Wall was on board and the team was in place, ALT Sports Data got to work building out the plumbing: odds engines, data feeds, simulations, and algorithms that could turn a mid-air snowboard trick into a real-time betting opportunity.
“The vision is second-by-second betting,” says Tim. “Betting by the millisecond. We want the fan to be fully immersed, watching the event live and placing bets as the action unfolds. They want to be part of every moment, not just the final score.”
Will the surfer come out of a deep pit for a ten, or will the wave clamp on them? Will the Supercross holeshot winner lead after Lap 1? Claim or no claim? A fan is proposing to his girlfriend on the jumbotron, will she say yes?
It sounds bonkers, and it kind of is. But also, it makes sense. In a world where attention spans are TikTok-short and multiple screens rule, traditional betting feels static.
“There’s no reason sports betting can’t be as fast and immersive as video games,” says Michael. “That’s what our generation is used to. It’s what we want.”
Converting data into gold
To make this dream a reality, ALT Sports Data is doing some heavy lifting behind the scenes. Tim and his team are building predictive models for sports that haven’t traditionally had any stats at all; think dirt track conditions and how they deteriorate at night vs. day, trick make probability, a sport that is having its first season ever. This is the Wild Wild West, where the NFL and MLB are the old establishment.
The sportsbook clients can then plug those odds into their platforms and suddenly offer betting markets that didn’t exist five minutes ago. But here’s the thing: Integrating directly with the bigger sportsbooks takes time.
“Some of those conversations can take a year or even longer,” says Michael. “So in the meantime, we built out a full product suite.”
“Having access to this product suite allows sportsbooks to browse our live markets and download the latest odds quickly and seamlessly, which has opened the door to smaller sportsbook partnerships that don’t come with the long integration roadmaps.”
“We’ve had a lot of success with it,” he says. “It’s proven that people do want to bet on these sports. And it’s given our API a lot of usage before full integrations even happen.”
A broadcast that knows you better than you know yourself
ALT Sports Data’s future vision reads like sci-fi, minus the dystopia and with a lot more fun wagers. Think of a fully AI-curated broadcast stream, tailored in real time to your preferences, bets, and behaviours.
“I see it as a holistic stream,” says Michael. “Driver cams, dynamic views, personalised narration, all based on what you’ve bet on historically.” Your screen isn’t just showing you the game, the commentator is speaking directly to you.
The AI knows your favourite athletes, fantasy picks, and social follows. It cuts to the right camera angle, remembers your last wager, and offers frictionless, voice-activated bets, like this:
“There’s a key turn coming up, Kate, want to put $5 on Albon overtaking Antonelli?”
“How much would I win?”
“You could win $11.”
“Ok, place bet.”
“Great, let’s see what happens!”
ALT’s broadcast is fully immersive and conversational, combining real-time odds, personalised storylines, and even seamless product placements that feel more like part of the experience than ads.
In short: sports betting is getting smarter, faster, and personal; you’re not just watching the action, you’re part of it. Even if that action is disc golf, bull riding, or Power Slap.
Yes, really.
The future is loading
ALT Sports Data isn’t betting on if real-time, personalised wagering will take off; they’re betting on when. Based on how quickly their tech is evolving and how thirsty the market is for innovation, the answer seems to be very soon.
Think video game speed, Netflix-style personalisation, and odds for every moment. It’s fast. It’s immersive. At times a little absurd. But, more importantly, it’s possible.
“The tech is catching up to the vision,” says Michael. “And the fans are already here. They’re ready.”
