AI is giving both sportsbooks and sports gamblers an edge in approaching the activity
Since the US Supreme Court shot down PASPA in 2018, more than $20 billion has been gambled through legal sportsbooks in the US. That number is going to increase exponentially as more states bring online their own legal sports gambling markets, and sportsbooks are constantly looking for a way to give them an edge to create better lines. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have proven to be vital components to achieve that goal, which also benefits the sports gambler, as well.
AI and ML allow sportsbooks to compile and analyze more data points than ever, including information on players, almost down to the minute. This gives gamblers a much better picture of how a game might develop, taking into consideration the automatic processing of data that the gambler is not capable of following. AI is able to receive thousands of data points at once to provide a more accurate analysis of players and games, allowing gamblers to have all the necessary information at their fingertips.
Historically, sports handicappers have aggregated game and player data to create potential game models. However, AI now allows for thousands of simulations to be run at once, producing results that have become more accurate on the moneylines. Point spreads are still somewhat more difficult to predict, even for AI, but the results provided by AI are a useful barometer that can be used in conjunction with other game data to make a more educated wager.
As sports gambling and AI develop simultaneously, sportsbooks and gamblers are going to gain access to even greater insight. More data will continue to be added and the algorithms will continue to be adjusted. The result is going to be a huge metamorphosis in how sports gambling odds are laid out, but this is still several years into the future.