Andris Backovs, Head of Trading at BETBY, argues that hybrid trading models give operators a sensible blend of agility and flexibility, while still having control over VIP programs and other crucial aspects of trading operations.
For years, much of the iGaming industry has relied on feed-only trading models: efficient, global and predictable, but increasingly mismatched with what operators actually face on the ground.
Today’s market is different. VIP behaviour fluctuates minute to minute, promotions change exposure in ways the global line can’t see and niche events can suddenly generate a similar level of traffic to Champions League in specific regions.
In this environment, the feed-only approach is limiting operators, and that’s why hybrid trading should be the new standard.
From Global Lines to In-House Intervention
Feed providers give sportsbooks the necessary breadth, that’s undeniable. But they don’t see the operator-specific realities that matter most: the VIP staking heavily on a Premier League derby, the promotion that floods one side of a market, or the tournament that’s niche globally but massive locally.
Hybrid trading fills that gap by keeping the feed as the backbone while adding a layer of in-house control that reacts to real traffic. Across BETBY’s partner network, this translates into around 5000 in-house pricing interventions every month, meaning micro-adjustments that shape demand, protect margins and keep markets live instead of suspended.
It’s the difference between copying the line and managing the book.
Creating Real Value for Operators
But hybrid trading goes way beyond just correcting prices. In fact, it enables operators to respond to situations the feed cannot anticipate. And in many cases, reacting isn’t enough. Operators increasingly need markets that simply don’t exist in the global feed: tailored prop bets, regionalised specials, or live coverage for sports ignored by major providers.
This is where hybrid trading and custom market creation naturally intersect. Once the trading team has in-house control of pricing, they also gain the ability to build and manage bespoke content at the speed operators need. In BETBY’s case, creating tailored markets on request usually takes an average of only 10 minutes.
Below are three practical examples of how BETBY’s hybrid model drives engagement through both price intervention and on-demand content.
1) Champions League Specials
During the Champions League, operators using BETBY’s tailored player props and stat markets saw 8% of users placing specials, generating 2% of the entire tournament’s turnover. These markets didn’t exist in any feed, they were created specifically to meet partner demand and differentiate the sportsbook during peak competition.
2) Ryder Cup 2025
Following operator requests for in-play golf — something uncommon in most sportsbooks — BETBY launched live betting markets for the Ryder Cup 2025. The impact was immediate: 69% of turnover came in-play, margins surpassed 30%, and 10% of staking users were entirely new to golf. A low-attention sport became a high-performance vertical overnight thanks to hybrid control and fast market creation.
3) MMA Live Coverage
By expanding live coverage to more than 20 MMA promotions, including 15+ monthly tournaments, BETBY saw user volumes triple, bets increased 5x, turnover grew 10x, and average stakes more than doubled. This level of depth is extremely rare in feed-only platforms, and it shows how hybrid trading unlocks verticals that would otherwise remain underdeveloped.
Stability Under Pressure
Another way for operators to build trust among players is to guarantee that odds behave predictably. Across BETBY’s partner network, we aim for instant pre-match bet acceptance and roughly five seconds for live acceptance. This reduces cancellations and reinforces the message sportsbooks want to send: “We are in control.”
This stability is especially visible during high-liability events. For example, last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup showed that proactive exposure control could push operator margins to 17%, above the 10–12% initial expectation. It demonstrated that, when hybrid models respond to real traffic at the right moment, volatility becomes manageable and, sometimes, even profitable.
More importantly, it showcased how hybrid trading helps keep things steady when traffic spikes or betting becomes one-sided. And that stability gives operators the confidence to stay open, keep limits higher, and compete more assertively.
Why This Matters
As we’ve seen, hybrid trading should quickly become the default approach for tier-1 operators who need to balance localised risk, high-volume traffic, VIP behaviour, custom content and margin stability all at once. In this environment, feeds are no longer the final layer but the starting point. The advantage comes from what operators build on top of them: flexibility, responsiveness, and a trading engine that adapts to real demand.
If you’d like to explore the data, examples, and operational insights behind this shift, BETBY has just released a full trading benchmark report featuring partner metrics, case studies and a detailed breakdown of its hybrid model.
Download the report here