Digital sports media company Better Collective has introduced Playbook, a new AI-powered betting tool aimed at reshaping how fans engage with sports wagering. Officially launched in the U.S. on September 3—just ahead of the NFL season – Playbook is designed to make betting more intuitive while helping Better Collective move beyond acquisition and toward long-term user retention.
The rollout follows a successful Super Bowl pilot in February and marks a significant evolution in Better Collective’s product offerings. With sports fans globally wagering over €1.5 trillion each year, the company sees a major opportunity to drive innovation and expand its influence in the betting space.
A Streamlined Path From Tip to Bet Slip
Playbook allows users to place bets directly from betting content through AI-driven bet slip image recognition and smart deeplinks. Whether on social platforms like X or Better Collective’s suite of sports media brands, fans can click a link that opens a sportsbook app or website with the bet already filled in.
Jesper Søgaard, Better Collective’s Co-Founder and CEO, explained: “Playbook reflects our ambition to lead in delivering unique, and engaging sports betting experiences for sports fans and bettors while driving strong retention value for our partners. This positions Better Collective uniquely within the global sports betting ecosystem, where sports fans wager more than 1.5 trillion EUR annually.”
With the new tool, Better Collective aims to simplify the betting journey, enhancing convenience while driving engagement at the moment of bet placement.
Shifting From Acquisition to Lifecycle Engagement
Historically, Better Collective focused on acquiring new bettors via paid media, partnerships, and its owned platforms. Playbook broadens that scope, targeting active bettors at all stages of the user journey. The tool enables direct interaction during wagering moments, creating new commercial opportunities beyond traditional acquisition and advertising models.
Søgaard noted on LinkedIn: “Playbook uses AI and smart bet slip recognition where sports fans already have their conversations about betting, such as X, to turn content and tips into a one-click bet, pre-loaded directly in the sportsbook app.”
Backed by Better Collective’s tech infrastructure and betting communities, which draw 450 million monthly visits across brands like Action Network, Playmaker HQ, and VegasInsider, Playbook is positioned to scale quickly.
The company also plans to develop a broader suite of AI betting tools and assistants, reinforcing its ambition to lead technological innovation in the space.
Product Launch Comes Amid Business Challenges
The launch arrives during a period of transition for Better Collective. In 2024, the company laid off more than 300 employees and restructured into three business verticals—Publishing, Paid Media, and Esports. It also adopted a co-CEO model, with co-founder Christian Kirk Rasmussen joining Søgaard in leadership.
The company’s Q2 2025 report showed an 18% revenue drop and a 21% fall in adjusted EBITDA. Performance in North America lagged, impacted by reduced marketing spend and underwhelming results from its North Carolina debut.
Leadership changes have also continued. North America CEO Marc Pedersen stepped down in July, citing the region’s unexpected difficulties, and VP of Product and Strategy Brandon Cohen resigned from Action Network just last week.
Source:
“Better Collective launches Playbook – an AI-powered betting solution transforming how fans place bets”, bettercollective.com, Sep 12, 2025.
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