Altenar: The Reality of Expanding an In-House Sportsbook into New Markets

Every market has its unique regulations, player behaviors, and sports preferences

For operators with a successful in-house sportsbook, expansion often appears straightforward. The platform works, trading operations are established, and the technology has already been built. The assumption is simple: replicate what works in one market and launch it in another. In practice, international expansion rarely unfolds that way.

While technology can be duplicated, market conditions cannot. Every new jurisdiction introduces different regulatory requirements, player behaviours, sports preferences, and trading patterns. What performs well in one country may deliver very different results elsewhere, even when the product remains unchanged.

Expansion isn’t just about scaling what already works in one region. It’s about adapting to conditions that weren’t part of the original platform build.

The challenge is not launching a sportsbook in a new market. It is maintaining performance without increasing operational complexity and costs.

One of the most common misconceptions is that localisation is primarily about language. In reality, player behaviour varies significantly between markets.

The way that users engage with sports, respond to promotions, and move through betting journeys can all differ. Registration may remain strong, but conversion to first bet can slow. Popular betting markets in one region may generate little activity in another.

The same issue appears in trading operations. Centralised trading models are designed for efficiency, but local demand often requires additional oversight. Certain competitions attract unexpected interest, while others fail to generate meaningful betting volume.

As a result, teams frequently spend more time adapting than originally planned.

The Hidden Costs Appear After Launch

Many operators view licensing as the biggest barrier to expansion. Yet the real work often begins once a sportsbook goes live.

Regulatory reporting, tax requirements, market restrictions, compliance updates, and local operational adjustments all add layers of complexity. Individually, these challenges are manageable. Together, they can significantly extend launch timelines and increase operating costs.

What starts as a technology rollout gradually becomes a resource challenge. More coordination is required between product, compliance, trading, and operational teams. Manual processes increase and internal workloads grow.

Over time, these pressures begin to impact performance. Even small declines in conversion rates, slower campaign optimisation, or increased trading intervention can affect profitability when scaled across multiple markets.

Statements by Altenar

Antonis Karakousis, Director of Operations at Altenar, said: "When operators look at a new market, it's tempting to assume that what worked in one jurisdiction will work in another. That's where many expansion challenges begin.

“We've seen companies underestimate the impact of local player behaviour, rely on the same UX and trading setup across multiple regions, or expect automation to eliminate most operational effort. In reality, every market behaves differently.

“The operators that succeed are usually the ones that recognise early on that expansion is not about copying a model, it's about adapting it."

Altenar’s case study

A good example is Altenar’s partnership with Rootz, where the operator expanded its sportsbook across diverse markets including North America, the Nordics and New Zealand.

Altenar worked closely with Rootz to localise the offering for each region while maintaining a consistent player experience and operational efficiency.

This localisation went beyond language or content. To support Rootz’s ambitions in the Nordics, Altenar invested in dedicated Nordic trading specialists and regional expertise, ensuring odds, trading strategies and the overall sportsbook experience reflected local player expectations.

The project demonstrates that successful international expansion depends not only on stable and scalable technology, but also on the flexibility to adapt trading operations and the product to the unique characteristics of each market.