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DAZN decision to add sports betting followed a strategic view of how fans already interact with live sport. Speaking at ICE 2026, chief executive Shay Segev described betting as an extension of the existing DAZN product rather than a shift away from broadcasting.
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During his keynote at ICE 2026, Shay Segev explained why sports betting fit naturally into DAZN wider ecosystem. With a background that spans both media and gaming, Segev positioned DAZN Bet as part of a broader digital sports experience rather than a standalone betting brand.
Segev joined DAZN as co chief executive in June 2021 and became primary CEO in January 2022. Since then, the group has moved beyond its original role as a sports streaming platform. DAZN Bet, in his view, helps anchor DAZN as a single destination for sports consumption. Segev said:
“Someone who bets on Barcelona to win is probably watching Barcelona [play]. And where do they watch? They watch on DAZN.
“I can watch Barcelona. I can chat with my friends as part of communities. I can see if there’s last minute tickets to buy. I can buy merchandise. I can play some gamified challenges. If I missed games, I can see some personalised highlights. Or I can bet.”
Segev stressed that betting remains optional within the platform. DAZN built the product to sit alongside streaming, not to drive viewers toward wagering.
“When you go to DAZN, you go because you like sports and we don’t expect you to bet. If you want to bet, it’s a complementary product,” he said.
DAZN Bet went live in the UK in August 2022 before expanding into Germany and Spain in 2023. The operator recently secured a licence in Ontario, with Canada expected to become the first market outside Europe for the betting arm.
Italy has played a central role in shaping the DAZN Bet strategy. Segev pointed to the country as a working example of how broadcasting and betting can converge under one platform.
DAZN renewed its exclusive Serie A broadcast agreement in 2023, extending the deal through 2029. Under the agreement, DAZN remains the only platform where fans can watch every Serie A match. DAZN Bet entered the Italian market in late 2022, closely aligning betting with live football coverage.
Segev said:
“Italy is clearly a big core market for DAZN. The Italian market is a €5 billion online gaming and betting industry.
“DAZN is the biggest sport platform in Italy, having the exclusive rights for Serie A for the games. So if you’re an Italian who likes sport, you like football, right? And they can only watch it on DAZN, so they should be able to bet on DAZN. So this is where we’re going with that.”
Segev also addressed regulatory engagement, noting that DAZN Bet operates only in regulated jurisdictions. The operator is live in the UK, Italy, Spain, and Germany, with Canada next on the roadmap.
He argued that DAZN role as a broadcaster helps regulators and governments see the wider economic impact of the model, particularly for domestic leagues:
“In a way, we are almost a little bit of a different beast in the standard of online betting companies, because we’re coming in as a broadcaster,” adding:
“In Italy, the government is getting that the more we can monetise our platform, the more we can invest back into the league.
“In Italy today, we are by far the number one player for the Italian league. So if you’re Juventus or AC Milan or Inter Milan, a big chunk of the revenues is coming from DAZN, because we’re paying them.
“If you can monetise this right, either through subscription, which is our biggest revenue stream by far, through advertising or betting, or through any type of ticketing, then we can pay more for the league. They pay more for the clubs, they can buy better players. And it’s actually very positive for the league,” he concluded.