Kambi’s AI World Cup: Because Humans Are So Last Season

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So, Kambi, the B2B sportsbook supplier that’s apparently too cool for human error, just dropped their Q1 2026 numbers. EBITDA’s up 63.5%-big whoop. CEO Werner Becher’s still yapping about how their AI is gonna run the 2026 FIFA World Cup like it’s some kind of robot takeover. Oh, and get this: 60% of Q1 bets were handled by AI. Because, you know, humans are so 2025.

Key Takeaways (or, as I like to call them, “Things I Barely Care About”):

  • Kambi’s Q1 revenue hit €43.5 million. Yawn. EBITDA jumped to €5.7 million. Double yawn.
  • 60% of bets were priced by AI. Up from 49% last year. Progress? Or just robots taking over?
  • Becher’s doubling down on the AI World Cup. Because why let humans have any fun?

Q1 Results: €43.5M Revenue and €5.7M EBITDA (Wow, So Impressive)

Kambi released their Q1 2026 report on Wednesday. Revenue’s €43.5 million, operating profit’s €4.2 million, and EBITDA’s up. Becher’s spinning this as a comeback after 2025, which was apparently rough because customers decided to move on. Shocking, I know.

In an interview with NEXT.io, Becher’s all like, “Yeah, the World Cup’s gonna be 100% AI-traded.” Because nothing says “global tournament” like a bunch of algorithms calling the shots. Q1 bet automation hit 60%, which is apparently a big deal. Now they’re rolling this out to tennis, basketball, and ice hockey. Because why stop at football?

PMU, the French horse racing monopoly, just launched on Kambi and Becher says it’s “performing very well.” Atlantic Lottery and British Columbia Lottery also jumped on the bandwagon, so now Kambi’s in seven out of ten Canadian provinces. Congrats, I guess?

Becher’s not sweating prediction markets, saying they’re “no material impact” on Kambi’s business. Meanwhile, regulators are losing their minds over these platforms. But hey, what does Becher care? He’s got robots to worry about.

Oh, and Kambi’s previously claimed they got warned about entering prediction markets. Apparently, it would mess with their US licensing. But who needs that when you’ve got AI, right?

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2026-04-30 09:32