Top Sports Betting Moments of 2023 from Betano [and Stoiximan] by Kaizen Gaming

2023 was a year of many “firsts”. For the first time ever Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo played club football outside Europe. Manchester City won their first and long awaited Champions League trophy. Fluminense took their first taste of a Copa Libertadores triumph. The Spanish national team won their first World Cup in Women’s Football. And in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets secured their first NBA championship. 

Kaizen Gaming, one of the biggest GameTech companies in the world, sheds a different light to events, teams and stories that stole the show in 2023 through data gathered from its sports betting platforms, Betano and Stoiximan, from 13 markets in 4 continents.

Two Bizarre Stories from Liverpool 

On May 28th, in Southampton vs Liverpool, Betano and Stoiximan players were paid out regardless of the result they had bet on for two reasons: a special Kaizen Gaming offer paying players when the team they bet on gets a two goal lead, and a crazy scoreboard, which saw both teams getting such a lead and ended in a 4-4 draw! 

On September 30th, in Tottenham vs Liverpool (2-1) a clearly wrong VAR call led to the cancellation of a goal by Luis Díaz as offside. Kaizen Gaming decided to reward the players who placed a bet on Luis Díaz to score nonetheless. 

What else stood out from a gaming perspective in all markets where Kaizen operates? 

Real Madrid Reigns Supreme 

In 2023 Real Madrid didn’t manage to defend its 2022 Champions League and LaLiga titles. Still, the “Copa del Rey” winners were the most popular team among bettors. The team that won it all, Manchester City, just fell short this time, being the second most betted company, with Liverpool at third place.

In basketball, even though the Miami Heat lost the NBA finals to the Denver Nuggets, they were “crowned” the most popular team in betting, with their rivals in second place. The Milwaukee Bucks, starring Betano global ambassador Giannis Antetokounmpo, came third. 

A Truly Celebratory Boxing Day

Except for a holiday tradition, the Premier League Boxing Day seems to be the best day to bet. That day’s match between Everton and Manchester City (1-3) was the one sharing the most winnings to Kaizen’s customers in 2023. Placed second is Chelsea vs Crystal Palace 2-1 for the same Premier League fixture on December 27th.  Ranked third was Liverpool vs Real Madrid (2-5) for the Champions League Round of 16.

As for the matches where players placed the most bets, in Europe the winner is the second leg Champions League quarter final 1-1 draw between Napoli and AC Milan. Surprisingly, the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter (1-0) was just 3rd. In South America, the most popular match was Cruzeiro vs Palmeiras (1-1) in the last fixture of the Brazilian Serie A, where Palmeiras were crowned Brazilian champions.

The Ronaldo and Messi Effect

After Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Al Nassr, a lot of top names, such as Neymar, Benzema and Kanté, decided to make the move to the Saudi Pro League, in what journalists and fans describe as “the Ronaldo Effect”. “The Ronaldo Effect” extends to betting too, as his transfer increased bettors’ interest in the league by more than 1,000%! As for Messi’s transfer to Inter Miami? 25% of all Inter Miami relevant bets are on “Messi to score”.

2024 a Thrilling Year in Sports

At the end of 2023 Kaizen Gaming announced that its Betano brand has signed on as an Official Global Sponsor of UEFA EURO 2024™, with its Stoiximan brand, serving as Official Sponsor of the upcoming EURO for Greece and Cyprus. With the Paris Olympic Games and other major sporting events like Copa America and Africa Cup of Nations, 2024 is set out to be an all around thrilling year in sports gaming. 

About Kaizen Gaming | Betano|Stoiximan|

Kaizen Gaming is one of the biggest GameTech companies in the world. With a focus on Technology and People, it aims to continuously evolve the betting experience it offers to millions of customers around the world and entertain sports fans in a fun and responsible way.

Kaizen Gaming owns the premium online sports betting and gaming brand Betano, with an established presence across markets in Europe and Latin America. It has also recently entered Africa and North America through launches in Nigeria and Ontario. The company employs more than 2,300 people across the globe.

Kaizen Gaming has been recognized as a leading player in the global sports betting and gaming market, having received several industry awards, including a world first of five trophies in a single year at the 2023 EGR Operator Awards (“Sports Betting Operator of the Year”, “Marketing Campaign of the Year”, “Mobile Sports Product of the Year”, “In-House Product of the Year” and "In-Play Sports Operator of the Year").

For more information visit Kaizen Gaming