Adam Bjorn, CEO of Plannatech – iGaming Interviews

Adam Bjorn, CEO of Plannatech, is a seasoned executive with a deep background in risk management, trading operations, and technology-driven gaming platforms. With over two decades of experience spanning international sports trading, compliance, and business development, he has built a reputation for navigating complex regulatory environments and scaling operations across multiple jurisdictions. Prior to leading Plannatech, he held senior roles including Head of International Trading Services at Olympic Sports Data Services, where he oversaw odds-making and risk strategies across global sports markets, and later provided consulting in compliance and licensing. His leadership today focuses on expanding Plannatech’s footprint, strengthening regulatory alignment, and advancing its technology stack to support evolving market demands.

Plannatech is a B2B technology provider specializing in iGaming and sportsbook infrastructure, offering a fully integrated platform that supports online, mobile, and retail betting operations. Founded in the UK, the company delivers customizable, modular solutions including its centralized Terminal Management System (TMS), secure payment and cashier systems, and omnichannel capabilities that unify user experiences across platforms. Its architecture is designed for scalability, security, and regulatory compliance, enabling operators to launch and manage betting services in multiple jurisdictions. With a focus on innovation and flexibility, Plannatech positions itself as a technology partner helping gaming operators streamline operations, enhance user engagement, and compete in a rapidly evolving global market.

You’ve spent over two decades across odds making, risk management, compliance, and sportsbook operations before launching Plannatech. What gap in the market pushed you to build your own platform, and how did your early experience in trading and fraud detection shape its foundation?

The simple answer is I got tired of seeing the same disconnect play out over and over again.

I’ve spent 25 years as a customer and 25 years on the other side – trading, risk management, compliance, operations – and those two worlds don’t speak to each other nearly as well as they should. Most platforms are built for one side or the other. Very few actually respect both.

So the idea behind Plannatech was straightforward: build something that works properly on the backend for traders and operators, but doesn’t forget the person actually using it.

What I underestimated – massively – was how hard it is to build technology. Everything takes longer than you think. Every decision has trade-offs. And doing that as a non-technical founder has probably been the hardest thing I’ve done in this industry.

But the foundation has always been the same. Make sure the engine works – risk, payments, compliance, all of it – and then build an experience on top of that which feels simple, modern, and usable. Because what people expect today versus even ten years ago is completely different.

At the end of the day, it’s about balance. If traders don’t trust it, it fails. If customers don’t enjoy it, it fails. You need both.

You’ve been outspoken about creating a more bettor-friendly model, especially around limits and payouts. What do the major sportsbooks fundamentally get wrong?

Most of them are trying to get as much money out of the customer as quickly as possible.

Now, from a pure business standpoint, I understand it. But it’s short-term thinking.

The reality is, most bettors are going to lose over time. That’s not controversial – that’s just math. For the majority, this is entertainment. So the job isn’t to accelerate losses, it’s to manage them responsibly so people can actually stay in the ecosystem.

Then you’ve got the other side – the players who can win. I’ve been there. I’ve had thousands of accounts limited or shut down. And that approach, in my opinion, is backwards.

If your numbers are right, you should be able to take a bet from anyone. The best bettors in the world are giving you information for free. They make your product better if you’re smart enough to use it.

So the model I believe in is simple. Protect the people who are going to lose so they don’t lose beyond their means. And don’t run away from the people who can win – learn from them.

Most operators don’t get that balance right.

That’s what we’re building with Prime Sportsbook and Betcris – a model that respects both sides of the equation.

With experience operating across Latin America and the U.S., what are the biggest lessons from international betting markets that American operators still haven’t figured out?

This one’s not always popular, but it’s true – the average American bettor is easier to beat than the average bettor in more mature international markets.

That’s not saying the U.S. doesn’t have some of the best bettors in the world – it absolutely does. But the average player has grown up on point spreads and standard pricing. There’s less understanding of probability, pricing, and how odds are actually built.

In other parts of the world – whether it’s horse racing, cricket, or soccer – there’s a much deeper understanding of value.

For operators, that’s an opportunity if you know how to handle it. You identify the players who actually know what they’re doing, you take a fair bet from them, and let that sharpen your numbers.

The other piece is sport adoption. Globally, soccer, cricket, and horse racing dominate. In the U.S., they’re still underdeveloped – but that’s about to change.

With the FIFA World Cup coming to North America, you’re going to see a shift. I’ve lived through a World Cup in this time zone before. When it’s on their screen, Americans bet it – and they bet it heavily.

That’s a huge opportunity for us with Betcris in Arizona, especially given the brand’s credibility across Latin America, where soccer dominates.

The World Cup brings in a truly global audience. How does betting behavior during this tournament differ from events like the NFL or March Madness?

It’s not that behavior changes – it’s that the audience expands.

Something like the NFL or NCAA March Madness is very U.S.-centric. The World Cup isn’t. It pulls in everyone.

And in the U.S., that matters. You’ve got huge populations from Latin America, Europe, Asia – people who understand soccer at a much deeper level than most American sports.

So what you end up with is a layered market. You’ve got the traditional U.S. bettor, and then you’ve got a global audience that already knows how to bet this sport. Betcris has been operating in Latin America for years, so we understand that global soccer bettors in a way most U.S. operators don’t. That’s an advantage heading into the World Cup.

If the U.S. team makes a run, it only amplifies everything. But even without that, the structure of the tournament – game after game, meaningful stakes every day – it’s built for betting volume.

From a risk management standpoint, what makes soccer betting more complex or unpredictable than traditional U.S. sports?

Honestly, nothing.

Soccer is one of the cleaner sports to trade. You put up a number, you take a bet, and you move accordingly. In-play is straightforward – there aren’t that many scoring events, and the market reacts primarily to goals.

Compared to higher-scoring sports, it’s actually simpler.

There’s a perception that it’s more unpredictable, but from a trading standpoint, it’s one of the more efficient markets you can operate in.

Smaller sportsbooks often struggle to compete with dominant players. During major global events, where do you see real opportunities for them to gain ground?

This is the reality – events like the World Cup are not where small operators suddenly outmuscle the big guys.

Companies like FanDuel and DraftKings are built for this. They’ve got global experience, massive budgets, and they’re going to spend aggressively.

You’re not beating them on marketing.

Where you can compete is in the details. Pricing. Speed. Being sharper. Serving a specific type of customer better than they do. That’s the approach with Prime Sportsbook – don’t try to out-spend the giants, just be better on execution for the customers who care about those details.

During big events, people shop around more. They’re looking for better numbers, better experiences. That’s your window.

But it’s not about scale – it’s about execution.

You’ve focused heavily on improving the bettor experience. How important is product design and usability compared to the massive marketing budgets of larger competitors?

This is where things get tricky, because “good product” means different things to different people.

A younger, recreational bettor might want something visually rich, lots of options, lots of content. A more experienced bettor usually just wants to get in, find their number, and get a bet down quickly.

I’m personally in the second camp. I like simplicity. But I’ve seen platforms I don’t like at all be called the best in the world by other users.

So you have to accept that you’re not building for everyone.

Marketing gets people in the door. Product is what decides whether they stay. If it’s hard to navigate, if it’s slow, if it’s confusing – you lose them.

The challenge is knowing exactly who you’re building for and being disciplined enough to stick to that. That’s where operators either get it right or get completely lost. With Prime Sportsbook, we’re building for bettors who value speed, clean UX, and fair treatment over flashy marketing. That’s a specific customer, and we’re fine with that.

Integrity and match monitoring become critical during global tournaments. What should operators be doing differently to protect against manipulation and fraud?

There’s always talk about match fixing at big events, but the reality is the bigger the event, the harder it is to manipulate.

A market like the World Cup has so much global liquidity that it’s incredibly stable. It’s very difficult to move lines or influence outcomes in a meaningful way.

Where manipulation actually happens is in smaller events where there isn’t that volume.

Could edge cases exist? Sure. But generally speaking, the matches themselves aren’t where the real risk is.

The bigger issue is fraud on the user side.

You’re going to have people traveling to the U.S., using different IDs, trying to access accounts from different jurisdictions, using VPNs. That’s where things get messy.

So the focus shouldn’t be about the games – it should be tightening up KYC, monitoring behavior, and being prepared for visitor complications.

Having worked extensively in compliance and licensing, what’s the biggest misconception companies have when entering regulated betting markets?

The biggest mistake is thinking regulators are the enemy.

In reality, especially in the U.S., a lot of regulators are still learning. They’re working within frameworks they didn’t design, trying to build something functional in real time.

The bigger issue is companies underestimating how hard – and how expensive – compliance actually is.

Licensing, certifications, ongoing audits, technical requirements – it’s a heavy lift. And it doesn’t stop once you’re live.

A lot of operators walk in thinking getting licensed is the finish line. It’s not. It’s the starting point.

Looking ahead, how do you see technology reshaping sportsbook infrastructure, particularly in areas like odds setting, fraud detection, and personalized experiences?

It’s already happening.

On the front end, everything is moving toward personalization. Think about how Amazon works – you open it, and it already knows what you’re looking for. That’s where sportsbooks are heading.

On the backend, odds setting is becoming increasingly automated. Data feeds, models, real-time adjustments – it’s faster and more reactive than it’s ever been.

You’re also seeing operators get better at understanding who their customers are. Not just demographics, but behavior – who’s sharp, who’s recreational, how they bet, how they react.

And then there’s fraud, which is probably the most aggressive battleground right now.

The people trying to exploit systems are very good at what they do. Identity fraud, payment abuse, account manipulation – it’s constant.

Technology is improving – automated KYC, better data access – but it’s still an arms race. The operators that win are the ones who can bring all of this together – automation, personalization, and risk control – without breaking the user experience.

That’s the foundation we’ve built with Plannatech’s platform, and what we’re executing on with Prime Sportsbook and Betcris.

Thank you for the great interview, readers interested in learning more can explore the work of Adam Bjorn or visit Plannatech for additional details.