Betegy CEO & Founder Alex Kornilov believes sports betting companies can win player hearts through the use of big data.

Giving a talk at SiGMA, Kornilov spoke of data’s importance within sport – not just for sports bettors but fans in general.

The concept of "big data," he insists, will play a "very significant role" in the transformation of sports betting.

Kornilov said: "Sports betting is about to change and sports data development will play a very significant role in this transformation.

"Sport doesn’t make sense without data. It’s the most interesting content online, always being fresh and exciting. Betting companies can take this as a starting point to engage customers."

However, Kornilov believes operators are not connecting with players enough on social media, using a number of poor-quality examples during his presentation.

Emphasising how data can improve operator messages to players, the Betegy CEO said: "The majority of messages on social media are about free bets. This doesn’t connect the player with the games they like.

"To win back the hearts of players, bookmakers need to compete with the likes of ESPN and Yahoo. But bookmakers already have all the unique content they need, which no one else has, in the form of odds and data."