The Publisher's BetTech Checklist: 10 Evaluation Criteria

You've decided to explore BetTech monetisation. You've spoken to a few operators. Now you're facing a critical decision: Which operator and platform should you actually partner with?

This decision will determine your revenue trajectory for the next 2-3 years. Choose the wrong partner and you're locked in to suboptimal economics. Choose the right partner and you've found a $100K-$1M+ annual revenue stream.

This checklist gives you 10 evaluation criteria to assess operators objectively. Each criterion has a scoring system (1-5 scale). Publishers scoring above 35/50 across an operator should seriously consider that partnership. Publishers scoring below 25/50 should pass.

Use this checklist during operator conversations. Ask the hard questions. Validate the answers. Score honestly. This isn't about being nice to operators. It's about making a financially sound decision for your business.

The 10 Evaluation Criteria

Criterion 1: Data Coverage & Market Availability

What matters: Does the operator have the sports, leagues, and markets your audience bets on?

Why it matters: An operator with 50 sports is worthless if your audience only bets on NFL/Premier League and they only cover 3 leagues well. Market depth and breadth directly correlate with player LTV and betting frequency.

Questions to ask:

What sports do you cover?
How many leagues within each sport?
How deep is props/markets coverage? (major leagues should have 50+ markets per match)
What's your average time-to-market for new events after scheduling?
Do you cover live betting during matches?
Which markets do you have exclusive partnerships in?

Red flags:

Operator covers 15+ sports but only major matches in 3 of them
Lacks props markets (increasingly important to serious bettors)
No live betting capability
Major sports missing (e.g., NFL/Premier League)
Long delay on event scheduling (>2 hours after official scheduling)

Evaluation:

Score 5: Covers all major sports + deep markets in audience's sports of interest + live betting + props
Score 4: Good coverage of major sports + adequate market depth in 3+ sports
Score 3: Covers major sports but limited market depth + weak or no props
Score 2: Limited sport coverage or weak market depth across board
Score 1: Missing major sports or extremely limited market depth

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DraftKings), Score 5 (FanDuel), Score 4 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 2: Compliance & Regulatory Status

What matters: Is the operator properly licensed and compliant in the jurisdictions you operate in?

Why it matters: An operator with weak compliance creates legal risk for you. If they're operating illegally or get shut down by regulators, you lose that revenue stream overnight. Worse, you could face regulatory action yourself.

Questions to ask:

Which jurisdictions are you licensed in?
What licenses do you hold? (provide documentation)
Have you ever had regulatory action against you? (be honest; we can check)
What's your responsible gambling programme? (ask for documentation)
Do you comply with AML/KYC requirements?
What player affordability checks do you perform?
Do you have geofencing to ensure illegal-jurisdiction blocking?

Red flags:

Operator reluctant to share license information
Operating in jurisdictions without clear licensing
Has had regulatory action or investigations
Weak responsible gambling programme
No AML/KYC procedures
No geofencing (could allow illegal-jurisdiction play)

Evaluation:

Score 5: Fully licensed in all relevant jurisdictions + strong RG programme + full AML/KYC
Score 4: Licensed in major markets + adequate RG programme + basic AML/KYC
Score 3: Licensed in some markets + developing RG programme
Score 2: Licensed in few markets or unclear license status
Score 1: Not licensed or has regulatory issues

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DraftKings), Score 5 (FanDuel), Score 4 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM - new entrant but solid licensing)

Criterion 3: Technical Integration & API Quality

What matters: How easy is it to integrate this operator's odds/betting feeds into your site?

Why it matters: Poor API quality means slow integration (costing you months), stability issues (costing you revenue), and limited customisation (limiting revenue upside). Good API quality means you can launch fast and optimise deeply.

Questions to ask:

What APIs do you expose to publishers?
What's your SLA (uptime commitment)? What happens if you miss it?
What's your average API latency? (should be <100ms)
Do you provide test/sandbox environment?
What documentation do you provide?
Who's our technical support contact? (ask for intro)
Have other publishers integrated successfully? (ask for references)
What's your versioning/deprecation policy?

Red flags:

No formal SLA or SLA <99.5%
API latency >200ms
No sandbox environment for testing
Weak or outdated documentation
No dedicated technical support person
Operator can't provide publisher references

Evaluation:

Score 5: >99.9% SLA + <100ms latency + sandbox + great docs + dedicated support
Score 4: >99.5% SLA + <150ms latency + adequate docs + support contact
Score 3: 99% SLA + <250ms latency + basic docs
Score 2: <99% SLA or <200ms latency or weak documentation
Score 1: Major technical barriers or poor documentation

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DraftKings), Score 5 (FanDuel), Score 3 (Caesars - adequate but less sophisticated), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 4: Revenue Model & Economics

What matters: What's the actual revenue share rate and how is it calculated?

Why it matters: This is your primary financial metric. A difference of 5% in revenue share = 5% difference in your revenue. You need to understand exactly how the operator calculates your share.

Questions to ask:

What's the base revenue share percentage?
Is it a percentage of margin or a percentage of deposits?
How do you calculate player lifetime value?
What happens if a player loses money? Do I still earn a share?
Are there volume-based bonuses? (e.g., >1000 players/month = +2% share)
What's your minimum volume commitment? (if any)
Are there performance-based clawbacks? (e.g., if player retention is low)
How do you handle player churn?

Red flags:

Operator vague on revenue share calculation
Revenue share dependent on metrics you can't control (player retention, hold percentage)
Performance clawbacks that could reduce your revenue
Minimum volume commitments you can't meet
Revenue share declines dramatically after first 12 months

Evaluation:

Score 5: Clear, simple revenue share (% of player LTV) with volume bonuses but no penalties
Score 4: Clear revenue share with minor volume thresholds or modest incentives
Score 3: Adequate but complex revenue share with some thresholds/clawbacks
Score 2: Confusing revenue share or significant clawback risk
Score 1: Vague revenue share or operator refuses transparency

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 4 (DK), Score 4 (FD), Score 3 (Caesars - more complex), Score 3 (BetMGM)

Criterion 5: Speed to Market & Launch Timeline

What matters: How quickly can you launch with this operator?

Why it matters: Time-to-revenue is critical. A 6-month launch delays revenue generation by 6 months. A 6-week launch gets you generating revenue while competitors are still negotiating.

Questions to ask:

What's your typical publisher launch timeline?
What approvals/steps are required?
Do you provide template widgets or do we build custom?
What's your contract turnaround? (should be <3 weeks)
Can you launch with a simple widget first, then add complexity later?
What's your onboarding process?

Red flags:

No clear timeline (red flag: operator doesn't have standardised process)
Requires 6+ months for compliance review
Only offers custom builds (complex, slow)
Contract negotiation takes >4 weeks
No phased launch option

Evaluation:

Score 5: 2-4 week launch, standardised process, template widgets, fast contracts
Score 4: 4-6 week launch, clear process, phased option available
Score 3: 6-8 week launch, some uncertainty
Score 2: 8-12 week launch, complex process
Score 1: >12 weeks or unclear timeline

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 5 (FD), Score 3 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 6: Customisation & Control

What matters: How much control do you have over widget appearance, placement, and behaviour?

Why it matters: Customisation allows you to optimise for your brand and audience. Limited customisation means you're locked into the operator's design, which may not match your audience or brand.

Questions to ask:

Can we customize widget colours, sizes, and styling?
Can we customize widget copy/messaging?
Can we create custom widget types beyond your templates?
What level of HTML/CSS/JavaScript control do we have?
Can we A/B test different widget variants?
Can we create co-branded experiences?
What's the approval process for customisation?

Red flags:

Only one widget design available
No customisation allowed beyond color scheme
Customisation requires operator approval for each change
Can't A/B test different variants
No HTML/CSS control

Evaluation:

Score 5: Full customisation allowed, A/B testing, rapid approval, HTML/CSS control
Score 4: Significant customisation, some A/B testing, fast approval
Score 3: Moderate customisation, limited A/B testing
Score 2: Basic customisation only
Score 1: No customisation

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 5 (FD), Score 2 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 7: Support & Account Management

What matters: Will the operator actually support you after launch? Do you have a dedicated contact?

Why it matters: After launch, you'll have questions, issues, and optimisation opportunities. If the operator doesn't provide dedicated support, you're left guessing. Dedicated support accelerates your learning and revenue growth.

Questions to ask:

Who's my primary contact? (ask for introduction)
What's your support SLA? (should respond within 24 hours)
Do you have a dedicated account manager?
How often can we schedule check-in calls? (should be monthly minimum)
Do you provide optimisation recommendations?
What reporting do you provide? (frequency, detail level)
Do you share player data/insights with publishers?
Can we escalate issues quickly?

Red flags:

No dedicated account manager
Support only via email or ticketing system
Long response times (>48 hours)
Operator doesn't offer regular check-ins
No optimisation recommendations
Minimal reporting

Evaluation:

Score 5: Dedicated AM + 24hr SLA + weekly/biweekly check-ins + strong reporting + optimisation support
Score 4: Dedicated AM + 24-48hr SLA + monthly check-ins + good reporting
Score 3: Shared AM or 48hr SLA + monthly check-ins + basic reporting
Score 2: Limited support, long response times
Score 1: No dedicated support

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 5 (FD), Score 3 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 8: Scalability & Infrastructure

What matters: Can the operator scale with your growth? Will their infrastructure support your traffic volume?

Why it matters: If you're successful and scale to 10M+ monthly player-generated actions, will their infrastructure handle it or will you hit performance bottlenecks?

Questions to ask:

What's your maximum handling capacity per publisher?
Do you scale infrastructure automatically or do we need to request?
What's your infrastructure redundancy? (multiple data centers, failover, etc.)
How do you handle traffic spikes (during major events)?
What's your disaster recovery plan?
Have you supported publishers at scale? (ask for references)

Red flags:

Operator vague on capacity
Manually provisioned infrastructure (slow scaling)
Single data center (risk of complete outage)
No disaster recovery plan
Can't handle 10M+ monthly actions

Evaluation:

Score 5: Auto-scaling infrastructure, multi-region, disaster recovery, handled 50M+ actions
Score 4: Good scalability, multi-region, adequate failover
Score 3: Adequate infrastructure, some scaling limitations
Score 2: Scaling concerns, single region
Score 1: Infrastructure limitations or unclear capacity

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 5 (FD), Score 3 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 9: Reporting & Analytics

What matters: What data do you get on player behaviour, conversion, and revenue?

Why it matters: You can't optimise what you don't measure. Good reporting lets you understand which placements drive highest value, which segments convert best, and where to focus optimisation efforts.

Questions to ask:

What metrics do you track? (impressions, clicks, conversions, revenue, etc.)
How granular is reporting? (by page? by segment? by time?)
How fresh is the data? (real-time? daily? weekly?)
What's the format of reporting? (dashboard? CSV export? API?)
Can you access raw data or only aggregated?
Do you provide cohort analysis? (how do different player cohorts perform over time?)
Can you track player LTV by source?
Do you share competitive benchmarks?

Red flags:

Only high-level reporting (total revenue, total conversions)
No granular breakdown by placement/page/segment
Data delayed by >2 weeks
No API access to data
Can't track cohort performance
No raw data access

Evaluation:

Score 5: Real-time dashboard, granular data (page/segment/time), raw data access, cohort analysis
Score 4: Daily dashboard, adequate granularity, CSV export
Score 3: Weekly reporting, basic granularity
Score 2: Limited granularity, significant delays
Score 1: Minimal reporting

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 4 (FD), Score 2 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Criterion 10: References & Reputation

What matters: What do other publishers actually say about working with this operator?

Why it matters: References reveal what actually happens after you sign the contract. Is the operator reliable? Do they pay on time? Do they support publishers long-term? Do they honour their revenue share terms?

Questions to ask:

Can you provide 3-5 publisher references?
Ask references: (1) Did they meet launch timeline? (2) What's revenue actually vs. projections? (3) Quality of support? (4) Any surprises/issues? (5) Would you sign again?
How long have most publishers been partnered with you?
What's your publisher retention rate?
Have you had disputes with publishers? (if yes, what caused them?)
Do you pay on time? (reference verification)

Red flags:

Operator can't provide references
References reluctant to speak positively
Low publisher retention (high churn)
History of disputes with publishers
Payment delays

Evaluation:

Score 5: Multiple strong references, high retention, no disputes, on-time payment
Score 4: Good references, solid retention, rare disputes
Score 3: References adequate, some issues
Score 2: Weak references or low retention
Score 1: Poor reputation or can't provide references

premium US sports publishers' assessment: Score 5 (DK), Score 5 (FD), Score 3 (Caesars), Score 4 (BetMGM)

Scoring & Recommendation Framework

Total possible score: 50 (10 criteria × 5 points each)

Score	Recommendation
45-50	Partner with confidence. This is a tier-1 operator.
40-44	Strong partnership. Proceed with standard diligence.
35-39	Acceptable partnership. Consider as part of multi-operator strategy.
30-34	Marginal. Only partner if traffic/audience highly aligned to their strengths.
<30	Pass. Risk/reward is unfavourable.

Key principle: You don't need a single 50/50 operator. You can build a portfolio:

Score 48: DraftKings (primary partner)
Score 45: FanDuel (secondary partner)
Score 38: BetMGM (volume partner)
Score 35: Caesars (emerging market partner)

This diversification reduces risk and maximizes revenue by playing each operator's strengths.

Detailed Evaluation Template

Here's a template you can use to score operators systematically:

OPERATOR: [Name]
DATE: [Date]
EVALUATOR: [Your name]

Criterion 1: Data Coverage
Score: ___/5
Evidence: [what operator told you]
Red flags: [any concerns]
Notes: [your assessment]

Criterion 2: Compliance
Score: ___/5
Evidence: [licenses, documentation]
Red flags: [any issues]
Notes: [your assessment]

[Repeat for all 10 criteria]

TOTAL SCORE: ___/50

RECOMMENDATION: [Partner / Consider / Pass]

KEY RISKS: [list top 3 risks]

NEXT STEPS: [contract negotiation, reference calls, etc.]

Comparison Table Template

If evaluating multiple operators, use this template:

Criterion	DraftKings	FanDuel	Caesars	BetMGM
Data Coverage	5	5	4	4
Compliance	5	5	4	4
Technical Integration	5	5	3	4
Revenue Model	4	4	3	3
Speed to Market	5	5	3	4
Customisation	5	5	2	4
Support	5	5	3	4
Scalability	5	5	3	4
Reporting	5	4	2	4
References	5	5	3	4
TOTAL	49/50	48/50	32/50	40/50
Recommendation	Partner	Partner	Pass	Consider

Conclusion: The Right Partner Drives Revenue

This checklist removes guesswork from operator selection. You're making an objective, data-driven decision based on 10 critical factors.

Publishers who use this framework typically:

Choose better-fit operators
Negotiate better terms (because they understand the criteria that matter)
Launch faster (because they identify timeline risks upfront)
Generate 20-30% more revenue (because they optimise for the right metrics)
Have fewer post-launch surprises (because they've vetted properly)

Your next step: Identify 3-5 operators you want to evaluate. Download the template above. Schedule evaluation calls. Score each objectively. Make your partnership decision based on data, not impressions.

Ready to Find Your Ideal BetTech Partner?

Evaluating operators is complex. We've worked with 50+ publishers through operator selection and partnership launches. We know the right questions to ask and the red flags to watch for.

Let us help you evaluate your operator options: