AI-Powered Wagering: Designing a Smart Betting Experience to Drive Engagement
Client / Company
Lucky Strike Entertainment
Category & Role:
Native iOS/Android App & Head of Design (Lead Designer on Project)
Skills:
User Experience Design, User Interface Design, User Research, 3d/2d Illustration & Animation, Agile Collaboration, Stakeholder Presentation, Product Design
Tools:
Figma, Adobe After Effects, Spline 3d, Jira, Confluence, Rive, Video Editing, Webflow
Goal
Increase customer visits from 2.2 to 3 times per year while driving longer stays at Bowlero locations to boost food and alcohol sales, all while monetizing skill-based betting by allowing players to wager on their bowling performance.
Problem
Bowlero aimed to increase revenue by driving repeat visits and encouraging longer stays through a betting-driven experience. The idea was to engage bowlers in a way that enhanced gameplay and incentivized return visits.
Through research and user testing, we identified key insights to shape the experience:
Bowlers enjoy casual, friendly competition and are more likely to engage in betting within familiar social circles rather than against automated odds.
Tracking and performance insights add value, particularly for league players who appreciate detailed game statistics.
The in-venue experience plays a crucial role, seamless onboarding (lane reservations, shoe rental, ordering) would increase engagement and retention.
This informed both our initial execution and ideas for future enhancements, balancing the company’s vision with real user behavior.
Solution
Initial Pitch (by stakeholders):
A machine-learning-powered betting platform that allows users to bet on their own bowling performance.
User-Driven Pivot Proposal (Rejected by Stakeholders):
A concierge-style app that streamlines the in-venue experience (reserving lanes, remembering user preferences, ordering ahead, etc.), with betting as a later phase.
Final Direction (Decided by Stakeholders):
Move forward with the betting MVP as originally conceived, despite desirability concerns.
Process
How did we execute and deliver the final product?
1. Research & Competitive Analysis
Evaluated industry leaders (Bet MGM, FanDuel, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings) to understand market positioning.
Consulted with the Professional Bowling Association (PBA), which had prior experience with bowling-related betting.
Identified that casual, informal betting already existed in bowling culture, but monetization remained a challenge.
2. User Testing & Insights
Conducted moderated storyboard interviews with a diverse mix of bowlers and gamblers.
Discovered user hesitation toward serious betting, with a preference for wagering only against similarly skilled friends.
Identified friction in the bowling experience itself (shoes, kiosks, waiting time) that could impact engagement.
3. Execution & Delivery
Built a machine-learning-powered betting MVP, ensuring odds were balanced, not too easy, not impossible.
Created a centralized hub for tracking scores and performance, which league players especially valued.
Integrated real-time engagement metrics to assess adoption and refine user incentives.
Began groundwork for POS system integration to streamline ordering and enhance user retention.
Outcomes
The betting MVP successfully launched with a machine-learning-powered odds system, ensuring balanced gameplay where odds weren’t overly punishing or too easy.
60,000+ users registered within the first few months with minimal marketing, demonstrating strong early interest. We weren't even at all the locations at this point I think we were successfully launched in 150 locations out of 382 locations total (at the time).
The app maintained a 4.5-star rating, with users especially appreciating the centralized score and frame tracking, a feature that resonated well with league players.
The project laid the foundation for future enhancements, including POS integration for in-app ordering and a concierge-style experience to improve in-venue interactions.
Early results suggested an increase in session duration, supporting the goal of keeping customers in the venue longer.
While the long-term impact was still unfolding when I left, the project established a strong foundation for future iterations and positioned Bowlero for continued innovation in skill-based engagement.
Collaborations
The Moneybowl logo was created by Unfold.co. I created the brief, and facilitated in-house discussions around logo selection and reasoning. Big shout out to them for a great process and execution.
