Dotan Lazar

Founding LSports in Ashkelon

In 2012, Dotan Lazar launched LSports together with his brother Ido in the Israeli city of Ashkelon. From the outset, he took on the role of CEO, focusing on building a data infrastructure tailored to the operational needs of sportsbooks. The company started by supplying real-time sports data to clients in Eastern and Central Europe, positioning itself as a reliable alternative to legacy providers.

Lazar’s early approach was rooted in technical self-sufficiency. Rather than license external tech or resell third-party content, LSports developed its own systems for collecting, verifying and distributing sports data. This set a foundation for long-term scalability and cost control.

Expanding Into International Markets

Over the next decade, LSports grew from a regional operation into a global business. By 2025, it employed more than 400 people, including 250 in Israel and 150 in Poland. The company’s operational scope extended across Latin America, Africa, Europe and North America, with a focus on regulated jurisdictions and underserved markets.

In June 2025, LSports received a supplier licence in Ontario, marking its first official entry into a regulated North American market. Lazar viewed this not as a branding move but as a functional step toward deeper integration with licensed operators across the continent.

Acquisition of STATSCORE

In 2022, Lazar led the acquisition of STATSCORE, a Polish sports data company with in-house scouting teams and proprietary tools for live data delivery and match visualisation. The deal expanded LSports’s access to granular event data, especially from lower-tier competitions, and strengthened its frontend offer through embeddable widgets and match centres.

STATSCORE remained a distinct brand within the LSports structure, with operational autonomy and a separate client base. Lazar treated the acquisition as a way to complement rather than consolidate capabilities, bringing additional value in areas like real-time coverage, pre-match statistics and data presentation.

Launch of Proprietary Trading and Risk Tools

Under Lazar’s leadership, LSports expanded its product portfolio beyond data feeds. The company launched TRADE360, an AI-powered trading platform; SEC, a chatbot-style betting assistant for end users; and DEFEND, a real-time risk monitoring and fraud detection system rolled out in 2025.

These tools marked a shift in LSports’s strategic positioning from a backend data provider to a broader sportsbook technology partner. Lazar emphasised modularity and automation across the new products, allowing operators to integrate only what they needed, without committing to full-stack outsourcing.

Opposition to Exclusive Data Rights

Lazar has been one of the few visible critics of exclusive sports data rights in the betting industry. In interviews, he has argued that such deals reduce market access, inflate costs and concentrate control in the hands of a few large suppliers. His position is that sports data should be licensed non-exclusively, allowing for broader innovation and price competition.

Reflecting this stance, LSports operates on a hybrid model, combining official data with independently collected feeds. These are processed and verified using AI, machine learning and computer vision, enabling accurate and real-time delivery without relying solely on rights-based exclusivity.

Expanding Event Coverage and Engagement Tools

Lazar placed particular emphasis on depth of coverage in key sports. In tennis, LSports offers data for over 130,000 matches annually, across all competition levels, with more than 150 betting markets per event. The company combines multiple data inputs to ensure high granularity and near-instant delivery.

On the engagement side, LSports developed tools such as BetBooster, Scoreframe and Live Match Pro, designed to help sportsbooks increase bettor activity and dwell time. These features are offered as standalone modules or bundled into broader data packages, depending on client needs.

Avoiding Outsourcing and Rights-Driven Models

Throughout the company’s growth, Lazar deliberately steered clear of exclusive rights bidding and third-party technology dependencies. While others pursued aggressive content deals or white-label integrations, he kept LSports focused on in-house development and control over its core systems.

Instead of chasing volume at any cost, he prioritised sustainable coverage, internal scalability and technological self-reliance. This approach positioned LSports as a lean alternative to rights-heavy incumbents, with a structure built to respond quickly to changes in product demand, regulation and client expectations.