Esports Betting: Exception Handling
Rimble, an esports sportsbook, uses Mica to automatically investigate match exceptions and generate settlement recommendations — reducing resolution time from 24+ hours to under an hour while providing transparent, auditable explanations for every disputed bet.
The Challenge
The esports betting market is projected to reach $3 billion in 2026, with over 550 million fans worldwide and 69% of enthusiasts actively placing wagers. But unlike traditional sports, esports presents unique settlement challenges: matches get postponed for server issues, players are disqualified mid-tournament for cheating, and entire leagues can be suspended.
For sportsbooks, these exceptions create operational bottlenecks. When a data feed returns "indeterminate" instead of a winner, operations teams must manually investigate: checking official tournament announcements, scanning HLTV or Liquipedia for context, sometimes even reviewing Twitch VODs. Each exception takes 15-30 minutes of research, and settlement can take 24+ hours.
Why They Chose Mica
The sportsbook needed a solution that could replicate what their best analysts do: gather information from multiple sources, cross-reference internal settlement rules, and produce clear, defensible recommendations. But they also needed transparency: every voided or pushed bet had to be explainable to customers and regulators.
"We looked at basic automation tools, but they couldn't handle the nuance. A match postponed 12 hours is different from one postponed 3 days. A technical forfeit is different from a DQ for cheating. We needed something that could reason through our house rules, not just pattern-match."
— Head of Trading Operations, Rimble
Mica's ability to consult multiple source types — official announcements, news sites, even Twitch VODs and chat logs — while applying the sportsbook's internal documentation made it the right fit. The team also valued that Mica keeps humans in the loop: recommendations require approval before execution.
How Mica Works
When the settlement system flags an indeterminate match, Mica initiates an investigation workflow.
Source Gathering
Mica queries official tournament accounts on X/Twitter (VCT, LEC, ESL, PGL), checks HLTV.org, Liquipedia, Dotesports, and Dexerto, and pulls the latest status from PandaScore API. In one case, when a VCT Masters match returned 'INDETERMINATE,' Mica found the official @ValorantEsports postponement announcement within 90 seconds.
VOD and Chat Analysis
When official sources don't provide enough context, Mica pulls Twitch VODs via API, uses vision models to analyze on-screen overlays and admin screens, and parses chat logs for context. In one case involving a suspected exploit, Mica identified the exact pause timestamp, captured the on-screen ruling, and correlated it with the tournament Discord announcement — all within 8 minutes.
Rule Application
Mica retrieves internal settlement rules and maps the situation: postponements, disqualifications, voids by tournament admin, or technical forfeits — each with specific handling.
Output Generation
Generates a settlement recommendation (void, push, or settle) with plain-English explanation, sources cited, rule references, and confidence score.
Example Recommendation
Recommendation: Bets remain active
Reason: Match postponed due to server issues. Rescheduled for Jan 21, 14:00 UTC. Per House Rule 4.2.1, bets remain active until new match completes.
Sources: @ValorantEsports (Jan 20, 18:42 UTC), Liquipedia match page, PandaScore status update
Confidence: High
Results
"Before Mica, a customer would ask 'why was my bet voided?' and we'd have to dig through Slack threads to reconstruct what happened. Now the explanation is right there, sourced, timestamped, and tied to our rules. It's changed how we handle disputes."
— Head of Trading Operations, Rimble
A Foundation for Scale
For sportsbooks operating in the fast-moving esports market, exception handling is more than an operational cost — it's a customer experience issue. Delayed settlements and opaque explanations erode trust, especially with a bettor demographic that expects real-time transparency.
Mica integrates with esports data providers (PandaScore, Abios, GRID), streaming platforms (Twitch API for VODs and chat logs), news sources (HLTV, Liquipedia, tournament X accounts), and internal settlement rule documentation. Every action is logged with timestamps, sources consulted, rules applied, and confidence scores — essential for regulatory compliance and dispute resolution.
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