The Biggest Betting Frenzy in History? 2026 FIFA World Cup Set to Smash Records as U.S. Sports-Wagering Market Goes Full-Scale
Mexico City is gearing up to host the biggest betting event in history, and we're not just talking about any old sporting competition – we're talking about the 2026 FIFA World Cup! This global spectacle is set to be a real game-changer for sportsbooks, prediction markets, and the sports-data companies that power them.
So, what's the hype all about? For starters, this year's tournament will feature an expanded format, with 40 more matches than in 2022. Add to that the favorable North American time zones and broader legal sports betting access in the U.S., and you've got a recipe for a record-breaking betting extravaganza.
Macquarie analyst Chad Beynon is predicting global wagers on the 2026 World Cup could top $50 billion, a significant jump from more than $35 billion during the 2022 tournament. And if that's not enough to get your betting juices flowing, analysts are also expecting a roughly 2% to 5% boost to 2027 operator EBITDA, with the biggest benefits going to companies with large soccer audiences, international exposure, and the ability to cross-sell bettors into higher-margin products.
Now, you might be wondering which operators are best positioned to take advantage of this betting bonanza. Well, according to Macquarie, FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment is looking like a top contender. With its global footprint, Flutter is poised to gain traction not only in North America but also in countries like Brazil, where "football" is a religion.
"We think the Super Bowl is big here in America," said Flutter CEO Peter Jackson on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "You might have 200 million people watching it. Last time, when the World Cup Finals played in Qatar, 1.5 billion people watched the final. Five billion people watched the whole competition – so this is massive."
But it's not just Flutter that's getting ready to cash in on the World Cup betting frenzy. Super Group and Rush Street Interactive are also well-positioned to take advantage of the rise in betting activity, along with sports-data companies Genius Sports and Sportradar, which just inked a deal with prediction platform Kalshi for data on professional soccer, baseball, hockey, and UFC.
Now that we've got our betting hats on, let's talk numbers. Deutsche Bank is estimating the soccer tournament will produce betting handle in the U.S. alone of about $3.3 billion. And if you're wondering which operators are set to benefit most from this influx of cash, look no further than FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.
According to Deutsche Bank's estimates, FanDuel could take in around $1.3 billion in U.S. World Cup handle, followed by DraftKings at about $1.1 billion. BetMGM is expected to bring in around $250 million, Caesars at about $120 million, and Penn's theScore Bet at about $83 million.
But what about the competition? Well, Caesars Sportsbook is offering a whopping 10 times more betting options than it did for World Cup 2022 – and folding in options that proved to be fan favorites during March Madness. "If the U.S. Men's National Team makes a deep run, that's when things could really accelerate," said Caesars Digital senior vice president of sports Dominic Hammond on CNBC. "At the same time, the tournament's unpredictability and the surge in parlay betting mean just a few key upsets can significantly swing outcomes."
And then there are the prediction markets. According to a survey from fraud prevention firm SEON, nearly a quarter of respondents admitted to what the survey called "friendly fraud," including signing up for multiple betting accounts to access promotions. Millennials showed the highest propensity to bet – 65% said they were at least somewhat likely to wager on matches, while also over-indexing in prediction-market use, social-casino use, crypto-platform use, and multiple-account signups.
That's got responsible gambling advocates like Matt Zarb-Cousin worried. As a self-proclaimed former gambling addict who went on to co-found Gamban, a global technology that blocks access to online gambling sites and apps, Zarb-Cousin said gambling dependence becomes more likely when there are multiple matches every day for more than a month.
"Betting apps are optimized for engagement; they want to keep their users in action for as long as possible so their gambling becomes habitual," Zarb-Cousin told CNBC. "Fans will be bombarded with continuous advertising and inducements for frequent betting opportunities. For the gambling industry, the World Cup will be like March Madness on steroids."
And finally, let's not forget about Kalshi, the prediction platform that dominates the space. According to Piper Sandler analyst Patrick Moley, Kalshi is offering nearly 500 unique markets related to the tournament – and the most trading volume currently is on the July 19 final, with Spain and France leading the probabilities of winning.
DraftKings stock popped 11% Tuesday after it released May trading volume results that showed a 34% jump over the previous month to $3.1 billion dollars on an annualized basis. "Annualized consumer volume" – the number DraftKings compares to sportsbook handle – came in at $1.3 billion, a 24% month-over-month increase.
So there you have it – the biggest betting frenzy in history is just around the corner, and we can't wait to see what kind of chaos ensues!
Written by: Lil' Fats | The Citizen Edition
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