Worldpay expects the betting index in UK bets to rise by 15% compared to the 2020 UEFA Euros. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Historic turnout
As England celebrate a lopsided win in their opening match of the FIFA World Cup, bettors back home are flocking to the sports books.
The sports betting industry can expect a 15% increase in participation
According to payment provider Worldpay, the sports betting industry can expect a 15% increase in participation compared to the 2020 European Championship, which was actually held in mid-2021 after being postponed due to the COVID lockdown.
The World Cup has already had its fair share of headline-worthy events, whether it be several national team captains campaigning to wear pro-gay armbands, injuries to superstars, or a couple of British visitors finishing a drink late in the season. The night they play with him. Strange animals in the sheikh’s palace. As the excitement around the tournament continues to increase, bettors are likely to call up local bookies in record time.
Worldpay warns about ‘time’ variable
Worldwide sports betting is most popular in territories directly represented by a player or team, which is why, as noted by Worldpay, the money coming from England is likely to double as the Three Lions advance in the tournament.
7,000 strokes per minute during the lead-up to the first match
Although most of the teams have yet to play a match, there has already been an incredibly high appetite for bettors. Alex Morgan-Moodie, senior director of vertical games at Worldpay, said operators received approximately 7,000 payments per minute during the run-up to the first match between Ecuador and the host nation, Qatar.
Morgan-Moodie also believes that the timing of matches can provide an interesting dynamic for bettors moving forward. Qatar is three hours ahead of England, which means that many of the games will take place during normal business hours and inherently prevents the majority of transactions from regular bettors.
At the same time, matches that take place during spare hours — even ones that generally draw less interest — can be hot commodities as players seek their fix after missing prominent matches. However, many of the matches late in the day, whether intentionally or not, are the most interesting of the day throughout the group stage.
Sportsbooks benefit from the World Cup
If English bettors want to beat their bids at Euro 2020, they will need to clock more than 10,000 payouts per minute, a total recorded shortly before the semi-final match between England and Denmark. England ended up winning 2-1 but fell to Italy on penalties in the final.
There is no doubt that there is great interest in the World Cup. In America, an estimated 50% of sports fans are expected to bet on the competition, which for many will be their first time betting on soccer. The games are also expected to reach at least 20.5 million viewers.
Sportsbooks in for a few weeks can be lucrative
If the betting numbers correlate with England’s performance in the tournament, then in a few weeks sports betting can be profitable. Argentina’s captain and perhaps the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, said England, Brazil and France were “a little bit above the rest”.
England are also tied with Spain and France in the latest odds to win the World Cup behind Brazil and Argentina. They have already won their opening match of the tournament against Iran 6-2 and are favored to beat both Wales and the United States in their next two matches.
