The first North American World Cup in more than 30 years has brought waves of new fans to the beautiful game, and it appears to be bringing along a host of new bettors as well.
Key Takeaways
- An Optimove study found that first-time bettors surged across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America during the group stage.
- Latin America experienced the largest growth, with a 300% increase in first-time depositors.
- While casual bettors impacted volume worldwide, the U.S. maintained the strongest engagement numbers and highest average wagers.
A report from Optimove released Tuesday found that across the United States, Europe, and Latin America, the number of first-time depositors and bettors exploded beyond baseline numbers prior to the World Cup.
Latin America led all regions, with betting activity averaging 49 percentage points above its normal level of betting activity before the World Cup. Europe and the U.S. were 39 and 18 points above their respective baselines.
Perhaps more interesting, however, were findings related to first-time depositors, with Latin America pacing the three regions with a staggering 300% increase above the pre-tournament baseline.
“The World Cup Group Stage results should be read as both an opportunity and a warning for iGaming operators. The World Cup can quickly expand the bettor base, reactivate dormant customers, and bring new players into the category,” the report details. “But higher participation does not automatically mean higher value.”
The higher value in question refers in large part to notable declines across regions in the number of bets and average wagers thanks to an influx of casual users.
“The decline in averages was most pronounced in LATAM, which reinforces that the mass of new and returning players in the Group Stages is mostly represented by casual, less engaged bettors,” the report notes. “In LATAM, the average number of bets fell to 69% (of the pre-tournament baseline), and the average wager to $47, a 10% decline.”
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U.S. bettors show stronger engagement
While the study showed major fluctuations across Europe and especially Latin America, the U.S. appeared the most stable and, by extension, perhaps the most compelling region for operators.
Despite more marginal spikes in first-time betting behavior, the average number of bets per player dropped only 6% across the cohost nation, with the average wager still dwarfing those made in Europe and Latin America by upward of 135%.
That strength could be explained in part by the U.S. men's national team topping Group D, though its 4-1 loss in the Round of 16 could certainly lead to significant changes in habits, just as it did for World Cup odds.
The study, meanwhile, shows findings that provide major insight for operators looking to parlay the World Cup’s success into future business.
“For sportsbooks, this confirms that World Cup-driven growth is wide, but not yet fully proven,” the report explains. “The next challenge is converting this larger audience into more frequent, consistent, and higher-value players.”
