It’s not quite the Super Bowl, but millions of Americans will watch the forthcoming World Cup. And many U.S. fans will place wagers on the global sporting event, which takes place Nov. 21 – Dec. 18 in Qatar.
According to a survey conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association, 20.5 million adults plan to bet an estimated $1.8 billion during the four-week event.
“As the first World Cup with widespread availability of legal sports betting, this will certainly be the most bet-upon soccer event ever in the U.S.,” said AGA Senior Vice President Casey Clark in a statement. “With more than half of all American adults having access to legal betting options in their home market, legal sports betting will deepen American fan engagement in the most-watched sporting event in the world.”
The AGA enlisted Morning Consult, a global decision intelligence company, to conduct the online survey of 2,213 adults between Nov. 3-5.
The survey revealed that World Cup bettors will wager through various outlets, including:
- 9.8 million (48%) plan to place a bet online.
- 6.0 million (29%) plan to place a casual bet with a friend.
- 4.7 million (23%) plan to place a bet at a physical casino sportsbook.
- 4.1 million (20%) plan to place a bet with a bookie.
- 3.5 million (17%) plan to place a bet as part of a paid pool or fantasy contest.
The survey also indicated that 78% of World Cup bettors say it is important to place their bets legally.
Additional survey results include:
- Three in 10 (29%) American adults planning to watch the World Cup intend to wager on the tournament.
- Gen Z (11%) and Millennial (14%) adults are more interested in betting on the World Cup than Gen X (8%) and Baby Boomers (2%).
- Given $50 to bet, most Americans would put their money on the United States (24%) to win the World Cup, followed by Brazil (19%), Argentina (17%) and Germany (10%).
Clark also emphasized the need for bettors to wager responsibly.
“As the World Cup kicks off, anyone getting in on the action should have a game plan to bet responsibly,” Clark said. “That means setting a budget, keeping it fun, learning the odds and playing with legal, regulated operators.”
