BETBY: World Cup 2026 Bet Volume Up 247.9% vs 2022

Sportsbook provider BETBY published a report analyzing player behavior during the 2026 football World Cup, based on data from its own client network gathered over the tournament's 39-day window and compared against figures from the 2022 World Cup.

According to the report, 80.7% of active players placed at least one World Cup bet, with the tournament accounting for 43.6% of total bets placed and 42.47% of total betting turnover during the window, while 18.84% of World Cup bets were placed through operators' dedicated tournament hubs. Compared to the 2022 World Cup, average revenue per player rose 338%, total bet count grew 247.9%, average bet size increased 196%, bets per player rose 76%, and the number of markets receiving at least one bet grew 64%, reaching 556 markets compared to 338 in 2022. Match winner or draw remained the most common market at 46% of bets, though down 10 percentage points from 2022, while total goals grew to 18% (up 7 points) and both teams to score rose to 8% (up 5 points). Mobile devices accounted for 86.86% of players and 86.80% of bets, though only 69.76% of total turnover, with mobile players averaging 9.1 bets each compared to 9.2 for desktop players.

BETBY noted that more than half of all bets and turnover during the tournament window came from events outside the World Cup itself, leading the report's authors to characterize the tournament as an entry point drawing new players into sports betting who then continue wagering on other events. The report cautioned that its comparison spans 39 days for the 2026 tournament versus 29 days for 2022, meaning some of the reported growth reflects the longer measurement window; adjusted for that difference, daily betting activity grew 159%.