{"id":345441,"date":"2026-06-04T08:09:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=345441"},"modified":"2026-06-04T08:09:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:39:40","slug":"world-cup-could-see-global-betting-volume-exceed-50b-recent-forecast-warns-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/world-cup-could-see-global-betting-volume-exceed-50b-recent-forecast-warns-national\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup could see global betting volume exceed $50B, recent forecast warns – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off next week with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico jointly hosting the mega event, and sports betting is predicted to surge this yr, a brand new report warns.<\/p>\n

With greater than 100 games held over six weeks, total betting volumes are expected to exceed US$50 billion worldwide, a report by investment bank Macquire released on Wednesday says.<\/p>\n

For every game, the typical wagers could exceed half a billion USD, the report added.<\/p>\n

The expansion of the sports betting market within the last 4 years, particularly within the U.S., has meant that 65 per cent of the population has access to legal betting markets, versus 40 per cent through the 2022 World Cup, it said.<\/p>\n

This edition of the World Cup comes with the skyrocketing popularity of soccer in Canada and the U.S. and has \u201cthe potential to introduce recent behaviors and incremental wagering, further supported by North America hosting, favorable time zones, and improved product depth,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

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Canadian sports betting corporations see the World Cup as \u201ca market-enhancing event,\u201d said Bruce Kidd, professor emeritus of sport and public policy on the University of Toronto.<\/p>\n

Ontario alone is prone to see an enormous surge in wagers this yr, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Ontario being a highly competitive market with greater than 40 gambling corporations competing for market share, you possibly can ensure that they might be very aggressive in attempting to not only shore up their consumer base, but add to it,\u201d Kidd said.<\/p>\n

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For a lot of Canadians, this may very well be the beginning of a dangerous slide into sports betting because the promoting becomes unimaginable to avoid, said Andrew Kim, associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University\u2019s department of psychology.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor some people, this is perhaps the beginning where they could start experiencing some problems related to sports betting. And sports betting or gambling, very similar to alcohol, is an addiction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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There was a \u201cfrightening rise in addiction\u201d with the \u201cnormalization\u201d of sports betting, Kidd said. And the rise of prediction markets similar to Polymarket and Kalshi has only lent legitimacy to the practice, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to a bookie or to a physical place like a track and placing a bet on one race or a series of races. It is a rapidly, lightning-fast opportunity to bet on any aspect of sport,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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