Expanded World Cup fuels surge in betting activity, with stakes likely to double from the 2022 edition
Some punters in Singapore say it is harder to place bets during the matches as many games are played in the middle of the night.
Add BT as a preferred sourceMeera Pathmanathan
[SINGAPORE] The 2026 Fifa World Cup – which began nearly six weeks ago and will crown its champion on Monday (Jul 20) morning – is fuelling a sharp rise in betting activity globally.
Flutter Entertainment, a Dublin-based sports betting and online gaming company, expects betting stakes during this year’s tournament to be double the amount wagered at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Flutter – the parent company of Betfair, Sky Bet, Paddy Power and other brands – said it engages about 10 million customers from around the world and processes as many as 100,000 bets a minute during peak periods, a spokesperson told The Business Times.
The increase in betting activity is partially due to the tournament’s expanded format, with this year’s World Cup featuring a record 48 teams, up from 32 previously. This increased the total number of matches from 64 to 104.
Flutter expects around 60 per cent of betting stakes to come from its international operations, with the remaining 40 per cent generated in the US.
Across its brands, England’s 4-2 win over Croatia attracted the highest betting stakes among the group stage fixtures. The second highest came for England’s goalless draw with Ghana, which has been the operator’s most profitable match of the tournament so far. Flutter did not provide the exact amounts wagered or won.
Strong interest in Singapore
Singapore Pools has also seen significant betting interest in the World Cup, which it attributed to the tournament’s scale and status as a major global sporting event.
“Interest is generally higher for matches involving major footballing nations, and the later stages of the tournament such as the knockout rounds, semi-finals and final,” a spokesperson told BT.
The not-for-profit operator declined to compare betting activity with previous World Cups as this year’s edition was not yet over.
Some local punters whom BT spoke to said they placed wagers during the World Cup as the event takes place once every four years and it made watching the games more interesting.
Lee, who asked to be identified only by his surname, said he has placed bets on every World Cup game played so far. A total of 102 matches have been played, with just the third-place playoff on Sunday and the final on Monday to come.
“The World Cup is once in four years, and all the hype makes me want to keep up with the tournament even though I am not usually interested in football,” he said.
Lee’s preferred betting category with Singapore Pools is the Pick the Score bet, which requires a person to predict the exact score of the match at the end of 90 minutes.
He added that he makes use of generative artificial intelligence tools to help predict match outcomes before deciding what bets to place.
Another bettor, Tan, who also requested to be identified only by his surname, described the World Cup as a “rare opportunity” to bet.
“I only bet during the World Cup because it is what everyone is talking about,” he said. He said he likes the Total Goals Over/Under betting category, which requires a person to predict whether the number of valid goals scored in a match will be above or below a margin set by Singapore Pools. These margins can include 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 goals.
Late matches bring bets forward
With the World Cup held in North America, the time difference means that many of the matches are played in the middle of the night in Asia when many are asleep.
Some punters like Lee, who usually likes to place bets during the match itself, now does so before he heads to bed. He will then check the results in the morning.
“For matches that take place late at night or in the early morning, customers may prefer to place bets earlier instead of participating in live betting,” the Singapore Pools spokesperson said.
A customer at the operator’s Toa Payoh Hub outlet told BT that he took part in live betting at the 2022 World Cup, as the matches in Qatar were played at more friendly hours in Singapore.
This year’s tournament has made live betting more difficult, he said. Of the 104 matches, 38 kick off at between 3 am and 5 am (Singapore time), including key matches such as the semi-finals and final.
While betting activity has increased, Singapore Pools said that it has stepped up responsible gambling messaging across its retail outlets, website, mobile application and social media platforms during the tournament, which began on Jun 12.
The spokesperson said that existing safeguards remain in place, including minimum age restrictions, responsible gambling reminders, helpline information and a prohibition on betting using credit.
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