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World Cup Set to Become Biggest Betting Event Ever
Tico Times ^ | May 30, 2026

Posted on 05/30/2026 10:38:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Global betting revenue for the upcoming World Cup is likely to be “in excess of $50 billion”, betting expert Darren Small told AFP, for an event he labelled “the biggest circus in town.” The revenue will be significantly higher than the 2022 edition, partly because the quadrennial football fiesta has been enlarged to 48 teams from the 32 in Qatar.

Another factor according to Small, Managing Director of Managed Trading Services at Sportradar, is punters have become more “interested in the celebrity of a player” than in the old days of betting simply on a team. Sportradar Group AG is a global sports technology company that says it creates immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors.

“We expect a lot of interest around the player props and what we call bet builders or custom bet options,” Small said in an interview. “So we’re anticipating that that’s going to be a big drive for us. We’re going to see a lot more interest on that. “So players scoring left foot, right foot, number of passes, tackles, whatever the numbers are. “Then subsequently the customers taking that and building out narratives like stories of ‘I think this game will be X team to win with both teams to score, player X scoring with his head and there being 15 corners’.” “The sheer size and scale of this tournament will ensure it is the biggest betting event ever,” David Stevens, head of Public Relations at English bookmaker Coral, told AFP.

(Excerpt) Read more at ticotimes.net ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Sports
KEYWORDS: worldcup

1 posted on 05/30/2026 10:38:37 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Paint drying, grass growing, and soccer that’s for me. Oh, and turtle races too.


2 posted on 05/30/2026 10:50:33 PM PDT by Equine1952 (MM1SS SASOBe)
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To: nickcarraway; Equine1952

no one gives a Schiff !


3 posted on 05/30/2026 11:00:48 PM PDT by A strike (fvckMI6. Drool Britannia. & No more Dots)
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To: A strike

Betcha a nickel you’re right.


4 posted on 05/30/2026 11:06:05 PM PDT by Equine1952 (MM1SS SASOBe)
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To: nickcarraway

Outside of the USA, Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. This weekend the UEFA Championship was played, the worldwide TV viewership of that game dwarfs the Super Bowl.

It’s not a surprise that the World Cup is going to be a huge gambling windfall, soccer is the number one worldwide sport, gambling on sports is legal around the world and is now legal in quite a few states in the US.


5 posted on 05/30/2026 11:17:59 PM PDT by srmanuel
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To: nickcarraway

Everything will be aboveboard and nobody will be diving... Well... Except for the soccer players... They’re always diving and then crying to get yellow cards against their opponents... Then they just throw some ‘magic water’ on them and they’re good to go.

Soccer is likely fixed more than the NFL is.


6 posted on 05/30/2026 11:28:52 PM PDT by jerod (Nazis were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: jerod

The only sport, granted I’m an old American white AH, is stud poker. Seven card, five card, WGAF? Everything else just seems to suck. Don’t get me wrong I like rodeo, hunting, fishing, and women but stud poker is still my favorite. Did I also mention I like dogs, pickup trucks, cats, and varmits of all types? Good God! I sound like a Redneck!


7 posted on 05/30/2026 11:57:42 PM PDT by Equine1952 (MM1SS SASOBe)
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To: nickcarraway

Escort demand surges ahead of NYC, NJ World Cup matches — as $10K-per-day sex worker reveals unusual new client request

https://nypost.com/2026/05/30/us-news/world-cup-tourists-booking-nyc-sex-workers-that-cost-10000-a-day-to-knock-boots-between-matches/


8 posted on 05/31/2026 1:28:34 AM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: nickcarraway

LOL increase from 32 to 48 teams and ITALY still not in. Allez les Bleus - FRANCE


9 posted on 05/31/2026 4:34:28 AM PDT by Jolla
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To: Libloather

Wouldn’t soccer aficionados want male escorts?

Just saying.


10 posted on 05/31/2026 4:59:30 AM PDT by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you. )
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To: nickcarraway

Even if I were a degenerate gambler, I would not wager a cent on it.


11 posted on 05/31/2026 5:41:42 AM PDT by Mouton (There is a new sheriff and deputy in town now! )
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To: nickcarraway

*Yawn*

Next...


12 posted on 05/31/2026 8:07:30 AM PDT by Jim W N (MAGA "by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: nickcarraway

Where is the betting line for an Iranian truck bomb?


13 posted on 05/31/2026 9:18:56 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: Equine1952
Paint drying, grass growing, and soccer that’s for me. Oh, and turtle races too.

:) Chuckle!

14 posted on 05/31/2026 9:33:29 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven)
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To: Equine1952
Betcha a nickel you’re right.

Betcha $1,000 you're wrong.

I hate soccer, but it's the world's most popular sport (Cricket is #2). There will be LOTS of betting.

15 posted on 05/31/2026 9:36:29 AM PDT by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven)
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