World Cup could see global betting volume exceed $50B, new forecast warns - BERITAJA

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks disconnected adjacent week pinch Canada, the U.S. and Mexico jointly hosting the mega event, and sports betting is expected to surge this year, a caller study warns.

With much than 100 games held complete six weeks, full betting volumes are expected to transcend US$50 cardinal worldwide, a study by finance slope Macquire released connected Wednesday says.

For each game, the mean wagers could transcend half a cardinal USD, the study added.

The maturation of the sports betting marketplace successful the past 4 years, peculiarly successful the U.S., has meant that 65 per cent of the organization has entree to ineligible betting markets, arsenic opposed to 40 per cent during the 2022 World Cup, it said.

This version of the World Cup comes pinch the skyrocketing fame of shot successful Canada and the U.S. and has “the imaginable to present caller behaviors and incremental wagering, further supported by North America hosting, favorable clip zones, and improved merchandise depth,” the study said.

Canadian sports betting companies spot the World Cup arsenic “a market-enhancing event,” said Bruce Kidd, professor emeritus of athletics and nationalist argumentation astatine the University of Toronto.

Ontario unsocial is apt to spot a large surge successful wagers this year, he said.

“With Ontario being a highly competitory marketplace pinch much than 40 gambling companies competing for marketplace share, you could beryllium judge that they will beryllium very fierce successful trying to not only statement up their user base, but adhd to it,” Kidd said.

For galore Canadians, this could beryllium the commencement of a vulnerable descent into sports betting arsenic the advertizing becomes intolerable to avoid, said Andrew Kim, subordinate professor astatine Toronto Metropolitan University’s section of psychology.

“For immoderate people, this mightiness beryllium the commencement wherever they mightiness commencement experiencing immoderate problems related to sports betting. And sports betting aliases gambling, overmuch for illustration alcohol, is an addiction,” he said.

There has been a “frightening emergence successful addiction” pinch the “normalization” of sports betting, Kidd said. And the emergence of prediction markets specified arsenic Polymarket and Kalshi has only lent legitimacy to the practice, he said.

“It’s not going to a bookie aliases to a beingness spot for illustration a way and placing a stake connected 1 title aliases a bid of races. This is simply a rapidly, lightning-fast opportunity to stake connected immoderate facet of sport,” he added.

Kidd pointed to the fame of “prop bets” aliases proposition bets. These are bets connected individual events successful the game.

“In a shot game, wherever location are 300 pitches thrown, you could stake connected each 300 pitches and spot 300 bets if you could. The betting apps are psychologically engineered to seizure betters — to addict,” he said.

In soccer, this theoretically intends group could stake connected thing from the consequence of a azygous punishment changeable to a free kick.

Prop bets person made sports betting apps consciousness much for illustration slot machines astatine a casino, Kim said.

“If you’re conscionable going to stake connected who’s going to win, the risks, I would say, are comparatively ray aliases little risky compared to if you’re going to stake connected these micro prop bets while watching the crippled and you’re doing aggregate of these bets and drinking — that’s going to beryllium higher risk,” he said.

Sports betting has been associated pinch accrued risks of suicide, constituent usage disorders, crime and broader societal harms, a study published successful the Canadian Medical Association Journal successful September 2025 found.

“The stats for addiction successful Canada are simply frightening,” Kidd said.

“Since Parliament legalized betting successful Canada successful 2021, the percent of Canadians wide [who] acquisition problem gambling aliases addiction has risen from 1.3 per cent to 9.9 per cent, which is simply a six-time summation successful 5 years,” he added.

These risks of addiction get worse if you are drinking and betting astatine the aforesaid time, Kim said.

“Drinking and betting connected sports astatine the aforesaid clip is simply a beautiful vulnerable mix,” he said.

“Set a limit, group a financial fund successful position of really overmuch you could realistically spend to walk and dainty it arsenic entertainment,” he added.