AGA reports American bettors will wager up to $1.8b in World Cup

The American Gaming Association (AGA) forecasts that approximately $1.8 billion will be wagered by American adults on the 2022 edition of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, which gets underway in Qatar on Sunday, November 20.

A recent survey conducted by the AGA estimates 132 million people in 31 states and the District of Columbia will have legal access to betting on the World Cup, the vast majority of which will be placed in accordance with the law, although this will not be the case for all of the gambling channels.

🚨⚽️ RELEASE: 20.5M American adults plan to bet a total of $1.8B on the 2022 #FIFAWorldCup, according to the AGA’s inaugural survey on World Cup wagering.

Check out full World Cup betting trends ⤵️➡️ https://t.co/tBIQhYvSMx pic.twitter.com/mFfn0Nclmm

— American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) November 15, 2022

According to Senior Vice President of the AGA, Casey Clark, this is going to be the most bet upon event in history due to the widespread legalization of sports betting across America and the world at large.

“As the first World Cup with widespread availability of legal sports betting, this will certainly be the most bet-upon soccer event ever in the U.S.,” Clark said.

“With more than half of all American adults having access to legal betting options in their home market, legal sports betting will deepen American fan engagement in the most-watched sporting event in the world.”

According to figures provided by the AGA, 8% of the adult people living in the United States, or 20.5 million people, will place wagers on the World Cup. The result of the pool indicated that:

9.8 million people are planning to place bets online.

6.0 million people have the intention of making a wager with a companion.

4.7 million people have it in their schedule to visit a retail sportsbook.

4.1 million individuals have the intention of placing a wager with a bookmaker.

3.5 million individuals have the intention of participating in either a paid pool or a fantasy contest.

Clark further encouraged safe and responsible gambling by urging that they set a limit to their wagers, bet with licensed operators, and also have fun while at it.

“As the World Cup kicks off, anyone getting in on the action should have a game plan to bet responsibly. That means setting a budget, keeping it fun, learning the odds and playing with legal, regulated operators,” Clark added.

As the World Cup proceeds, we’ll have to wait and see how smartly Americans will stake their wager. The report also stipulates that the team with the most bets placed on it to emerge winners will be the American team, followed by Brazil with a 19% wager, Argentina with a 17% wager, and Germany with a 10% wager, all in opposition to America, which has a 24% wager.

However, according to sports traders at BetMGM, both Brazil and Argentina are currently the favorites among bettors.

“Action on the World Cup feels similar to March Madness and we expect more bets to roll in as the tournament nears. Brazil and Argentina are betting favorites and would be tough outcomes for the sportsbook,” said Magee. “Bettors are also backing the USA and Mexico heavily.”

GG.bet is now accepting wagers on World Cup futures from players in jurisdictions where betting activity is permitted.

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