After the public got beat up in some incredible upsets during the initial rounds of the FIFA World Cup, bettors finally got some revenge in the final.
Bet365 reported it paid out an eight-figure amount to gamblers after Lionel Messi and Argentina won the final, widely regarded as one of the most thrilling in the history of the competition.
Argentina, which was getting +1000 odds before the competition, came into the final at +200.
It wasn’t just the final that rewarded the public, but other future bets paid off as well, according to bet365’s Steve Freeth. Freeth told SBC News that Argentina was not the result they wanted to see.
“Argentina had been top of bet365’s outright liabilities for some time, having been backed from 8/1 into 11/2 in the lead up to Qatar and punters weren’t put off after the opening game defeat to Saudi Arabia,” Freeth said. “La Albiceleste drifted out to 9/1 but that would prove to be but a minor bump in the road.”
He also said Argentina star Messi was good for the sportsbook.
“Lionel Messi was well backed for the Golden Ball (12/1 into 8/1) as well as the Golden Boot (16/1 into 10/1), so fortunately we managed to dodge one of those,” Freeth said.
They did get roughed up on a couple of other wagers, Freeth said.
“However, we weren’t so lucky with the Young Player of the Tournament market,” he said. “A number of customers took up our 33/1 for Enzo Fernandez claiming the trophy, and his outstanding tournament saw him named the best young player, over the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Aurelien Tchouameni and team-mate Julian Alvarez.”
Gamblers who backed Argentina got paid when they scored two quick goals, which triggered bet365’s Two Goals Ahead Early Payout offer. When France’s Mbappe scored, that also paid people who bet on him and Messi scoring a goal.
