Among the betting opportunities associated with the 2022 FIFA World Cup, two have stood out thus far: live betting and pre-match activity.
This year, pre-match betting returned to capture more than 50 percent of all bets, says Kindred Group, a Swedish gaming operator.
Credit a much broader customer base for this World Cup, Kindred told iGaming Business. So too did the time zones in which the games were played in Qatar. Only the real late matches fell within working hours in Europe. Games took place at night or in North America and Australia during the workday.
Bet Builder products may also have been a factor.
The proportion of Bet Builders among pre-match bets increased by 35 percent from the group to the knockout stage. Kindred believes customers looked for multiple-like bets with a lower frequency of matches.
“The product is particularly popular for teams with many football stars like Brazil and France, as the big names drags the customers’ attention towards the player props, which are included in 45 percent of all Bet Builders and the third most popular bet type,” said Kindred. “The most popular bet type in the Bet Builder is the under/over lines, which are found in two thirds of all Bet Builders.
The tournament should be the best betting event of the year. Flutter predicted £300 million (US$372 million) with its UK and Ireland operations. FanDuel and Sportbet brands should turn in a higher handle since the U.S. and Australia both qualified.
“The World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest betting event of the year and everyone at Flutter shares the excitement of our customers,” said Flutter group Chief Trading Officer Dom Crosthwaite.
