FIFA World Cup expected to draw $1.8B in bets from 20.5M American adults, AGA survey finds

A total of 20.5 million American adults (8%) plan to bet a combined $1.8 billion on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) inaugural survey on World Cup wagering.

Unlike other major events like the Super Bowl and March Madness, which have significant casual betting components, including bracket or squares contests, the vast majority of World Cup bettors (72%) plan to place traditional bets either online, with a bookie or at a physical sportsbook.

The survey finds that 9.8 million (48%) World Cup bettors intend to place an online bet on the soccer tournament; while 6 million (29%) plan to place a casual bet with a friend. Meanwhile, 4.7 million (23%) plan to place a bet at a physical casino sportsbook; while 4.1 million (20%) plan to place a bet with a bookie.

Moreover, 3.5 million (17%) plan to place a bet as part of a paid pool or fantasy contest. The survey further found the majority (78%) of World Cup bettors say it is “important” for them to place their bets legally.

“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.,” commented AGA Senior Vice President Casey Clark.

“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,” added Clark.

Additional survey results include:

• Three in 10 (29%) American adults who plan to watch the World Cup intend to wager on the tournament.
• Gen Z (11%) and Millennial (14%) adults are more interested in betting on the world cup than Gen X (8%) and Baby Boomers (2%).
• If they were given $50 to bet, most Americans would put their money on the United States (24%) to win the World Cup, followed by Brazil (19%), Argentina (17%) and Germany (10%).

“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 pointed out.

Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between Nov. 3-5, 2022, among a national sample of 2,213 adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment and region. 

The margin of error is +/-2 percent and greater among subgroups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.

The survey comes as 31 states and Washington, D.C. currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with five additional legal markets awaiting launch. Legal wagering is currently available to 132 million Americans in their home states, compared to only 10 million during the 2018 World Cup, when only three states featured live, legal markets.