WASHINGTON, D.C.—As some broadcasters are reporting record ratings for their 2022 FIFA World Cup Coverage, the American Gaming Association (AGA) has issued a new survey that found 20.5 million American adults (8% of the population) plan to bet a total of $1.8 billion on the World Cup.
“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.,” said 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.”
Unlike other major events like the Super Bowl and March Madness that 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 association reported.
For the World Cup, about 9.8 million (48%) plan to place a bet online, followed by 6.0 million (29%) planning to place a casual bet with a friend, 4.7 million (23%) planning to place a bet at a physical casino sportsbook, 4.1 million (20%) planning to place a bet with a bookie and 3.5 million (17%) planning to place a bet as part of a paid pool or fantasy contest.
The survey also found the majority (78%) of World Cup bettors say it is important for them to place their bets legally.
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%).
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 AGA said.
