has applauded the handling of its bets during the FIFA World Cup . They referred to it as a record-breaking event and praised the significant growth in North America.
OpenBet saw a global increase of 13% in 2018 World Cup betting handles during its month-long tournament in Qatar.
While the company acknowledged a strong performance in Europe, it was North America that saw the most growth. The tournament culminated in Lionel Messi‘s Argentina beating a revived France in a penalty shootout in what is known as ‘The Duel in the Desert.
OpenBet reported that Canadian customers were very engaged with World Cup betting. They also saw a 21% rise in bet engagement. Although the Canadian team did not make it to the finals, their performance won over fans all around the globe and increased betting activity.
The tournament was also a huge success with US customers. Over 50% of OpenBet’s ‘Bet Builder stakes were made by US-based customers. The matches at the USA also had over $100m of wagers. This includes 5.6 million stakes on the USMNT’s draw with England.
Notable is the fact that 2022 World Cup saw the debut of legalized mainstream sports betting. PASPA had been repealed only weeks before the start of 2018’s edition in Russia.
OpenBet noted that the World Cup was a success compared with other US sports. The tournament had a total of over 200% more participants than the NCAA March Madness Tournament across North American players. This shows the increasing interest in soccer.
Clearly buoyed after the USMNT’s victory, where they lost to the Netherlands in round 16, the bettors wanted to interact with them and placed over 12,000,000 bets on the matches.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is now jointly hosted in North America by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Operators will seek to capitalize on the increasing interest in soccer in the three-and-a half years before the tournament, which will see some young stars from all three teams reach their peak years.
Jordan Levin is the CEO of OpenBet. He said that this year’s World Cup was a new record in terms engagement and that operators and punters have had an amazing experience.
“Along with a strong performance, we also saw growth in North American markets, which shows our ability to respond to rapidly changing regulatory jurisdictions. This puts us in good stead to host the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico.
OpenBet’s massive numbers are proof that they can deliver memorable betting experiences on the most prestigious sporting events.
