World Cup Sports Betting Surpasses Expectations in Las Vegas

World Cup Sports Betting Surpasses Expectations in Las Vegas

FIFA World Cup

Las Vegas sports betting firms assess how the World Cup in Qatar has affected the preferences of sports fans in the city and state.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup being held Qatar this fall coincides with the NFL, NBA, NHL, and more. This situation had Las Vegas bookmakers thinking over the total wagering volume accounted for the impact of so many other events on the sports calendar on how fans allocate their wagers. 

Las Vegas is one of the locations where current betting activity is below expectations.

The Associated Press (AP) cited Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate LV Resort & Casino, and Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, as commentators on the World Cup betting landscape in 2018. 

While both parties acknowledged that rescheduling the event would impact the bottom line, their expectations differed.

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Prioritizing and Allocating Sports Betting Budget 

On the one hand, the World Cup’s prominence being shared with other sports increases the significance of how sports fans prioritize and allocate their betting budget. 

In contrast, sports betting in the United States has increased significantly since the 2018 World Cup. Numerous other factors are involved, and the situation is considerably more complex.

Hard to Predict How It Will Play Out

The status of your favorite team in the tournament is a factor that affects projections as old as sports betting itself. The United States was eliminated from the World Cup by the Netherlands in the round of 16, which increased American fans’ desire to continue betting. 

As Kornegay mentioned in an AP report, while this is less of a concern for more experienced or professional sports gamblers, it has a significant impact on the average sports fan.

Increasing Legalization of Sports Betting and Rising of its Contents

Those who wanted to place bets likely have already done so, but with the increase in states that have legalized sports betting and the rise in related content, the balance has shifted once more, pointing to an increase in total betting handle. 

The question is, however, whether these numbers would not have been even higher if the World Cup had occurred during the regular summer period.

Obviously, there is only one way to find out, and it would likely involve waiting for the World Cup to conclude. Many agree that as the World Cup quarterfinals, semifinals, and final approach, gambling activity should reach its peak, further indicating how World Cup wagering will ultimately play out.

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About Lou De Aguila

Lou Aguila is a news and feature writer for Golden Casino News. For over a decade, Lou has published news and featured articles for some of the most reputable sports betting and online casino sites in the world, including BetNow.UK, VegasOdds, and BWin. Apart from being a hardcore live casino punter, he also covers sports stories in North American leagues from time to time.