Guidance
Beyond the Bet: Gambling, Engagement and Informed Choice at the 2026 World Cup
The Gambling Commission's research on Gambling, Engagement and Informed Choice at the 2026 World Cup
Conclusion and next steps
The 2026 World Cup attracted consumers who do not usually bet on football, as well as existing football bettors. Engagement was high throughout the tournament among existing and occasional bettors, and lower among new bettors.
Research suggests betting behaviour was linked to England’s chances of winning the tournament. Similar results were observed in our Euro 2024 study, where engagement among younger and female bettors rose as the tournament progressed and England reached the final. Bettors in this study also demonstrated engagement aligned with England’s progress and chances of winning the World Cup, with the proportion of respondents watching live and placing bets declining after England’s semi-final loss.
Of the 3 bettor types we identified, new bettors differed most from occasional and existing bettors. Their behaviour and attitudes suggested less informed and less considered betting, which may reflect their lack of previous football betting experience. New and occasional bettors were also more likely than existing bettors to report betting because their friends, family or colleagues were also betting.
Existing bettors, on the other hand, were more likely to take up promotional offers and incentives compared to new and occasional bettors. They reported betting behaviour which suggested more informed betting than other bettor types and demonstrated greater confidence and accuracy in their understanding of offers. They were also more likely to engage with other gambling activities.
New football bettors were the least likely to feel they had the information they needed, and the least confident about offers. This echoes our recent research on informed choice, which found a gap between information being available and consumers feeling informed. It suggests that consumer capability varies across the consumer gambling journey, and that information may need to reflect this.
Across all groups, consumers were most likely to base betting decisions on their own judgement or instinct rather than on external factors such as odds or team and player statistics. Betting for fun or entertainment was the most popular reason why people decided to bet on the World Cup.
This research has improved our understanding of how consumers make betting decisions during major sporting events, how this varies between bettor types, and how well consumers understand offers. It contributes to themes 2 and 4 of our evidence gaps and priorities, and our evidence roadmaps which consider how gambling fits into different lives and consumer comprehension.
The Gambling Commission will build on this research as we work to fill evidence gaps set out in our roadmaps. We will also use the findings to inform our work on the licensing objective of ensuring gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
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2026 World Cup - Appendix 1: World Cup 2026 Questionnaire
Last updated: 10 November 2026
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