Beyond the Bet: Gambling, Engagement and Informed Choice at the 2026 World Cup

Executive summary

This research shows how consumers made betting decisions during the 2026 World Cup. Yonder Consulting surveyed 834 UK adults who had bet on the tournament. The findings add to the evidence base on how gambling fits into different lives and how well consumers understand odds and offers.

Major tournaments draw in a wider mix of bettors

Overall, World Cup bettors were more likely to be male (71% versus 29%), with around 2 in 5 (43%) between the ages of 35 to 54, 31% aged 55 or over, and 26% aged 18 to 34. This is a higher share of women, and an older profile, than is seen among those who bet on football in the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB).

The majority had bet on football before, but there were also some first timers

Research identified 3 groups of bettors who bet on the World Cup: those who were betting on football for the first time (new football bettors), those who only bet on football during major tournaments (occasional football bettors), and those who bet on regular season football such as the Champions League and the Premier League (existing football bettors).

Existing football bettors were the most common World Cup bettor (56%), predominantly male (80%) and aged 35 to 54 (44%). They were more likely to be older than other bettor types (33% aged 55 and older).

Occasional bettors represented 35% of World Cup bettors, most of which were male (64%) and 35 to 54 (44%). These bettors were equally likely to be 18 to 34 or 55 and older (28% each).

While New football bettors were mostly female (68%) and more likely to be younger, with 40% aged 18 to 34.

New bettors were the least likely to feel informed

Overall, World Cup bettors were most confident regarding their understanding of odds, bet builders and wagering requirements attached to welcome bonuses, whilst respondents were less sure about ‘acca insurance’ (accumulator insurance) with 50% selecting “Don't know” when asked whether ‘acca insurance’ means that they get the full stake back in cash if one leg of their accumulator loses. This may indicate limited understanding of ‘acca insurance’ terms and conditions.

Those betting on football for the first time were the least likely to feel they had all the information they needed (60%, compared with 83% of occasional and 91% of existing football bettors) and least confident about offers, with 80% answering “Don’t know” on ‘acca insurance’. New football bettors were also the group most likely to report not using any information to decide which bets to place (29%). With that said, new football bettors make up a small group in this survey (n=70), so findings for this group should be interpreted with caution.

Free bets were the most popular promotion, and bettors focused on fun and their chances of winning

Free bets (37%), enhanced odds or price boosts (22%), and free bonus offers (19%), were the most popular promotions and offers used by respondents during the 2026 World Cup. Respondents most often reported betting for fun and/or entertainment (44%) or to win money (33%).

Around 1 in 3 (35%) of World Cup bettors who placed a bet attached to an offer said they did not seek or search for more information before placing a bet. The remaining respondents were most likely to look for information related to the odds (34%) or how much they could win (29%).

Betting decisions varied with experience and bettor type

New football bettors were much more likely to report betting because they wanted to try something new, and like occasional bettors, were more likely than existing bettors to report betting because friends, family or colleagues were also betting. Occasional bettors were also more likely to report betting because the 2026 World Cup was a special event.

Existing football bettors were more likely than other groups to say that their own knowledge or instinct, or the odds and/or price helped them decide which bets to place. New football bettors, on the other hand were noticeably more likely to decide which bets to place based on advice from family or friends. New football bettors were also the group most likely to report not using any information to inform their betting. This suggests that, within this sample, newer bettors were less informed when betting on the World Cup, and potentially subject to increased levels of risk given their football betting history.

Most World Cup bettors trust their own judgement

Overall, 58% of bettors reported using their own knowledge or instinct to help them decide which bets to place, much more than the next most selected option which was the odds or price shown (21%).

Likewise, when asked why they decided to place bets on the World Cup, 15% thought they could use their football knowledge to win, and 13% felt they had good knowledge of the teams or players. This suggests some World Cup bettors were confident enough in their knowledge of the game, teams and players to make betting decisions independently.

Whereas some younger bettors reported using artificial intelligence (AI) to help them decide which bets to place. Use of AI was reported by 7% of all World Cup bettors, rising to 12% among those aged 18 to 34, compared to 6% aged 35 to 54, and just 3.5% of those over the age of 55.

England's progress influenced betting behaviour

Betting participation peaked for new bettors in the semi-finals (59%), and for occasional bettors in the group stage and semi-finals (75% each), whilst existing bettors reported their highest participation rates during the group stages (86%). All 3 groups showed reduced engagement for the final (Spain versus Argentina) and third placed play-off (England versus France), after England could no longer win the tournament.

Introduction

Major sporting events provide a unique opportunity to explore consumer betting behaviour within a defined period with heightened betting engagement. These tournaments can also attract consumers who do not typically engage with sports betting, thus allowing us to explore a wider range of consumer behaviour and attitudes.

This research was designed to explore consumer behaviour and decision making during the 2026 World Cup, with the aim of building the Gambling Commission’s understanding, and informing the Commission’s work on informed choice and the fair and open licensing objective.

The findings help us to understand more about how gambling fits into different lives, the impact of different influences and how this varies for different groups. They also provide insight into consumer comprehension of odds and offers, and how consumer understanding relates to their decision making.

The Commission has previously conducted 2 research projects on major sporting events focusing on the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. Both projects sought to understand more about the betting behaviour, experiences and attitudes of consumers who had bet on major sporting events. This study builds on their key findings, with a closer focus on how consumers make betting decisions.

Study Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to understand how consumers made betting decisions during the 2026 World Cup. The core research objectives were to:

• build understanding of how consumers made betting decisions during the 2026 World Cup, including the information they used, and the factors which influenced them to place bets
• investigate consumer understanding of the offers they used to place bets during the 2026 World Cup
• provide evidence which shows the variation in decision making between existing bettors and those betting on football for the first time.

Methodology

Overview of Methodology

A quantitative approach was used within this study, with a scoping phase that included reviewing results from our previous studies on major sporting events and the development of a tracker to monitor match results and statistics that could potentially influence betting behaviour during the 2026 World Cup.

Yonder Consulting conducted an ad hoc online survey with an initial sample of 1,000 adults who had bet on the World Cup. Participants were recruited from Yonder Consulting’s online omnibus panel. Fieldwork took place from Thursday 23 July 2026 to Thursday 30 July 2026, after the World Cup final on Sunday 19 July 2026.

Data quality checks identified 166 respondents with inconsistent and contradictory responses; these cases were removed for data integrity, ensuring that the data analysed was robust. The final sample featured 834 UK adults who had bet on the 2026 World Cup. This remains a robust sample size, sufficient to allow reliable analysis of those involved, and large enough to allow comparisons between bettor groups.

The final sample comprised of 70 new bettors, 296 occasional bettors and 468 existing bettors. Data was not weighted, and any instances with small sample sizes have been highlighted throughout the report.

Respondents were assigned a bettor type (new, occasional or existing) based on their response to question A5 from the survey which can be found in the appendix. Bettor types are representative of betting experience rather than frequency.

Comparisons of survey responses were carried out for different bettor types; new football bettors, occasional football bettors, and existing football bettors. Population proportion significance testing was used to determine whether differences between groups were genuine or likely to have occurred by chance. All percentages in this report are rounded to the nearest whole number, so some totals may not sum to 100%.

Key terminology

Specific terminology is used within this report, the following definitions represent the terms as described in the survey completed by respondents where possible.

Acca insurance (Accumulator insurance): Promotion offered by operators which refunds the stake from an accumulator bet, as a free bet, when one leg of the accumulator bet loses, provided requirements are met.

Betting: Betting is the making or accepting a bet on:

1. the outcome of a race, competition or other event or process
2. the likelihood of anything occurring or not occurring
3. whether anything is or is not true.

Existing football bettors: Those who have previously bet on football including competitions such as the Champions League or Premier League.

In play betting: Bets placed after the match had started.

Micro betting: Bets on the next immediate event in the match that will happen in the next 5 minutes or less.

New football bettors: Those who were betting on football for the first time.

Occasional football bettors: Those who have previously bet on football but only on major events such as the Euros and the World Cup.

Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI): PGSI, a screening tool which measures ‘problem gambling’, that is, gambling to a degree that compromises, disrupts, or damages family, personal or recreational pursuits. A PGSI score of 8 and over represents gambling by which a person will have experienced adverse consequences from gambling and may have lost control of their behaviour. A PGSI score of 3 to 7 represents moderate risk gambling. A PGSI score of 1 to 2 represents low risk gambling.

Respondents: Where directly referring to data from quantitative research we use the term ‘respondent(s).’

Limitations

Findings describe the adults who took part in this survey and should not be generalised to all football bettors or other groups of sports bettors. Comparisons with earlier studies and the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) are included for context only, due to differences in sample, timing and methodology. Due to the cross-sectional methodology, the relationships observed within the research are not causal and any inferences to future behaviour are based on respondents' responses.

The report captures consumer views from a single point in time and relies on self-reported data which is subject to recall bias. Some groups have small sample sizes, including new football bettors (n=70) and therefore findings for these groups should be interpreted with caution.

The next section of this report is the findings.

Findings

Who bet on the World Cup?

Overall, World Cup bettors were more likely to be male and between 35 to 54

The majority of 2026 World Cup bettors were male (71%), with female bettors making up 29% of the sample. Bettors were most likely to be aged 35 to 54 (43%), followed by older bettors aged 55 or more (31%) and younger bettors aged 18 to 34 (26%). For the purposes of this report, respondents are categorised into the following 3 bettor types.

New football bettors

New football bettors account for 8% of 2026 World Cup bettors. Whilst all new football bettors reported that the 2026 World Cup was the first time that they had placed a bet on football, 59% of new football bettors had bet on other sports before. For 41%, this was their first time betting ever. They are likely to be younger compared to other groups of bettors identified, with 40% of new bettors aged 18 to 34 and are the only group that is more likely to be female (68% versus 32%).

Occasional football bettors

Occasional football bettors represent 35% of 2026 World Cup bettors. The majority are male (64% versus 36%). However, it was the most popular group with female World Cup bettors, as 45% of female bettors were occasional bettors. They are most prominent with those aged 35 to 54 (44%), with an even distribution between younger (aged 18 to 34) and older bettors (aged 55 and older) (28% each).

Existing football bettors

Existing football bettors are the largest group identified, featuring 56% of World Cup bettors. They are predominantly male (80% versus 20%), and the most likely bettor type for men (64% of male respondents are existing bettors). They are most prominent with those aged 35 to 54 (44%), and skews towards older bettors (24% aged 18 to 34, and 33% aged 55 or older). Around 2 out of 5 (40%) of female existing bettors are aged 25 to 34, with this age group more than double the size of any other.

The profile of existing football bettors more closely resembles the profile of football bettors reported by the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) in 2025, where 85% of football bettors were male. This suggests that many of the differences in World Cup bettors are introduced by new and occasional football bettors.

Although participation in football betting varies between the 3 types of World Cup bettors, they each have high participation in other gambling activities. Existing football bettors are the most likely to have gambled in the past 12 months (excluding football betting) with a 97% participation rate, whilst occasional and new football bettors have rates of 93% and 87% respectively. Lottery draws were the most popular activity for all bettor types with 77% participation for occasional and existing bettors, and 64% for new football bettors.

Many activities see similar rates of participation between the groups, although existing bettors are more likely than new football bettors to bet on racing (online or in person), to bet on other sports, to bet on non-sports events (such as elections), or to play casino games online.

Amongst all respondents, 54% had a Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) score of 0, 18% had a PGSI score of 1 to 2, 16% had a score of 3 to 7, and 11% had a PGSI score of 8 or more. There were few differences in PGSI scores between the 3 bettor types; existing bettors were less likely to have a score of 0 than other bettor types (50% compared to 63% for new bettors and 59% for occasional bettors), and more likely to score 3 to 7 (20% compared to 9% and 12%).

What types of bets did people place?

In all 3 groups of bettors, respondents were most likely to place one bet per match, although betting frequency varied between bettor types. Existing bettors were more likely than other bettors to bet more than once per match.

Match result was the most popular type of bet for all bettor types (44%), followed by outright tournament bets such as overall winner (28%), and bet builders (27%). Existing bettors were the most likely to use bet builders (34% compared to 21% and 10% of occasional and new bettors) and used a wider variety of bet types including accumulators and in play bets. Occasional bettors also showed a preference for outright tournament bets and both teams to score, while betting on the correct score was a higher ranked choice for new bettors compared to other groups.

Why did people bet and how did they choose what bets to place?

Most people bet for fun, but motives differed by bettor type

The most common reason that respondents gave for betting on the 2026 World Cup was for fun or entertainment (44%), followed by to win money (33%), and to make watching matches more exciting (27%). This broadly aligns with the reasons reported by respondents from research focused on the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, as well as reasons reported on the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). However, the reasons given in this research varied significantly between bettor types.

Existing football bettors were the most likely to bet to win money (40% compared to 21% of new bettors and 25% of occasional bettors), to use their football knowledge to win (21% compared to 3% and 7%), because they felt like they had good knowledge of the teams and players (19% compared to 1% and 8%), or because they saw promotions or offers (20% compared to 7% and 12%). They also bet as they enjoy betting on football generally (42% compared to 3% and 14%) or out of habit (17% compared to 0% and 8%).

New football bettors were the most likely group to bet on the 2026 World Cup to try something new (21% compared to 3% of occasional bettors and 5% of existing bettors), and along with occasional bettors were more likely to bet because their friends, family or colleagues were also betting (21% and 19% compared to 13% of existing bettors). Occasional football bettors were the most likely to bet because the World Cup felt like a special event (29% compared to 13% of new bettors and 22% of existing bettors), showing that the 2026 World Cup had a particular appeal to occasional bettors.

Existing bettors reported 3.54 motivations on average, compared to occasional bettors who reported an average of 2.6 and new bettors who reported an average of 2 motivations. The larger volume of motivations among existing bettors suggests a more established relationship with betting, than observed among new and occasional bettors.

Table 1: Reasons for betting on the 2026 World Cup

Reasons for betting on the 2026 World Cup

Reasons for betting on the 2026 World Cup	Overall (percentage)	New football bettors (percentage)	Occasional football bettors (percentage)	Existing football bettors (percentage)
For fun or entertainment	44%	39%	41%	46%
To try to win money	33%	21%	25%	40%
I enjoy betting on football in general	29%	3%	14%	42%
To make watching the matches more exciting	27%	17%	22%	32%
The World Cup felt like a special event	24%	13%	29%	22%
I support one of the teams playing (England or Scotland)	19%	10%	18%	20%
To feel more involved in the tournament	18%	9%	19%	19%
Friends, family or colleagues were also betting	16%	21%	19%	13%
I saw promotions or offers by gambling companies related to the World Cup	16%	7%	12%	20%
I thought I could use my football knowledge to win	15%	3%	7%	21%
I felt I had good knowledge of the teams and players	13%	1%	8%	19%
Habit - I usually bet on big football tournaments	12%	0%	8%	17%
Because England were doing well and going far in the tournament	12%	13%	12%	11%

Table 1: Reasons for betting on the 2026 World Cup for different bettor types, ordered by prevalence in the overall survey sample. Responses with an overall percentage less than 10% have not been included. Please see the data tables for the full available data. Respondents could select more than one option.

Many bettors only bet on England matches

Respondents also placed bets due to home nations’ involvement in the World Cup: 19% of respondents placed a bet because they supported England or Scotland, and 12% placed a bet because England were doing well in the tournament.

A large proportion of World Cup bettors only bet on England matches. Before the final (which did not include England), 42% of World Cup bettors had only bet on England games, which fell to 25% after the final. England-only betting was most common among new football bettors (57% before the final), followed by occasional (47%) and existing (37%) football bettors. This suggests England matches were more of an attraction for new and occasional bettors and demonstrates how betting behaviour for new bettors differed from other bettor types.

Most World Cup bettors displayed consistent viewing patterns throughout the World Cup, starting at 88% for the group stage and peaking at 90% for the semi-finals. Those watching England games were significantly more likely than those watching games not involving England to report watching live games, excluding the final. Viewing figures declined after England could no longer win the tournament, with a 19% drop from the semi-finals to the third place play-offs. This may partly reflect the reduced number of games compared to previous rounds, and the reduced significance of the third placed play off.

New football bettors were less engaged throughout the tournament

New football bettors had lower betting participation across the World Cup, with low participation in the early stages (39% to 40%), then slightly rising from 57% in the quarter final to 59% in the semi-finals, and dropping for the final and third place play-off (44% and 33% respectively). Betting was consistent across the tournament stages for occasional and existing football bettors, with between 68% and 86% of them betting on the group stage, last 32, last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals. Betting participation dropped to 57% and 58% for the final for existing and occasional bettors respectively, and 49% for the third place play-off.

The general trend of betting behaviour for all bettor types broadly aligns with England’s progress and chances of winning the World Cup, declining after the semi-finals and their loss to Argentina (semi-finals, 76%, third place play-off, 47%). This was despite England playing in the third place play-off, which had the lowest betting participation of any stage for all 3 bettor types. This supports the notion that betting participation partly reflected England’s chances of winning the tournament.

Figure 1: Betting participation during the 2026 World Cup

Figure 1: Betting participation of different types of football bettors during each tournament stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Betting participation during the 2026 World Cup

Tournament stage	New football bettors (percentage)	Occasional football bettors (percentage)	Existing football bettors (percentage)
Group stage	40%	75%	86%
Last 32	39%	68%	82%
Last 16	40%	68%	84%
Quarter-finals	57%	73%	84%
Semi-finals	59%	75%	79%
Third place play-off	33%	49%	49%
Final	44%	58%	57%

Table 2: Betting participation of different types of football bettors during each tournament stage of the 2026 World Cup. See Figure 1 for graphical visualisation. Respondents were able to select multiple options.

Most bettors relied on their own judgement rather than outside information

When it comes to the information used to place bets, those who bet on the 2026 World Cup were most likely to use their own knowledge or instinct (58%). This was the most common source of information for all bettor types – 39% of new bettors, 52% of occasional bettors, and 66% of existing bettors. The next most likely sources varied by bettor type but were significantly less reported in all cases. This suggests that bettors are generally more likely to rely on their own judgement, experience, or intuition when making betting decisions than on statistics or other external sources of information.

For new and occasional football bettors, using no information or placing bets spontaneously was the next most popular option (29% and 16% respectively), followed by advice from friends, family and colleagues (20% and 14%).

All other sources of information were used by only 7% or less of new bettors. Between 11% and 13% of occasional bettors also used the odds shown, statistics websites, or advice from TV commentators to inform how they placed bets. These results suggest there may be an association between previous betting experience and the level of informed betting within this sample.

Existing bettors were significantly less likely to place bets spontaneously (8%) or based on advice from friends, family and colleagues (10%), instead relying more on what may be perceived as skill to place their bets. They reported using odds (29%), statistics websites (17%), in-play match events (14%), and information provided by betting operators (13%) to place bets. This may reflect less informed betting from new and occasional football bettors, compared to existing football bettors.

Use of Artificial intelligence

When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), 7% of World Cup bettors reported using AI to help them place bets. Younger bettors (aged 18 to 34) were more likely than older age groups to report using AI to help them decide which bets to place, with 12% reporting its use compared to 6% of respondents aged 35 to 54 and 3.5% of those over the age of 55. Although all 3 bettor types were equally likely to report using AI to help them decide which bets to place (7% for all types), using AI ranked as the fifth most popular choice for new bettors among the options provided, and was less popular among occasional bettors (11th of 15 options) and existing bettors (12th of 15 options).

Informed choice and comprehension

New bettors were less likely to feel they had the information they needed

Respondents were asked whether they felt like they had all the information that they needed to make their betting decisions when placing bets on the 2026 World Cup. The majority responded that they did (85%), with existing and occasional football bettors more likely to respond yes than new football bettors (91% and 83% respectively, compared to 60%). This raises the question of whether information is presented in a way that is easy for those new to football betting to understand, or whether greater efforts are needed to help new bettors know where to find the information they need.

The proportion of respondents who felt they did not have enough information to make their betting decisions was higher among new football bettors. However, when asked what information would have helped them to make more informed betting decisions, some responses suggest that not all respondents interpreted the question as intended.

Approximately one third of respondents did not provide the information they would have needed to make an informed betting decision, and a small group of respondents said they were unsure what information would have helped.

Around 1 in 5 reported that they felt they did not have enough knowledge about football to place bets and should have done more research, while just over a quarter of those who felt they did not have enough information to make betting decisions would have liked more data about the matches they were betting on, such as detailed player and team statistics, and more analysis and context from experts.

A small number of these respondents said they needed more information about how betting or offers worked, including that they found it confusing and would have liked more information about possible outcomes.

Collectively, these findings indicate that where respondents did want more information, it was more often about their own football knowledge rather than about how betting or offers work. These findings represent a small group and should be treated with caution.

Many people who used offers did not look for further information

Free bets (37%), enhanced odds or price boosts (22%), and free bonus offers (19%), were the most popular promotions and offers used by respondents during the 2026 World Cup. Existing football bettors were much more likely to use promotions than new and occasional football bettors, with 70% reporting that they used a promotion, compared to 43% of new bettors and 53% of occasional bettors. Existing bettors were also noticeably more likely to report betting because they “saw a promotion or offer by gambling companies related to the World Cup” (20% compared to 7% of new and 12% of occasional bettors). Respondents were most likely to seek out information related to the odds (34%) or how much they could win (29%), although 35% of those who bet on the World Cup and used an offer said they did not seek or search for more information before placing a bet.

More experienced bettors were more confident in their understanding of offers

When asked about offers in general, respondents were most confident regarding odds, bet builders and wagering requirements attached to welcome bonuses. Respondents were less sure about accumulator insurance (‘acca insurance’), with 50% selecting “Don't know” when asked whether ‘acca insurance’ means that they get the full stake back in cash if one leg of their accumulator loses.

Comparing responses across bettor types, confidence and accuracy were higher among those who reported previous football betting experience, with existing football bettors answering the most confidently and correctly. Confidence was lowest among new football bettors, with more than half responding “Don’t know” for all questions, except for those about odds (34%), free bets (40%) and wagering requirements (46%); regarding ‘acca insurance’, 80% responded “Don’t know”.

Taken together, these findings show higher levels of informed betting, comprehension and confidence among bettors with more football betting experience. As this is a single survey, it cannot show whether these increase as individuals gain experience.

How do World Cup bettors compare with other research?

Previous research on the 2022 World Cup showed a similar proportion of male bettors overall (70% compared to 71% in 2026), with those aged 35 to 54 also accounting for the largest proportion of respondents (42% compared to 43% in 2026). However, there were more younger bettors in the previous study (38% versus 26% aged 18 to 34). Research on Euro 2024 showed a much more even split between male and female bettors (49% versus 51%). However, both projects used different methodologies, so these comparisons should be treated with caution. The 2026 World Cup demonstrated a higher share of female bettors than among people who bet on football when compared to the 2025 Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB). The GSGB reports that 15% of those who had bet on football in the past 4 weeks were female, compared to 29% of 2026 World Cup bettors.

The GSGB also reports that around 41% of those who placed bets on football in the past 4 weeks were aged 18 to 34, 40% are aged 35 to 54, and 19% are aged 55 or older. This suggests that the World Cup attracts an older audience than the usual football season, with 26% of 2026 World Cup bettors aged 18 to 34, 43% aged 35 to 54, and 26% aged 55 or older¹. The GSGB uses a large sample covering the general population of Great Britain, rather than targeting UK bettors as in this survey of the 2026 World Cup, hence representing the average football bettor rather than those betting on major sporting events.

Responses suggest World Cup betting increases the likelihood of future football betting

The majority of respondents (78%) reported that they enjoyed betting on the 2026 World Cup, with 37% agreeing that their experience has made them more likely to bet on future major tournaments, and 19% on future domestic tournaments. This aligns with the motivations reported by World Cup bettors, with “For fun or entertainment”, the most popular option for all bettor types. Enjoyment was lower for new football bettors at 60%, although only 7% reported not enjoying the competition, with 30% neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Around 1 in 4 (26%) new football bettors agreed that they are likely to increase their betting on football competitions, either major (24%) or domestic (9%), as a result of their World Cup experience. Additionally, 23% of occasional bettors reported that they were likely to increase their betting on domestic football. This suggests that betting on the World Cup may encourage some people to continue betting on football, although this only captures their intended behaviour at the time of the survey.

Among all respondents 37% agreed that they were more likely to bet on future major tournaments following their 2026 World Cup experience, while 19% said they were likely to increase their betting on domestic football. Respondents in our previous major sporting event studies also reported intentions to bet on future football following their tournament betting. Of all wave 3 respondents in our Euro 2024 study, 67% and 52% reported intentions to bet on the 2026 World Cup and Premier League.

The next section of this report is the conclusion and next steps.

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¹The methodology used in this research differs from that of the GSGB and therefore findings are not directly comparable.

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.

Appendix 1: World Cup 2026 Questionnaire

SURVEY NAME: WORLD CUP 2026 SURVEY DATE: JULY 2026 METHODOLOGY: ONLINE SURVEY LENGTH: AROUND 20 QUESTIONS SAMPLE: 1,000 GB adults aged 18 and over who have bet on the World Cup

Screener

ROUTING: ASK ALL S1. Age Please enter your age in the box below. QUESTION FORMATTING: WRITE IN

SCREEN OUT IF UNDER 18 (AS REQUIRED)

ROUTING: ASK ALL S2. World Cup Betting During the most recent 2026 FIFA World Cup, did you place any bets on the tournament (either online or in person)? QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE

1 Yes
2 No

THANK AND CLOSE

Demographics & General Gambling

ROUTING: ASK ALL D1. Gender Are you…? QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE | RANDOMISE 1 Male
2 Female
96 Other (please specify) ANCHOR 97 Prefer not to say ANCHOR

ROUTING: ASK ALL D2. Region Which of the following describes where you live? QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE | DO NOT RANDOMISE 1 Scotland
2 North East
3 North West
4 Yorkshire & Humberside
5 West Midlands
6 East Midlands
7 Wales
8 East of England
9 London
10 South East
11 South West
12 Northern Ireland CLOSE

ROUTING: ASK ALL D3. Ethnicity To which of the following ethnic groups do you consider you belong? QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE 1 Bangladeshi
2 Chinese
3 Indian
4 Pakistani
5 Sri Lankan
6 Any other Asian Background - SPECIFY
7 African
8 Caribbean
9 Any other Black, Black British, Caribbean or African background - SPECIFY 10 Asian and White
11 Black African and Asian
12 Black African and White
13 Black Caribbean and Asian
14 Black Caribbean and White
15 Any other mixed or multiple backgrounds - SPECIFY 16 English
17 Welsh
18 Scottish
19 Northern Irish
20 British
21 Irish
22 Polish
23 Romanian
24 Any other White background - SPECIFY 25 Irish Traveller or Gypsy
26 Roma
27 Arab
28 Any other ethnic group - SPECIFY 97 Prefer not to say

ROUTING: ASK ALL

D4. Working status

Please indicate which of the following best describes your current working status

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE 1 Working full time - working 30 hours per week or more 2 Working part-time - working between 8 and 29 hours per week 3 Self-employed - working 30 hours per week or more 4 Self-employed - working between 8 and 29 hours per week 5 Not working but seeking work or temporarily unemployed or sick 6 Not working and not seeking work 7 Student 8 Retired on a state pension only 9 Retired with a private pension 10 House person, housewife, househusband,and so on.

ROUTING: ASK ALL D5. Personal Income What is your annual personal income, prior to tax being deducted?

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE 1 Up to £7,000 2 £7,001 to £14,000 3 £14,001 to £21,000 4 £21,001 to £28,000 5 £28,001 to £34,000 6 £34,001 to £41,000 7 £41,001 to £48,000 8 £48,001 to £55,000 9 £55,001 to £62,000 10 £62,001 to £69,000 11 £69,001 to £76,000 12 £76,001 to £83,000 13 £83,001 or more 97 Prefer not to answer

ROUTING: ASK ALL D6. Postcode Please enter your postcode. Please enter the letters in upper case and put a space between the first group and the second group, for example AB1 2CD

QUESTION FORMATTING: WRITE IN | RESTRICT ENTRY TO POSTCODE STYLE

ROUTING: ASK ALL D7. Gambling activities in P12M

How often, if ever, have you bet on the following activities in the past 12 months?

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE MATRIX | RANDOMISE

ROWS: 1 Tickets for Lottery Draws (for example Lotto, EuroMillions, People’s Postcode Lottery)
2 Scratchcards (National Lottery scratchcards or charity scratchcards)
3 Fruit, slot or virtual gaming machines (for example at a bookmaker’s, casino, bingo hall, arcade, pub or social club)
4 Online fruit/slot machine style games or online instant win games
5 Bingo, including bingo played online
6 Betting on horse or dog races online, including virtual races
7 Betting on horse or dog races in-person, including virtual races
8 Betting on football online (for example World Cup, Premiership, Championship, Women's Super League, UEFA Champions League and so on)
9 Betting on football in-person (for example World Cup, Premiership, Championship, Women's Super League, UEFA Champions League and so on)
10 Betting on other sports online or in-person, including virtual sports and e-sports
11 Betting on events (for example political, entertainment, topical, current affairs, novelty) 12 Roulette, card/ dice games or Poker in a casino
13 Roulette, card/ dice games or Poker online
14 Private betting (sweepstakes, bets) or gambling (playing card games for money for example poker) with friends, family or colleagues or in a pub tournament league
15 Another form of gambling activity

COLUMNS: 1 In the last 7 days
2 In the last 4 weeks
3 In the last 12 months
4 More than 12 months ago
5 Have never spent money on this
6 Prefer not to say

SCREEN OUT IF D7_2-15 = 4-6

ROUTING: ASK ALL D8. PGSI

And thinking about the last 12 months

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE MATRIX | RANDOMISE ROWS:

1 Have you bet more than you could really afford to lose?
2 Have you needed to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling of excitement?
3 When you gambled, did you go back another day to try to win back the money you lost?
4 Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
5 Have you felt that you might have a problem with gambling?
6 Has gambling caused you any health problems, including stress or anxiety?
7 Have people criticised your betting or told you that you had a gambling problem, regardless of whether or not you thought it was true?
8 Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
9 Have you felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?

COLUMNS: 1 Almost always 2 Most of the time 3 Sometimes 4 Never

ROUTING: ASK ALL D9. Number of betting accounts How many active online gambling accounts do you currently have, with any gambling company?
By ‘active’ we mean accounts that you have deposited money into to participate in an online gambling activity in the last 12 months. Please exclude any accounts you have set up to use for a single gambling event or occasion, or only to make use of a marketing or bonus offer (e.g. free bets, free spins, welcome bonus etc.). QUESTION FORMATTING: WRITE IN

SCREEN OUT IF D7_2-15 = 4-6

And of these, how many did you use during the World Cup?

QUESTION FORMATTING: WRITE IN

ROUTING: ASK ALL

D10. Operator used for WC betting

Which gambling companies did you use for your World Cup bets? Please select all that apply

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTICODE. RANDOMISE 1 Bet365
2 Sky Bet
3 William Hill
4 Paddy Power
5 Ladbrokes
6 Coral
7 Betfair
8 Betfred
9 Unibet
10 888sport
11 Betway
12 Boylesports
13 BetVictor
14 Another operator (please specify) WRITE IN 15 Don’t know / can’t remember ANCHOR, EXCLUSIVE

WC Betting Behaviours

ROUTING: ASK ALL A1. Tournament viewing

Thinking about the recent World Cup, which team(s) did you watch live games for at each stage of the tournament?

Please click here to view a wallchart to help you remember the knockout matches that took place at each stage of the tournament.

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE GRID. DO NOT RANDOMISE

1. Group stage: choice of England, Scotland, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
2. Round of 32: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
3. Round of 16: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
4. Quarter Finals: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
5. Semi Finals: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
6. Bronze Final (Third place play-off): choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
7. Final: Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland)

ASK ALL

A2. Types of bets

During the World Cup, which types of bets did you place?

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE 1 Match result (home win/draw/away win)
2 To qualify / to progress (for knockout matches)
3 Correct score
4 Total goals (for example over/under)
5 Both teams to score
6 First / anytime goalscorer
7 Other player markets (for example cards, assists, shots, saves)
8 Match and Team markets (for example corners, cards, clean sheet)
9 Accumulators (acca) across multiple matches
10 Bet builder / same‑game multi (multiple selections within one match)
11 Outright bets (for example tournament winner, top goalscorer)
12 In play/live bets (placed after a match had started)
13 Cash out (cashing out a bet before the match/event finished)
14 Other (please specify) WRITE IN (ANCHOR) 15 Don’t know / can’t remember (EXCLUSIVE, ANCHOR)

ASK ALL SELECTING CODE 12 @ A2

A2b. Types of bets – in play Which of the following types of in-play betting, if any, have you placed during a football match (including World Cup matches)?

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE | RANDOMISE 1 Betting on the overall match outcome after the match has started (for example Who will win the match, over/under total goals, next team to score.)
2 Betting on a specific player or match event (for example Next goalscorer, player to receive a yellow card, number of corners, player shots on target.)
3 Betting on a specific player or match event (for example Next goalscorer, player to receive a yellow card, number of corners, player shots on target.) 4 Micro or Flash Bets (bets on the next immediate event in the match that will happen in the next 5 minutes or less) (for example Next corner, next booking, next throw-in, next shot on target)
5 Other in-play betting (please specify) WRITE IN 6 None of the above

ROUTING: ASK ALL A3. Tournament betting Thinking about the recent World Cup, which team’s match(es) did you place a bet on at each stage of the tournament?

Please include any type of bet (for example , match winner, score, goalscorer, in-play).

Please click here to view a wallchart to help you remember the knockout matches that took place at each stage of the tournament.

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE GRID. DO NOT RANDOMISE

1. Group stage: choice of England, Scotland, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
2. Round of 32: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
3. Round of 16: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
4. Quarter Finals: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
5. Semi Finals: choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
6. Bronze Final (Third place play-off): choice of England, Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland), or None (Exclusive option)
7. Final: Another team/match (Not involving England or Scotland)

ROUTING: ASK ALL A4. Frequency of betting per match

Thinking about the matches you bet on during the World Cup, typically how many separate bets did you place per match? (Please include any in‑play bets.)

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE

1 1 bet per match
2 2 to 3 bets per match
3 4 to 6 bets per match
4 7 to 10 bets per match
5 11 or more bets per match
6 Varied too much to say/ depends on the match
7 Prefer not to answer

ROUTING: ASK ALL A5. New bettor?

Before this World Cup, had you ever placed a bet on football?

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE. DO NOT RANDOMISE

1 Yes, I had bet on football but only major events (Euro’s or World Cup)
2 Yes, I had bet on regular football such as the Champions league or Premier League but not the Euro’s or World Cup
3 No – the 2026 World Cup was my first time betting on football, but I have previously bet on other sports
4 No – the 2026 World Cup was my first time betting on anything.

ROUTING: ASK ALL A6. Reasons for betting

Why did you decide to bet on the World Cup?

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE 1 I enjoy betting on football in general
2 To make watching the matches more exciting
3 I felt I had good knowledge of the teams / players
4 Friends, family or colleagues were also betting
5 I saw promotions or offers by gambling companies related to the World Cup
6 I was encouraged by advertising or sponsorship
7 Habit - I usually bet on big football tournaments - ONLY SHOW TO EXISITNG FOOTBALL BETTORS (A5=CODE 1 OR 2) 8 To try to win money
9 To chase previous gambling losses
10 For fun/ entertainment
11 To feel more involved in the tournament
12 The World Cup felt like a special event
13 I wanted to try something new
14 I thought I could use my football knowledge to win
15 I was curious to see what betting was like - ONLY SHOW TO NEW FOOTBALL BETTORS (A5=CODE 3 OR 4) 16 Because England were doing well/going far in the tournament
17 I support one of the teams playing (England or Scotland)
18 I support one of the teams playing (not England or Scotland)
19 I felt an impulse to bet
20 Surprise/Unexpected results where the team expected to lose was winning or drawing
21 Other (please specify) - WRITE IN

ROUTING: ASK ALL A7. Information used when deciding World Cup bets During the World Cup, which of the following did you use to help you decide what bets to place? QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE | RANDOMISE 1 My own knowledge/instinct ANCHOR 2 The odds/price shown (for example backing favourites or longshots based on the price)
3 Betting operator website/app information (for example match previews, stats, form guides)
4 Betting operator emails, texts or push notifications
5 TV pundits/commentators
6 Newspapers or sports websites
7 Team/player statistics sites (for example detailed stats, form tables)
8 Social media (for example X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)
9 Tipsters/influencers (online or on social media)
10 Advice or tips from friends/family/colleagues
11 In-play match events (for example seeing how the match was going before betting)
12 Artificial Intelligence (AI) (for example ChatGPT, Copilot or Grok)
13 Other (please specify) WRITE IN 14 None of these – I didn’t use any information / I bet spontaneously EXCLUSIVE, ANCHOR 15 Don’t know/ can’t remember EXCLUSIVE, ANCHOR

ASK ALL A8. Informed betting When placing bets during the 2026 World Cup did you feel you had all the information you needed to make your betting decisions?

By this, we mean information that was easy to find, easy to understand, and available when you needed it.

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE | DO NOT RANDOMISE 1 Yes
2 No
3 Can’t remember
4 Prefer not to say

ASK ALL SELECTING CODE 2 @ A8 A9. Informed betting info

You said that you did not have all the information you needed; what information would have helped you to make better informed betting decision(s)?

QUESTION FORMATTING: WRITE IN

Promotions & Advertising

ASK ALL B1. Use of offers/promos During the World Cup, did you personally use any of the following betting promotions or offers?

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE 1 Free bets
2 Enhanced odds / price boosts
3 Money‑back offers (for example money back if a certain outcome happens)
4 Acca insurance (for example money back if one leg of your accumulator loses)
5 Bet builder same‑game multi offer
6 Welcome bonus for new customers
7 Deposit match bonus
8 Loyalty or rewards points
9 In play/live betting offers
10 ‘Micro-bet’ offers (events in the next 10 to 15 minutes or sooner)
12 Early payout offers
12 Free spins
13 Free bonus offers
14 Other type of promotion (please specify) - WRITE IN 15 I did not use any promotions or offers - ANCHOR, EXCLUSIVE 16 Don’t know / can’t remember - ANCHOR, EXCLUSIVE

ASK ALL B2. True/false on promos

Did you seek out or search for information on any of the below before placing a bet attached to an offer?

QUESTION FORMATTING: MULTI CODE. RANDOMISE 1 Odds
2 Terms and Conditions
3 Wagering requirements (Including minimum deposits and withdrawal restrictions)
4 How much I could win
5 How much I could lose
6 How to activate or use the offer
7 Risk of gambling or how to stay safe
8 Other (Please specify) - WRITE IN, ANCHOR 9 I didn’t seek or search for any more information before placing involving an offer - EXCLUSIVE 10 Can’t remember - ANCHOR, EXCLUSIVE 11 Prefer not to say - ANCHOR, EXCLUSIVE

ASK ALL B3. True/false on promos

For each of the following statements, please say whether you think it is True or False. If you’re not sure, please select Don’t know.

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE MATRIX. RANDOMISE ROWS: 1 With a “free bet”, you can withdraw the free bet amount itself as cash without placing any bets
2 Enhanced odds or price boosts always give you a higher chance of winning
3 Money‑back offers may be paid in free bets rather than cash
4 Acca insurance means you always get your full stake back in cash if one leg of your accumulator loses
5 With a bet builder / same‑game multi, you are combining several selections into a single bet
6 Welcome bonuses may have wagering requirements before you can withdraw any winnings
7 Deposit match bonuses always double your money with no conditions
8 You bet on a team winning in a knockout game within 90 mins and they win in added extra time - your bet is settled as a winner
9 If you stake £10 at odds of 2/1 and your bet wins, you get £10 back in total

COLUMNS: 1 True 2 False 3 Don’t know

ASK ALL B4. Betting XP

Thinking about your betting during the World Cup, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

QUESTION FORMATTING: SINGLE CODE MATRIX. RANDOMISE ROWS: 1 I enjoyed betting during the World Cup
2 As a result of my World Cup betting experience, I’m more likely to place bets on major tournaments (for example Euros/World Cup) in the future
3 Overall, I won more money than I staked during the World Cup
4 Across the tournament, I spent more money betting than I intended to
5 As a result of my World Cup betting experience, I’m likely to increase my betting on domestic football (for example Premier League, Championship or the Champions League)
6 After betting on the World Cup, I’m more likely to participate in other forms of gambling (e.g. casino or fruit/slot machine style games)
7 I have received an increase in gambling marketing and offers over the course of the World Cup. 8 My experience of gambling marketing (including offers with enhanced odds, free bets and so on) has been positive.
9 I placed bets that I immediately regretted.

COLUMNS: 1 Strongly agree 2 Agree 3 Neither agree nor disagree 4 Disagree 5 Strongly disagree 6 Not sure

F1. Close

Thank you for answering those questions today. Some of the questions you’ve answered today have been about unlicensed gambling websites in Great Britain.

The questions you have just answered were on behalf of our client, the Gambling Commission.

We want to assure you that nothing you have said in this survey can be attributed back to you, and that individuals who gamble with unlicensed websites are not engaging in illegal activity.

However, we would like you to know that gambling with these websites does not provide you the protection of regulatory oversight by the Gambling Commission.

The Commission strongly advises that you don’t use unlicensed gambling websites, as your funds and data security are not protected when doing so.

If you are ever unsure as to whether a gambling company is licensed in Great Britain, you can check the Gambling Commission’s information page titled 'What to look at before you gamble'.

If this survey has raised any topics of concern, you can contact:

• Samaritans on 116 123.
• GamCare on 0808 8020 133.