It’s not coming home: But LatAm hopes remain high despite blow for UK betting
After England crashed out of the World Cup at the hands of the French, operators’ hopes for a continued betting boom on the England national team also came to a crashing halt.
It could be argued that one of the leading UK operators, bet365, offered its best price boost yet before England’s kick-off with France, with odds of 6/4 on Harry Kane getting just one shot on target in the game.
Players who staked £10 quickly saw returns of £25 ($30.70) within the first half after Kane had a shot saved by France and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Loris.
Should England have progressed to the semifinals of the World Cup, one can only assume the boosts would have kept on coming too, driving high volumes of betting activity for all UK operators.
With this not being the case, it will be harder for UK operators to ramp up interest in the final stages of the tournament, with many players still reeling from the pain of England’s exit.
Anyone who bet on England to win the tournament outright, however, will naturally have helped operators with their bottom line.
Moreover, looking at the LatAm market and Argentina in particular, the picture is very different. This is a region in which Apuesta Director of Digital Business Gonzalo Merino says players are famed for “betting with their heart.”
As such, the number of wagers placed at sportsbooks will surely rise the further Argentina progresses in the competition, which next faces Croatia in the semifinals.
Argentina’s progression will also be a boost for crypto bettors. Just recently, Cloudbet released statistics from crypto bettors which revealed Argentina was the most popular pick to lift the coveted World Cup trophy.
The World Cup has seen sign-ups, deposits and wagers with crypto brands more than double during the tournament, according to Cloudbet.
Who wins the World Cup from here?
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