The United States’ FIFA World Cup journey ended when Belgium disposed of the team in a hotly-contested, but ultimately moral-crushing 4-1 game, which saw a record number of sports wagers placed with regulated sportsbooks acros the country.
US Fans Bet Heavily on USMNT vs Belgium – Set New Records
Having met the Round of 16, the United States faced Belgium after a red card controversy, which soured the mood, and put into question the objectivity of the organizaiton.
“This World Cup has been record-type handle stuff for us this whole time. There’s a ton of excitement throughout the country. No matter where you are, it feels like World Cup fever hit everybody this summer. And I think another major factor in this is the timing of the games,” BetMGM’s senior trading manager Christian Cipollini told ESPN.
Regardless, consumers have shown up en mass at sportsbooks, logging into their mobile accounts or placing a flutter in-person, driving the highest recorded single soccer game activity in the regulated market’s history.
BetMGM and Caesars confirmed as much to various media outlets, confirming initial expectations that the further along the USMNT progresses, the more betting handle will be wagered. The total amount is still not clearly known.
A Cirsa bettor even went on a limb and plonked down $750,000 on the US to advance at odds of (-130), a gamble that must have smarted financially.
Bettors Favor the US, Confident the Odds Favor Them
There was clear bias from fans, too, with US bettors favoring the home team against the European squad, with 81% of the money placed in the To Qualify market backing the US specifically, and 78% of th overall handle going directly on US-positive outcomes.
BetMGM further noted that the soccer game also drew a higher overall betting handle than any NCAAF playoff game, other than the NCAAs basketball championship game, and the handle was ahead of the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, or World Series.