{"id":76808,"date":"2026-01-16T05:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T05:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=76808"},"modified":"2026-01-16T09:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:15:29","slug":"2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/","title":{"rendered":"Will You Make Your World Cup Debut? Summer Tournament To See Surge Of First Time Bettors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>We should witness a surge of first-time bettors during the 2026 World Cup according to research issued by Paysafe, with 19% of general consumers placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the US alone that estimate rises to 29% with Mexico not far behind on 26%.<\/p>\n<p>The figures come from a wider <a href=\"https:\/\/ir.paysafe.com\/news-events\/press-releases\/detail\/254\/paysafe-research-first-time-and-casual-betting-to-surge-for-2026-world-cup\">World Cup report<\/a> produced by global payments company Paysafe that is headquartered in London.<\/p>\n<p>The research document titled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paysafe.com\/en\/all-the-ways-players-pay-world-cup-2026-edition\/\">All The Ways Players Pay<\/a> interacted with customers worldwide to gather intel on how fans will watch, bet and pay during football\u2019s showpiece event.<\/p>\n<h2>Gaining A Global View<\/h2>\n<p>Paysafe surveyed 3,850 respondents who had expressed interest in following this year\u2019s World Cup being hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>The research targeted consumers in key regulated sports-betting markets across North America, Europe and Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>As well as asking about betting intentions, the survey also covered travel, digital experiences and preferred payment methods.<\/p>\n<h2>Betting On The 2026 World Cup<\/h2>\n<p>Nearly two thirds of respondents said they intended to place a bet on the World Cup, either online or via a mobile app.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-76810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01-560x315.jpg\" alt=\"World Cup research\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01-560x315.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01-924x520.jpg 924w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-01.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The 60% who said they would be placing a wager comprised of 41% who said they had also bet previously and 19% who revealed it would be the first time they would be betting online.<\/p>\n<p>The numbers for potential first-time bettors were much higher in the US (29%) and Mexico (26%) showing huge potential for operators in those host countries.<\/p>\n<p>Passive interest holds some strong value too, as from the respondents who do not follow football regularly, 49% said they still anticipated placing bets on the tournament.<\/p>\n<h2>Timing Is Everything<\/h2>\n<p>Match-day is the key focus point for those planning to place a bet.<\/p>\n<p>Only 36% intend to bet before the day of a game with 64% preferring to wait until closer to kick-off.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-76812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02-560x315.jpg\" alt=\"World Cup research\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02-560x315.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02-924x520.jpg 924w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-02.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Factors at play here are waiting for updated team news and form guides before committing to a wager.<\/p>\n<p>It also adds to the match-day excitement with 8% saying they would be waiting until a few minutes before the game starts before making final selections.<\/p>\n<h2>Increase In Betting Activity<\/h2>\n<p>From those who intend to place a bet, 37% say they anticipate placing more wagers than usual.<\/p>\n<p>A further 55% expect to at least match their regular levels of engagement with just 4% saying they may cool their interest, with a further 4% uncertain of their plans at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>In the US alone the figure for bettors saying they would be increasing their activity jumped to 51%.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-76813\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03-560x373.jpg\" alt=\"World Cup research\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03-560x373.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03-924x616.jpg 924w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Research-03.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There were some interesting side notes regarding potential engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Joining a group bet pool or pot was of interest to 60% of respondents and 54% said they would be more active if they had extra money.<\/p>\n<p>Both of those highlight to betting operators a desire for community-based experiences and promotional offers within the boundaries of responsible gambling.<\/p>\n<h2>Challenge For UK Betting Companies<\/h2>\n<p>Another report has highlighted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/tackling-world-cup-kick-off-times-how-uk-betting-companies-can-rise-to-the-challenge\/\">challenge UK betting operators face<\/a> when presenting the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Spotlight Sports Group conducted its own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-under-the-spotlight-in-major-new-survey\/\">major survey <\/a>into potential World Cup betting.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-72593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-560x315.jpg\" alt=\"Spotlight World Cup survey\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-560x315.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-924x520.jpg 924w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/Spotlight-2026-World-Cup-survey.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Games will be kicking-off at unsociable hours for the UK audience, who will be watching from home on TV or streaming services rather than at pubs and outdoor screenings.<\/p>\n<p>That lack of social element is likely to see fans turn to social media and betting sites for community engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Spotlight\u2019s recommendation is that betting operators should create their own live community experience through trusted, expert-led content.<\/p>\n<h2>Betting Companies To Stream World Cup Games Live<\/h2>\n<p>In a huge boost for UK operators it was announced this week that they will have the opportunity to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/world-cup-matches-to-be-streamed-on-betting-sites-as-fifa-agrees-deal-with-stats-perform\/\">stream World Cup matches live<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>FIFA have agreed a deal with Stats Perform to become\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statsperform.com\/resource\/fifa-betting-data-streaming-rights-distributor\/\">official betting data and betting streaming rights<\/a>\u00a0distributor for football\u2019s governing body.<\/p>\n<p>That gives licensed bookmakers the chance to keep users engaged with their digital products, enhancing the live action with their latest in-play offers and promotions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We should witness a surge of first-time bettors during the 2026 World Cup according to research issued by Paysafe, with 19% of general consumers placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament. \u00a0 In the US alone that estimate rises to 29% with Mexico not far behind on 26%. The figures come from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":76817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2039],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-betting-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76808\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportscasting UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Munro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/JimMunro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Munro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jim Munro\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d\"},\"headline\":\"Will You Make Your World Cup Debut? Summer Tournament To See Surge Of First Time Bettors\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":661,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Betting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/\",\"name\":\"2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d\"},\"description\":\"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Paysafe World Cup research. Main image: Yukihito Taguchi, Imagn Images\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/news\\\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Will You Make Your World Cup Debut? Summer Tournament To See Surge Of First Time Bettors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sportscasting UK\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d\",\"name\":\"Jim Munro\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Jim Munro\"},\"description\":\"Jim Munro has been a sports journalist for over 30 years, working as a reporter and Football Editor of The Sunday Times through four World Cups and four European Championships, before moving to The Sun as its Digital Sports Editor. As well as gaining exclusive interviews across Football, Boxing and Formula 1, he has extensive knowledge of the sports gambling industry and worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys, ahead of spending five years as Head of Editorial at LiveScore. Jim served as a committee member of the Sports Journalists' Association for four years and had a column 'Speaking Personally' in West Ham's match programme for several seasons. He is a regular contributor to sports podcasts including Stop! Hammer Time.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/jim_munro\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jim-munro-munromedia\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.pinterest.com\\\/JamesMunro\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/JimMunro\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@BadLadDad\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Jim_Munro_(journalist)\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sportscasting.com\\\/uk\\\/author\\\/jimmunro\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors","description":"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76808","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors","og_description":"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/","og_site_name":"Sportscasting UK","article_published_time":"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jim Munro","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/JimMunro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jim Munro","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/"},"author":{"name":"Jim Munro","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d"},"headline":"Will You Make Your World Cup Debut? Summer Tournament To See Surge Of First Time Bettors","datePublished":"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/"},"wordCount":661,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg","articleSection":["Betting"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/","name":"2026 World Cup To See Surge Of First Time Bettors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-16T05:36:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T09:15:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d"},"description":"Research issued by Paysafe shows 19% of consumers will be placing their first ever online bet on the summer tournament","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/Paysafe-World-Cup-research.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Paysafe World Cup research. Main image: Yukihito Taguchi, Imagn Images"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/2026-world-cup-betting-first-time-bettors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Will You Make Your World Cup Debut? Summer Tournament To See Surge Of First Time Bettors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/","name":"Sportscasting UK","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/#\/schema\/person\/47438a3c26fef3bade53123a9892c57d","name":"Jim Munro","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/12\/avatar_user_457_1765214917-96x96.jpg","caption":"Jim Munro"},"description":"Jim Munro has been a sports journalist for over 30 years, working as a reporter and Football Editor of The Sunday Times through four World Cups and four European Championships, before moving to The Sun as its Digital Sports Editor. As well as gaining exclusive interviews across Football, Boxing and Formula 1, he has extensive knowledge of the sports gambling industry and worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys, ahead of spending five years as Head of Editorial at LiveScore. Jim served as a committee member of the Sports Journalists' Association for four years and had a column 'Speaking Personally' in West Ham's match programme for several seasons. He is a regular contributor to sports podcasts including Stop! Hammer Time.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jim_munro\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jim-munro-munromedia\/","https:\/\/uk.pinterest.com\/JamesMunro\/","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/JimMunro","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@BadLadDad","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jim_Munro_(journalist)"],"url":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/author\/jimmunro\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76808"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76830,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76808\/revisions\/76830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}