Entain: The World Cup’s Most Patriotic Punters, Revealed

With just days to go until the opening whistle blows, kicking off the start of the 2022 World Cup, Entain, the global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment group, reveals that the most patriotic punters can be found in Brazil, with almost 50% of bets in the country tipping Brazil to lift the trophy for a record sixth time.

Portugal comes in second place, with 41% of bettors there putting money on the Portuguese team to win. Canada, playing in the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, is the third most patriotic nation, with some 30% of bettors in the country predicting their home team to win. Whilst Brazil and Argentina are the favourites globally, Canada is one of the underdogs, below even Qatar, which has the longest odds of any host nation since the World Cup first began back in 1930.

In the UK, whilst 2% of bettors are backing Wales, 18% of bettors are tipping England to lift the trophy for the first time since 1966, closely followed by Argentina (15%) and Brazil (15%). This follows a brutal performance in the Nations League this year, when the Three Lions scored only four goals in six matches and were relegated to League B. However, England remains the third favourite globally, with 13% of total bets tipping them to go all the way and be crowned champions. This also compares to the World Cup 2018, when 16% of bettors in the UK backed the England team*.

Spain is one of the few countries to opt for head over heart, with only 9% of bettors expecting the Spanish team to lift the trophy. That places Spain in fifth position for the nation’s bettors, behind Brazil, France, Argentina and England.

Commenting, Dominic Grounsell, Chief Commercial Officer at Entain, said: “With just days to go until the World Cup kicks off, it’s great to see the passion and emotion that football generates around the globe. Our geographic scale and bench-strength of brands, combined with our industry-leading technology, gives us a unique view and ability to provide our customers around the world with exciting experiences, innovative content and a whole host of new products aimed at bringing the tournament even more to life. We’re looking forward to the excitement that a World Cup brings for our customers.”

As a global tournament, the World Cup brings the group’s brands and customers together like no other sporting event, with Entain predicting a record number of actives, bets, stakes and first-time deposits. Entain’s much-loved brands have also launched a range of innovative products and experiences for its customers to enjoy throughout the tournament.

For example, in the UK, Ladbrokes has launched the first-of-its-kind Half Time Quiz, a free-to-play game available for over 18s that tests players on their knowledge on the action of the first half, with six questions during the halftime interval. It’s a completely live experience, so if players miss it, they miss out on the fun and chance to win prizes. There is no need for customers to deposit or spend money to play.

In Italy, despite the national team not featuring in the tournament for the second time running, Eurobet is running a parallel virtual World Cup, available both online and in shops. Eurobet customers can still get behind their home nation in this virtual world and bet on a different virtual match between Italy, and the teams physically participating in the tournament.

Entain has also created a microsite that adds to the customer experience by offering a single destination for all premium betting-related content, including match previews, breaking news, statistic-driven betting tips and key tournament insights. The content hub will be rolled out across the football pages of Entain sportsbook apps in Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, US, Canada and Australia and exclusive to our customers in those markets.