As the biggest event in the most famous sports soccer, the World Cup, which took place in Qatar on Nov 24th, 2022, has attracted millions of audiences all over the world. “One of the most fascinating aspects of a soccer game is that its result is never predictable.” sourced by an on-site audience in Qatar interviewed by BBC (You can watch the real-time World Cup broadcast and the replay of the games on the topic page in BBC Sports!)
She’s right. The World Cup never lacks upset scenes, making the grand games more mysterious. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which has been going on for just one week, there has always been a lot of drama and unpredictable results, like scoreless draws, unexpected stoppage time, and ridiculous scores on the field. Since Qatar lost 0-2 to Ecuador in the opening game of the 2022 World Cup, which means the host lost the most watched game, this year’s World Cup has set a mysterious tone.
Last week, Saudi Arabia made a shock win 2-1 in the match against Argentina, the traditional soccer powerhouse in South America. The heroic goalkeeper of Team Saudi Mohammed Al-Owais saved 7 shots from Argentina’s attack, which not only helped Saudi Arabia win the game, but also made his salary increase 5 times, which is predicted by the media. The miracle happened in another Asian country. On Nov 23rd, Japan won 2-1 against Germany, which had won the World Cup four times in the past. With Costa Rica beating Japan 2-1, it is now becoming impossible for Germany, the former winner, to qualify.
Tension does not only suffuse the matching field but also off the field. Soccer fans all over the world like to guess, predict and bet on the results of the games. Betting on soccer games has always been a tradition in European countries such as the UK, and has been introduced to the US since soccer became more popular. Having a history of dogs and horses racing bets, in 1960, Gambling Act legalized soccer betting in the UK, and gaming companies like Ladbroke emerged then. After Internet technology boomed in the early 90s, land-based betting casinos and sportsbooks took the opportunity to grow themselves online. Today, it is more convenient to place your bets in the middle of a game and watch the live result come out.
According to a survey by Forbes, about 20.5 million US adults, which is around 8% of the total population of the US, are estimated to participate in soccer bets in World Cup 2022 and $1.8 billion will be paid then. Natalie Warb, the financial expert of an online coupon-providing site CouponBirds concluded that “When people have less confidence in the current economy, they will have more interest in great profits that can’t always be guaranteed and fall for gamblings or something like that,” Natalie also added, “Since it will be the first time soccer betting becomes legal in so many states, it will gather more bettors either they are actually going to make more money from it or just have fun.”
In May 2018, the Major Supreme Court granted the power to the states that legalized US sports betting once they thought it would be beneficial and under proper control. As it takes time for each state to actually implement the law, it didn’t become available until this year’s World Cup. Rules and regulations of sports betting legally vary from the state. Some states legalize online sports betting, while some states only allow on-site sports betting in some fixed places, and there are also some states that forbid sports betting in person. Although the laws and regulations have a great chance to change in the future, there are 15 states that still make both online and in-person sports betting illegal (concluded by Action Network). It is worth noting that, though online sports betting becomes more convenient and popular in matches like Super Bowl and March Madness, people still like to make on-site bets in the World Cup as they take them more seriously.
Quoted by Casey Clark, the senior Vice President of AGA (America’s Gaming Association), “The 2022 Qatar World Cup will undoubtedly be the most bet-on sports event ever in the U.S.” A data-driven consulting company Morning Consult did an online survey with a random sample of 2,312 among the country on behalf of AGA. The results showed that many young people start to be interested in sports betting, with 11% of the bettors being Gen Z and 14% of them being Millennials. What’s more, though Team US is facing many traditional strong soccer teams from Europe and South America, 24% of the bettors place a bet that the US will be the final World Cup Winner.
Though sports betting has become legal now, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. Gambling is a hidden addiction, and the crazy atmosphere of the World Cup can make it more alluring. More people who are not that accustomed to the rules and patterns of soccer betting tend to take part in it, thus they may lose a lot. It is important to know that money doesn’t grow on trees. Be careful with every step you take. Soccer betting can be attractive, but it is also mysterious, and nobody can know everything about it, or even half of it.