Page 34 - gs260701

Insights and Expertise

The World Cup is testing more

than sportsbooks' odds

High-intent windows start
before the headline moment
BR-DGE's analysis of recent major betting events shows
how much activity can build before the main sporting
moment arrives. At the Melbourne Cup and the Grand
National, new customers accounted for up to 15 percent
of transactions, several times higher than typical levels.
Cheltenham was more moderate, but still saw 7 percent of
traffic come from new customers.

New-customer activity also built during the seven to eight
hours before the headline event, showing that registration,
payment setup and first deposits often start well before
the moment everyone is watching. The World Cup, under
way at the time of this writing, is creating that pattern
repeatedly, with fresh deposit windows around fixtures,
By Thomas Gillian team news, player markets and knockout-stage outcomes.
BR-DGE
That makes the checkout one of the most important points
penalty shootout can turn a quiet betting ses- in the acquisition journey. Advertising campaigns, odds
sion into a rush of deposits, withdrawals and boosts and tournament promotions can bring customers
repeat activity in minutes. A surprise group- into an app, but the deposit experience decides whether
A stage result can bring casual fans back into that intent becomes funded activity.
an app they have not opened for months. A Golden Boot
market can keep interest alive long after a national team
has gone home.
World Cup payment pressure points
That is what makes the 2026 FIFA World Cup such a useful
test case for payments. It is not causing one single spike The World Cup creates payment demands across the full
in volume. With 48 teams, 104 matches, the 39-day tour- customer journey. Operators and payment partners should
nament will be creating a series of high-intent moments watch several pressure points:
across markets, time zones and customer types until the • Before matches: Registration, payment setup and first
final match on July 19. deposits often build hours before kickoff, especially
around team news and promotions.
For sports betting operators, the challenge is keeping de-
posits, failed-payment recovery, fraud controls and pay- • During matches: Live betting can trigger rapid
outs working smoothly as customer behavior changes deposit attempts, making approval rates, routing and
throughout the tournament. For paytech providers, banks, fraud controls critical.
acquirers and fraud teams, the event is also offering a wid- • After results: Wins, upsets and penalty shootouts can
er lesson. Modern payment infrastructure is judged at the create sudden withdrawal demand and repeat activity.
point where customer intent is highest.
• Returning customers: Dormant users may come back
In sports betting, that moment may come in the hour be- with expired cards or outdated credentials, making
fore kickoff, after team news, during a knockout draw tokenization and stored-payment management
important.
or immediately after a result. If the payment journey lets
them down, the customer does not see the complexity be- • Across markets: Time zones, local payment preferences
hind it. They see a declined deposit, a missing payment and issuer behavior can affect performance.
method, a delayed payout or a reason to use another op- For operators, each point is a chance either to keep
erator. customers engaged or lose them to payment friction.

34