Moving the World Cup from the summer to the fall, because of host Qatar’s brutal heat in July, has had detrimental results for the event and now Las Vegas sportsbooks are adding to that misery.
Most sportsbook operators in Sin City are reporting that betting has been lower than when soccer’s premier event was held in Russia in 2018. Most have said, however, that they were mildly surprised they have gotten the handle that they have.
The biggest factor in the lower amount of wagers has been another type of football—the NCAA and NFL dominate this time of year and 2022 was no different.
Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas, told the Associated Press that they expected lower volume for the World Cup.
“We knew going into this World Cup and it taking place during the fall and sharing that main stage with football, basketball and hockey was going to take some of that limelight away from the World Cup,” Kornegay said. “Normally, it has the main stage all to itself in the summer. This year, it’s different and it’s definitely showing.”
But Adam Pullen, Caesars Sportsbook assistant director of trading, told the AP that this year’s World Cup has the advantage of being more readily available to bettors since more states have legalized sports betting.
“It’s comparing apples to oranges, but at least we’ll see how it does compare and how drastic a difference it is,” Pullen said. “I’ve been pleased. I think soccer over the years keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
There was more interest from gamblers when the U.S. was in the tournament, but they were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage by the Netherlands.
“It brings the casual fan in, the patriotic fan,” Pullen said. “If they know the U.S. is playing, then they’re more likely to place a bet on another match. It’s always good for the U.S. to be involved.”
Still, Kornegay said interest has picked back up and should increase as the teams play in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the December 18 final.
“You had some teams that were upset early, and that’s usually not good for the handle as some of the popular teams,” Kornegay said. “But those teams still advanced. Like Argentina, one of the more popular teams, despite their first-round loss in group play, they advanced and look very good at this point.”
