Some 615 million euros were bet online during the 2022 Football World Cup, a higher amount than expected, the National Gaming Authority (ANJ) told AFP on Saturday.
The France-Argentina final alone generated 55 million stakes, compared to 37.5 million for France-Croatia in 2018, said the ANJ, confirming figures published in The echoeswho add that 30 million were wagered during the France-Morocco semi-final.
By way of comparison, 366 million had been bet in total for the competition in 2018 and 420 million for the Euro in 2021, according to the policeman of the sector, who will publish in January a more complete assessment of the figures and behavior of the bettors.
The ANJ had initially anticipated at least 530 million euros of bets on the Internet in France during the Football World Cup, an increase of 70% compared to the 2018 World Cup. But the amount was likely to vary depending on the progress of the French team in the competition.
Sports betting and alcohol companies with ‘questionable marketing techniques’
This report will also include a section on the operators’ advertising campaigns (content, volume and levers used).
On Monday, the association Addictions France had denounced the “questionable marketing techniques” of sports betting and alcohol companies, “the other winners” of the Mondial-2022 according to it. “Pervasive in public places and on the Internet”, operators of online betting sites and alcoholics “encourage unhealthy practices while clearly associating football with alcohol consumption and gambling”, the association wrote in a statement.
Before the World Cup, companies in the gambling and media sectors had committed to more “responsible” advertising, in particular by limiting advertising pressure for minors.
