New York, Aug. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimove Insights today released its World Cup 2026 Full Tournament Report, finding that the event expanded the active number of bettors across the US, Europe, and LATAM while driving even stronger growth in first-time depositors.
Optimove Insights is the analytical and research arm of Optimove, the creator of Positionless Marketing and the #1 Player Engagement Solution for iGaming and sports betting operators.
The report establishes World Cup 2026 as a major acquisition event for sportsbooks. Across the full tournament, the number of bettors placing bets averaged 121% of the regular-season baseline in the US, 136% in Europe, and 153% in LATAM. First-time depositor growth was stronger still, averaging 179% of baseline in the US, 194% in Europe, and 314% in LATAM.
The report is based on aggregated data from leading sportsbook brands across the United States, Europe, and LATAM, covering an average of approximately 26 million active sports bettors per month between April and July 2026. Results are indexed to each region’s regular-season weekly average between April 1 and May 24, 2026, defined as a non-event, pre-World Cup 2026 baseline of 100%.
Other key findings:
- LATAM led full-tournament growth. LATAM recorded the highest average number of bettors placing bets at 153% of baseline, compared with 136% in Europe and 121% in the US. It also recorded the highest single-stage increase, reaching 173% of baseline during the Round of 16.
- First-time depositors grew more than the number of general players: Across World Cup 2026, first-time depositors averaged 179% of baseline in the US, 194% in Europe, and 314% in LATAM, confirming that acquisition was one of the tournament’s defining effects.
- LATAM saw the largest acquisition peak: The gap between first-time depositor growth and the increase in the number of bettors placing bets was 58 percentage points in both the US and Europe. In LATAM, the gap reached 161 percentage points, showing a disproportionate surge in new depositing customers.
- Regional behavior differed by stage. LATAM generated the largest and most sustained uplift, Europe delivered the most stable growth, and the US showed the clearest event-driven pattern, falling below baseline during the Semifinals before rebounding to its strongest result during the Final.
- The Final was a major acquisition reset. First-time depositors rose from 139% to 257% of baseline in the US and from 217% to 254% in Europe during the Final. LATAM also recorded a major Final surge, rising from 242% to 351%, though its highest acquisition point came earlier, during the Round of 16.
- The average number of bets fell, as well as the average wager value. Average bets per bettor declined to 92% of baseline in the US, 75% in Europe, and 65% in LATAM. Average wager per bettor also fell, but more moderately: from $266 to $236 in the US, $99 to $84 in Europe, and $52 to $46 in LATAM.
“World Cup 2026 gave sportsbook operators what every major event promises: a larger audience and a major wave of new depositors,” said Pini Yakuel, Founder and CEO of Optimove. “But the data also shows the challenge. More bettors does not automatically mean deeper engagement or higher long-term value. Operators now need to identify which customers are likely to become consistent, profitable players and which were only present for the event. That is what Positionless Marketing makes possible: acting quickly on customer signals while keeping budget, offers, responsible gaming, and customer experience under control.”
Post-tournament strategy should focus on qualification, not blanket retention. The report shows that not every World Cup 2026-acquired customer is equally likely to remain active. Operators should prioritize second deposits, repeat behavior, activity outside World Cup 2026 matches, and sustained betting without repeated incentives.
The full report is available at https://www.optimove.com/resources/reports/world-cup-2026-full-tournament-report
About Optimove
Optimove is the creator of Positionless Marketing and the #1 Player Engagement Solution for iGaming and sports betting operators. Positionless Marketing frees marketing teams from the limitations of fixed roles, giving every marketer the power to execute any marketing task instantly and independently. Positionless Marketing has been proven to improve campaign efficiency by 88%, allowing marketing teams to create more personalized engagement with existing customers.
For two years running, Optimove has been positioned as a Visionary in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs, recognized for its AI-driven decisioning, prescriptive insights, and proven ability to orchestrate thousands of personalized campaigns in real time across channels.
Its Positionless Marketing Platform includes Optimove Engage and Orchestrate for cross-channel campaign decisioning and orchestration; Optimove Personalize, a digital personalization engine; and Optimove Gamify, a loyalty and gamification platform.
All are powered by Optimove AI, the marketing AI suite that brings AI everywhere marketers work. Inside the platform through Native AI agents for decisioning, analysis, and creation, outside it to external AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT through the Optimove MCP, and into custom-built applications on top of the platform through Optimove Custom Apps. Optimove has embedded AI in its platform since 2012, paving the way for Positionless Marketing.
Today, its comprehensive AI-powered suite is at the leading edge of empowering marketers to streamline workflows from Insight to Creation and through Optimization. Optimove provides industry-specific and use-case solutions for leading consumer brands globally.
About Optimove Insights
Optimove Insights is the analytical and research arm of Optimove, dedicated to providing valuable industry insights and data-driven research to empower B2C businesses.
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Carolina Lopez Optimove carolina_l@optimove.com