For American sports bettors, the World Cup final ranks as the year's second most popular match.
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For American sports bettors, the World Cup final ranks as the year's second most popular match.

  • 20 December 2022

A total of 7.9 million geolocation transactions were recorded during Sunday's match in Qatar between France and Argentina. The Super Bowl drew 23.5 million viewers, while the NBA season finale drew 5.1 million and the NCAA March Madness final drew 4.8 million. 

Following the Super Bowl's 3.1 million active users, the 2022 World Cup final—which Argentina won on penalties—had 1.7 million active users. Nonetheless, it came before the Stanley Cup final in the NHL and two basketball finals.

After the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed in 2018, US bettors were able to bet online with legal, regulated operators instead of unregulated offshore bookmakers. The first World Cup that was held in 2022 was the first since then.

Not only that, but the United States and Canada made history by participating in the tournament for the first time. Canada and Mexico will co-host the 2026 tournament. According to GeoComply, approximately one million new accounts were established during the most recent tournament in Qatar, which sparked a great deal of interest in North American football.

"They say Americans don't like football, but they certainly got a kick out of betting on the World Cup," said Sam Basile, GeoComply VP of Business Development for North American Gaming. "The common belief that Americans have little interest in football is debunked by GeoComply's data."

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