Gambling Commission survey finds new World Cup bettors felt less informed

First-time football bettors who wagered on the 2026 FIFA World Cup were less likely than experienced bettors to feel they had enough information, a UK Gambling Commission survey published Tuesday found.

Six in ten newcomers said they had all the information they needed. That compared with 83% of occasional tournament bettors and 91% of regular football bettors, iGaming Business reported.

Yonder Consulting conducted the online survey after the tournament. It analyzed answers from 834 UK adults who had placed a World Cup bet, after excluding 166 responses from an initial sample of 1,000 because of inconsistent or contradictory answers.

The final sample included 70 new football bettors, 296 occasional bettors and 468 existing bettors. The Commission cautioned that the findings for newcomers should be treated carefully because the group was small. It also questioned whether betting information was accessible and understandable to them.

New bettors showed uncertainty about promotions. When asked whether “acca insurance” meant a full cash refund of the stake if one part of an accumulator lost, 80% said they did not know. Half of all respondents gave that answer.

Across the sample, 37% reported using free bets, 22% used enhanced odds or price boosts, and 19% used free bonus offers. Among those who placed a bet linked to an offer, 35% said they did not look for more information first.

Personal knowledge or instinct was the most common basis for choosing bets, cited by 58% of respondents. Artificial intelligence helped 7% choose bets; use was 12% among 18-34-year-olds, compared with 6% among those aged 35 to 54 and 3.5% among those aged 55 or over.

The survey also asked about future betting. Overall, 37% said their World Cup experience made them more likely to bet on future major tournaments, while 19% said it made them more likely to bet on domestic football.