World Cup betting has long been tied to cultural identity, national pride, and fan tradition. But the rise of prediction markets and gambling platforms is reshaping how fans engage, blurring the line between emotional fandom and financial speculation.
Vietnam: Piracy networks thrive despite crackdowns
Illegal streaming of the FIFA World Cup continues to increase despite the country’s attempts to clamp down on it. For one, authorities have already dismantled multiple piracy networks. However, copycat replacements have emerged, offering unauthorised access to premium sports content, as several media outlets have reported.
VTV is the country’s national broadcaster and holds exclusive rights to sports events, including the recent match between Scotland and Haiti. But multiple illegal sites have also sprung up that stream the fixture under other prefixes, such as “ukiss,” “yess,” and “fitma,” which imitate XoilacTV, a popular live sports streaming platform in Vietnam.
Additionally, these platforms are intensely monetised through banner ads that promote offshore gambling services. These operators also use new domains and rastructure to increasingly exploit social media and encrypted channels, ranging from Facebook groups and TikTok to Telegram, with the aim of evading detection.
Mirroring video feeds, altering audio frequencies, and overlaying animations are some techniques for bypassing AI-based copyright systems.
Vietnam’s broader anti-piracy campaign recently flagged over 2,000 suspected intellectual property violations, resulting in 1,600 administrative penalties worth VND17.9 billion ($679,700). Authorities also blocked more than 1,000 infringing websites spanning movies, comics, TV streams, and e-commerce.
North America: Billions flow into sportsbooks and prediction markets
The World Cup’s opening last Thursday has triggered massive inflows into sportsbooks and prediction markets in North America. 104 matches have been scheduled in the expanded 48-team format. According to Bernstein analysts, it is estimated that $3 billion in incremental betting handle and up to $10 billion in broader consumer volume.
Additionally, they have called the tournament a “watershed moment” for prediction markets. It accelerated momentum for platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. Last month, DraftKings reported consumer volume increased up to 24 per cent month-over-month to $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, trade volume jumped to 34 per cent to $3.1 billion.
Other players are expanding aggressively: Robinhood launched World Cup event contracts via its investment in Rothera, a CFTC-licenced exchange; Coinbase deepened its Kalshi partnership, surpassing $100 million in annualised prediction market revenue within two months.
On Myriad, operated by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, Spain currently leads with an 18 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, narrowly ahead of France at 17 per cent.
Argentina: Public health campaign targets gambling risks
In the province of Buenos Aires, a campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the mental health risks of online betting during the World Cup.
According to the Ministry of Health, it has cautioned about the gambling shifts from recreation to addiction when it becomes uncontrollable, while unequally affecting youth. Authorities listed warning signs like anxiety, irritability, social withdrawal, loss of interest in hobbies, and lying about time or money spent on betting.
The campaign has established free helplines and official media channels for citizens. Inhabitants are also encouraged to reach out to free helplines and official media channels for help. The campaign complements broader provincial efforts, including awareness talks by the Lottery and Casino Institute and a newly formed legislative commission on gambling and addiction prevention.
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