Sports betting service provider, Sportradar has determined that bettors staked an estimate $453.4billion during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and there was no indication there was any match fixing.
The average match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia had an estimated global betting turnover of $2.4 billion with the final, between Croatia and France, generating an estimated $8.3 billion in betting turnover worldwide.
A statement added:
Croatia had the highest average betting turnover per match, and in all likelihood, would have been a very profitable team for bookmakers globally with: Opening odds of around 34.0. Being the underdog in their victories against Argentina and England Round of 16, Quarter and Semi Final matches all being decided during extra time or by penalty shootout.
Since bookmakers settle all match winner bets based upon the result after 90 minutes, the three draws in those matches would have been the least favoured by bettors Besides various measures taken by FIFA to prevent and address potential situations of risk associated with match manipulation prior and during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the competition was closely monitored for any instance of suspicious betting patterns around matches, in order to preserve fairness for fans, players and the tournament itself.
Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System monitored over 550 betting operators worldwide, generating some alerts during the competition, which are easily explained by markets adjusting the opening odds after the first match or two were played.
Source:AFP
