World Cup Bettors Doubled Use Of Player Prop Parlays
Bettors on Kambi's sportsbook network doubled their use of single-game parlays containing player props during the 2026 World Cup, according to data the supplier published in its own World Cup 2026 Report.
Kambi said bet builders, its term for single-game parlays, accounted for 35% of all wagers placed across its network of more than 60 turnkey sports betting site operators during the five-week tournament, roughly double the share recorded at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The network took in more than 100 million bets over the tournament.
Player props drove much of that growth. Kambi said 65% of bet builder wagers included at least one player prop market, up from 25% in 2022, a shift the supplier attributed partly to the tournament being hosted across North America, where prop betting is already a habit among sports bettors.
"This underlines the importance of having a strong player props offering that is fully combinable, giving bettors more relevant ways to personalise their wagers around the players and moments they care about most," Kambi said in the report.
Parlays Grew Riskier As The Tournament Progressed
The parlays themselves also grew larger. Kambi found that 48% of bet builder wagers contained at least four selections, up from 30% at the last World Cup, and the appetite for combined bets grew as the tournament advanced: 90% of bettors placed single-stake wagers during the group stage, a figure that fell to 57% by the semi-finals and 60% in the final.
Parlays carry a materially higher house edge than single-stake bets. Kambi did not disclose its own hold rate on World Cup parlays, but the report's headline trend, more legs and more player props as the stakes rose, mirrors patterns already documented in licensed US markets, where regulators have found bet builders generate a disproportionate share of sportsbook revenue relative to handle.
Kambi also said nearly one in four bettors on its network placed their first-ever wager during the tournament, pointing to the World Cup's role as an acquisition event for sportsbooks rather than just an engagement spike among existing customers.
Esoccer Filled The Gaps Between Matches
The supplier's report singled out esoccer, its simulated football product, as one of its top five sports by volume during the tournament, with betting activity spiking before kickoff, at half-time and immediately after full time. Kambi said the product is designed to keep "bettors engaged by extending betting sessions during periods of downtime," with the World Cup final's extended half-time show producing one of the sharpest spikes in the report.
The findings add World Cup-specific data to a wider industry conversation about how sportsbooks structure same-game parlays and in-play markets, an area regulators and public health researchers have scrutinised over the past year for its effect on problem gambling risk.
Kambi's report frames the trend as a commercial opportunity for operators to strengthen acquisition and retention rather than a risk factor, underlining why the debate over parlay design is likely to continue as sportsbooks prepare their marketing plans for the next major tournament cycle.
Latest News from Gambling.com
Casino
