Online betting volumes rose nearly 300% during the World Cup even without Brazil’s team

Brazil’s World Cup run may have ended early, but betting activity did not. According to data reviewed by Folha de S.Paulo, the number of bettors and deposits on betting sites rose sharply during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even as the sector fell short of its own revenue projections.

1. Initial data showed the number of bettors during the tournament up almost 300% compared with May, when there were no World Cup matches. The strongest gains came from more people placing bets and more deposits, not from a meaningful increase in average spend per bettor.
2. Leonardo Baptista, CEO of Pay4Fun, a payments institution focused on betting, said there were “a greater number of transactions, but the amount deposited per person did not rise significantly.” In other words, the pipes got busier, but the ticket size did not do the heavy lifting.
3. Klavi’s financial platform data showed average deposits rising from R$ 188 before the FIFA tournament to R$ 245,05 during the championship. Ahead of Brazil’s matches, peaks above R$ 400 were recorded. On Sunday (19/7), the day of the Spain-Argentina final, the average fell back to R$ 172.
4. Baptista said the sector saw “historical peaks” in transactions during the competition, with payment institutions preparing for the load. “About an hour before the games, the number of transactions increases and keeps rising until one minute before the game. The game starts, and it drops,” he said.
5. Using data from Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, Baptista said 60% of bettors deposit less than R$ 100, while spending is concentrated among the top 10% of depositors. H2 Gambling Capital had estimated the World Cup would generate an extra R$ 20 billion in betting deposits across 2026, but CEO Ed Birkin now says the result came in “a little” below that forecast.

For high-risk PSPs, the useful bit here is not just demand growth; it is timing, concentration, and compliance pressure. The government reacted to World Cup betting ads with two new ordinances to tighten advertising rules and expand obligations for companies involved in promotion, while requiring added consumer information and protection measures. Since Friday (17/7), every betting communication, advertisement, promotion, and marketing action must include one of the mandatory warnings set by the Ministry of Finance.