World Cup betting shifted toward player props, live markets and Bet Builders, Altenar says

Altenar specialist Anestis Grazdanis says the recent World Cup pushed betting activity away from classic match-winner markets and toward player props, in-play micro-markets and Same-Game Multiples. For PSPs and sportsbook operators, the useful bit is not the football: it is the shape of demand, and the need for fast pricing, live risk control and cash-out availability.

1. Grazdanis said one of the clearest trading shifts was away from traditional 1X2 betting and toward player-focused and live betting options. While 1X2 and outrights still drew strong recreational interest, bettors increasingly preferred props such as shots on target, completed passes and fouls committed, plus fast-moving in-play micro-markets.
2. He said Bet Builders were one of the strongest growth areas during the tournament. Instead of placing single bets, users combined multiple outcomes from the same match — for example, a team win, total goals and a specific player performance — to create more personalized tickets based on how they expected a game to unfold.
3. Player proposition markets also saw substantial growth across the tournament. Interest was driven not only by the teams involved, but by the popularity of individual players, with many bettors backing well-known footballers on stats such as goals, shots on target, assists and completed passes, regardless of national team.
4. Live betting remained central throughout the competition. As matches progressed, bettors expected odds to update quickly and cash-out options to stay available for the full game, especially around goals, penalties and momentum swings late in the match.
5. On the product side, Altenar said one of its most significant developments during the World Cup was an enhanced Same-Game Multiple (SGM), or Bet Builder, supported by real-time risk management capabilities. The point of that setup is straightforward: if operators want to offer more combinations without losing control of pricing, they need the trading stack to keep up in real time.