Online gambling giants are revamping in‑play betting ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a 48‑team tournament set to run June 11‑July 30 across the US, Canada and Mexico. Flutter CEO Peter Jackson called the event the biggest betting opportunity ever, while DraftKings’ Jason Robins framed it as a key driver for customer growth.

The competition intensifies as prediction‑market operators Polymarket and Kalshi push into sports wagering, drawing nearly $1.5 bn in contracts on World Cup winners alone. Their derivative‑market status lets them skirt US state bans, forcing traditional sportsbooks to innovate with gamified interfaces and micro‑betting segments that mirror American football and basketball formats.

Flutter plans a new gamified platform that lets punters bet on penalty‑kicker placement, while DraftKings launches a Spanish‑language version and adds its own prediction markets, using geolocation to stay compliant in states that outlaw sports betting. BetMGM’s Adam Greenblatt argues that exclusive rewards and free‑bet offers give online sportsbooks a superior product experience over markets.

Meanwhile, the expanded format may strain bookmakers’ odds setting, as new entrants like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan lack historical data, potentially widening margins. Entain’s Stella David warned that high‑scoring, lopsided games could cause wildly fluctuating margins, while Flutter fears an expensive outcome if England wins.