Argentina Study Finds Online Betting Searches Rose 350% During 2026 FIFA World Cup Matches

According to a new study carried out in Argentina, the FIFA World Cup 2026 has a tremendous effect on the general interest in online betting, especially during matches involving the Argentine national team. The number of searches for gambling platforms went up by 350% during the tournament, according to the report.

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The research was developed by Walter Martello, Deputy Ombudsman of the Province of Buenos Aires, based on the data obtained from the Observatory on Addictions and Problematic Behaviors of the Ombudsman’s Office of Buenos Aires. The analysis was based on the Google Trends platform, which is used to calculate the relative search interest in the selected keywords on a 0-100 scale.

Hydration breaks were among the moments that the study found to be causing the largest spike in live betting activity, aside from the increased betting likely to be seen during a big international tournament.

Hydration Breaks Became Key Moments for Live Betting

During hydration breaks, which were new to a FIFA World Cup, there was a significant rise in searches related to betting, one of the key takeaways from the report. In Argentina, these breaks were accompanied by commercials with ads from betting companies.

One of the most significant results is the surge in bets-related searches during the Argentina-England match, which jumped by 4,850%. The study also reported that the engagement of the users with the betting application during a hydration break was “high.”

With Argentina’s progress in the tournament, search activity continued to rise. During the Algeria match, searches jumped 600%, 2,250% against Cape Verde, and 3,600% against Egypt.

Advertising Exposure May Have Influenced New User Activity

A separate study, carried out by consultancy Novarum and also analyzing the trend of searches on Google throughout Argentina’s World Cup games, confirmed the results. Bet operators who took ads during hydration breaks had a much higher increase in search interest than those who didn’t advertise during those breaks, the report said.

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BetWarrior, which was promoted throughout the match, along with its hydration partner Betano, saw a rise of 82 and 23 points, respectively, in Google Trends during the Argentina vs. Austria match. Betsson, which didn’t advertise in those halts, only managed to hit a maximum of 12.9 points during the halftime period.

The Observatory also created an indicator, “Error Index“, which shows the number of searches that include misspelled names of brands relating to gambling. The argument is that more misspellings might be caused by new users who see brands advertised, but don’t know their correct spelling. The number of searches for the words “betplay” (Bplay) saw an increase of 4,000%, with “betno” (Betano) and “betqno” (Betano) seeing an increase of 2,800% and 110% respectively.

Study Identifies Shift from Sports Betting to Online Casino Games

The report also outlines the “Displacement Effect” that is reported after the World Cup to occur when users’ interest moves away from sports betting and towards online casino products.

From the study, it was observed that after the last Argentina vs Spain match of July 19, 2026, Google Trends statistics indicated that searches related to sports betting dropped to zero points. In the same time frame, the popularity of online casinos jumped from 14 points to 52 points in just hours, before rising to its high of 76 points overnight.

They found that the interest faded following the tournament, but that some of the traffic on the betting platforms shifted to casino games like roulette and online slots, keeping users engaged off the sport.

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Source: SBC Noticias