Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, hands down. All you need is a ball and a bit of open ground. Goals can be improvised using some big sticks, and you are ready to play. Outside of the USA, Soccer is close to the only sport there is. Don’t believe it? Check out the sports portion of the evening news on any TV in Latin America, all Soccer, all the time.
Before ESPN and others began broadcasting Soccer matches back in the 1990’s there was not a lot of money wagered on the sport. Since then it has skyrocketed and the upcoming World Cup Matches in Brazil are expected to bring the highest handle ever recorded on the event.
So sports books, both domestic and offshore, have begun to take soccer seriously. Las Vegas books have had lines up on the World Cup for weeks now and are already taking in record action. The USA team has got to be one of the best known underdogs of the tourney and they landed in the toughest grouping for the initial rounds but, Nevada books are still taking plenty of action on the USA team at 50-to-1, even though the true odds on team USA would go into triple digits.
One huge factor working in favor of the books for the 2014 World Cup Matches is that they are being played in Brazil rather than on the other side of the world. When the match is going off at three in the morning local time you are not going to get a lot of people betting on the outcome.
The Brazil matches will be shown on the East Coast between noon and 6 pm, perfect. Having both the USA and Mexico national teams participating, golden. Bookmakers everywhere smiled when ‘El Tri’, the Mexican national team, qualified for Brazil. The Mexicans don’t wager on much else but Soccer matches, and they love ‘El Tri’.
Another great thing about the timing of the 2014 World Cup is that it will be taking place from June 12th – July 13th, just about the slowest time of the year in the wagering industry. The action out of Brazil should provide a huge boost in handle during a time when books are usually just treading water and waiting for football to start.
The World Cup Tournament, like the Olympics, only happens once every four years. Adam Pullen of William Hill US told the press, “The handle should just go through the roof, bigger than any World Cup ever as far as betting goes.”
