The 2026 World Cup rolls on, as the second round of group stage games kicked off yesterday following a thrilling opening week, which had everything from big shocks to hammerings from the favorites.
While the Socceroos are World Cup regulars, they are never touted to pull up any trees as they are in a country so heavily dominated by other sports, and have only ever won five games in the competition.
But this year could be different, however, and their opening game proved that. But has it increased the hype Down Under?
SBC News spoke with Bill Richmond, Chief Operating Officer at betr, as the Aussies prepare to face hosts USA tonight.
How big of an event is the World Cup for the betr trading teams? We know rugby and AFL are huge sports in Australia, but does the World Cup blow these out of the water?
“The World Cup is a huge deal for us at betr, right up there with our biggest sporting events. NRL and AFL are still our two main sports day-to-day, but every four years Australians come together to get behind the Socceroos in a way that’s pretty unique.
“We wouldn’t necessarily say the World Cup blows NRL and AFL out of the water, because this is still a heavily footy oriented country, but it brings a different kind of hype, and we’ve seen a substantial jump in soccer turnover since the tournament kicked off. We have invested significantly in our soccer product ahead of this tournament as well which will obviously have a benefit here and into the future.”
While kick off times are not exactly ideal across Australia, they’re arguably slightly more favourable than Europe and than they have been in previous tournaments. Is this an advantage for betr, and if so, how much of one is it?
“The times have actually worked in our favour for the most part this tournament. With the latest games starting around 2pm Sydney time, punters have plenty of time during the day to get their bets on, and it’s a nice change of pace for people at work – which definitely helps engagement.
“Compared to Qatar 2022, the scheduling this time around is a lot more favourable for an Australian audience.”
What marketing and promotional strategies has betr been leveraging so far in the tournament?
“One of the standout promotions for betr this tournament has been our Socceroos early payout offer – back Australia to win, and if they score first, you’re paid out as a winner early.
“It’s been really popular with punters and a great way to bring more casual fans into the betting market around the national team.”
Bill Richmond. Credit: LinkedIn
As mentioned, Australia’s win over Turkey came as somewhat of a shock.
While it wasn’t exactly a dominant performance, two classy goals on the break either side of half time from young Watford FC talent Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, who plays his club football in the German second tier, sealed an important three points.
It is only the second time that the Aussies have won their opening World Cup match, following 2006’s 3-1 victory over Japan, and the Turkey match saw the emergence of young Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach.
Beach made eight crucial saves, and more of the same will be required against the USA tonight, who looked imperious in their 5-1 win over Paraguay in their opener last week.
Australia kicked off with a big win against Turkey in a game in which they were underdogs. How much hype has this given the country and can betr expect to be riding on somewhat of a wave on the back of this for the rest of the tournament?
“Getting off to a winning start, especially as underdogs against Turkey, has generated a lot of hype around the country. It’s an even bigger result given the group we’re in – Australia, USA, Paraguay and Turkey – is one of the tighter groups in the draw, so getting three points on the board early matters.
“You can really feel the buzz here and we’re hoping to ride that momentum through the rest of the tournament.”
Which teams are Australian bettors expecting to make the biggest impact in this tournament?
“The Socceroos are always first and foremost – Australians are incredibly loyal to the national team regardless of form. Outside of that, we’re seeing the usual heavyweights attract plenty of interest: France, Spain, England, Argentina and Brazil all getting strong support.
“There’s also a lot of money on Portugal, largely from Ronaldo fans hoping to see him finally get his hands on a World Cup.”
How much of a challenge is it for betr to really promote the World Cup when there are other major sporting events in Australia – such as the NRL season, AFL season and State of Origin series – going on? Do those have to take somewhat of a back seat during the World Cup?
“We wouldn’t say NRL or AFL take a back seat during the World Cup – they’re still firmly part of the calendar, but the tournament does attract a different type of sports fan, and that’s valuable for us.
“Importantly, the World Cup kick-off times don’t really clash with the NRL or AFL, so punters aren’t forced to choose between watching one or the other. We probably look at the World Cup as more of an engagement event with our customers rather than a major revenue event although with the right results (plenty of draws!), it certainly can be.”
Anthony Albanese. Credit: Juergen Nowak / Shutterstock
Australian betting firms have been under the pump from some of the public and from gambling opponents in the country due to their growth.
It will mark a drastic change in marketing strategy for companies like betr, who will have to adapt to the new norm, but it hasn’t stopped the company from being aggressive for this summer’s tournament, according to Richmond.
With the government being under huge scrutiny when it comes to regulating gambling, has marketing been slightly more tentative so far this time around?
“It’s always a challenge marketing in Australia given different regulations in different states in Australia, and that’s something we’re conscious of with every campaign we run, World Cup included.
“We are running a very aggressive promotion with our Australia score first and win promotion and we have seen competitors be competitive in the space as well.”
Are there any particular matches, aside from those involving the national team, that you think will catch a lot of bettors’ attention – New Zealand and England games, for example?
“England’s games always draw strong betting action from Aussie punters. Colombia v Portugal is shaping up to be one of the more popular non-Socceroos matches of the tournament, and Scotland v Brazil is another we expect plenty of interest in – there’s a sizable Scottish community in Australia keen to see their team beat Brazil for the first time.”
While football is not the main sport in the country, it is still fair to say that it is still fairly popular. But does the World Cup open up an opportunity for more bettors to engage with the sport, which you can then retain for domestic tournaments, like the A-League in Australia, and major ones across Europe?
“Absolutely – the World Cup is a fantastic engagement tool for us. While soccer isn’t the number one sport in Australia, it’s still a genuinely popular and growing game.
“The World Cup gives us a chance to bring new punters into soccer, who we can then look to retain for domestic and international leagues, including the A-League and the major European competitions.”
World Cup Betting Tour: betr and Australia looking to build on Turkey win against USA tonight
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SBC News speaks to Australia-focused bookmaker betr as part of its World Cup Betting Tour series.
The 2026 World Cup rolls on, as the second round of group stage games kicked off yesterday following a thrilling opening week, which had everything from big shocks to hammerings from the favorites.
One of those big shocks came in the form of Australia beating dark horses Turkey 2-0 in Group D.
While the Socceroos are World Cup regulars, they are never touted to pull up any trees as they are in a country so heavily dominated by other sports, and have only ever won five games in the competition.
But this year could be different, however, and their opening game proved that. But has it increased the hype Down Under?
SBC News spoke with Bill Richmond, Chief Operating Officer at betr, as the Aussies prepare to face hosts USA tonight.
How big of an event is the World Cup for the betr trading teams? We know rugby and AFL are huge sports in Australia, but does the World Cup blow these out of the water?
“The World Cup is a huge deal for us at betr, right up there with our biggest sporting events. NRL and AFL are still our two main sports day-to-day, but every four years Australians come together to get behind the Socceroos in a way that’s pretty unique.
“We wouldn’t necessarily say the World Cup blows NRL and AFL out of the water, because this is still a heavily footy oriented country, but it brings a different kind of hype, and we’ve seen a substantial jump in soccer turnover since the tournament kicked off. We have invested significantly in our soccer product ahead of this tournament as well which will obviously have a benefit here and into the future.”
While kick off times are not exactly ideal across Australia, they’re arguably slightly more favourable than Europe and than they have been in previous tournaments. Is this an advantage for betr, and if so, how much of one is it?
“The times have actually worked in our favour for the most part this tournament. With the latest games starting around 2pm Sydney time, punters have plenty of time during the day to get their bets on, and it’s a nice change of pace for people at work – which definitely helps engagement.
“Compared to Qatar 2022, the scheduling this time around is a lot more favourable for an Australian audience.”
What marketing and promotional strategies has betr been leveraging so far in the tournament?
“One of the standout promotions for betr this tournament has been our Socceroos early payout offer – back Australia to win, and if they score first, you’re paid out as a winner early.
“It’s been really popular with punters and a great way to bring more casual fans into the betting market around the national team.”
As mentioned, Australia’s win over Turkey came as somewhat of a shock.
While it wasn’t exactly a dominant performance, two classy goals on the break either side of half time from young Watford FC talent Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, who plays his club football in the German second tier, sealed an important three points.
It is only the second time that the Aussies have won their opening World Cup match, following 2006’s 3-1 victory over Japan, and the Turkey match saw the emergence of young Melbourne City goalkeeper Patrick Beach.
Beach made eight crucial saves, and more of the same will be required against the USA tonight, who looked imperious in their 5-1 win over Paraguay in their opener last week.
Australia kicked off with a big win against Turkey in a game in which they were underdogs. How much hype has this given the country and can betr expect to be riding on somewhat of a wave on the back of this for the rest of the tournament?
“Getting off to a winning start, especially as underdogs against Turkey, has generated a lot of hype around the country. It’s an even bigger result given the group we’re in – Australia, USA, Paraguay and Turkey – is one of the tighter groups in the draw, so getting three points on the board early matters.
“You can really feel the buzz here and we’re hoping to ride that momentum through the rest of the tournament.”
Which teams are Australian bettors expecting to make the biggest impact in this tournament?
“The Socceroos are always first and foremost – Australians are incredibly loyal to the national team regardless of form. Outside of that, we’re seeing the usual heavyweights attract plenty of interest: France, Spain, England, Argentina and Brazil all getting strong support.
“There’s also a lot of money on Portugal, largely from Ronaldo fans hoping to see him finally get his hands on a World Cup.”
How much of a challenge is it for betr to really promote the World Cup when there are other major sporting events in Australia – such as the NRL season, AFL season and State of Origin series – going on? Do those have to take somewhat of a back seat during the World Cup?
“We wouldn’t say NRL or AFL take a back seat during the World Cup – they’re still firmly part of the calendar, but the tournament does attract a different type of sports fan, and that’s valuable for us.
“Importantly, the World Cup kick-off times don’t really clash with the NRL or AFL, so punters aren’t forced to choose between watching one or the other. We probably look at the World Cup as more of an engagement event with our customers rather than a major revenue event although with the right results (plenty of draws!), it certainly can be.”
Australian betting firms have been under the pump from some of the public and from gambling opponents in the country due to their growth.
Starting next year, the Labor Government will implement new advertising regulations, from TV limits to live sport blackouts, and a radio watershed to a ban on sports sponsorship, in an attempt to curb gambling harms.
It will mark a drastic change in marketing strategy for companies like betr, who will have to adapt to the new norm, but it hasn’t stopped the company from being aggressive for this summer’s tournament, according to Richmond.
With the government being under huge scrutiny when it comes to regulating gambling, has marketing been slightly more tentative so far this time around?
“It’s always a challenge marketing in Australia given different regulations in different states in Australia, and that’s something we’re conscious of with every campaign we run, World Cup included.
“We are running a very aggressive promotion with our Australia score first and win promotion and we have seen competitors be competitive in the space as well.”
Are there any particular matches, aside from those involving the national team, that you think will catch a lot of bettors’ attention – New Zealand and England games, for example?
“England’s games always draw strong betting action from Aussie punters. Colombia v Portugal is shaping up to be one of the more popular non-Socceroos matches of the tournament, and Scotland v Brazil is another we expect plenty of interest in – there’s a sizable Scottish community in Australia keen to see their team beat Brazil for the first time.”
While football is not the main sport in the country, it is still fair to say that it is still fairly popular. But does the World Cup open up an opportunity for more bettors to engage with the sport, which you can then retain for domestic tournaments, like the A-League in Australia, and major ones across Europe?
“Absolutely – the World Cup is a fantastic engagement tool for us. While soccer isn’t the number one sport in Australia, it’s still a genuinely popular and growing game.
“The World Cup gives us a chance to bring new punters into soccer, who we can then look to retain for domestic and international leagues, including the A-League and the major European competitions.”