French football fans wagered almost €600m online on the 2022 Fifa World Cup, as operators smashed handle and revenue records.
According to figures released by the national gaming authority, l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), some €597m was put down by French bettors, who saw their team lose to Argentina in the final. The handle figure was up 56% on the 2018 Fifa World Cup – which France won – and up 37% on Euro 2020, although the latter featured fewer games.
The ANJ said that while results recorded in FDJ sales outlets have yet to be published, handle for online and retail could exceed €900m.
Some 54 million bets were placed, which was more than double the number in 2018, while the €51m placed on the final between France and Argentina created a new record for a single game and was well up on the €38m wagered on the France-Croatia final four years previously. Some 2.6 million player accounts placed a bet during the competition, representing 2.2 million unique players.
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