Callum Williams speaks to DraftKings’ CMO Steph Sherman and others on how to recruit and retain the World Cup’s many first time bettors
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the most competitive in its history, but it will also likely be the largest betting event of all time.
As the competition grows from 64 to 104 games, naturally, so too will the amount of bets placed. But it is first-time bettors that operators will prioritise above all others this summer.
In December 2025, a Spotlight Sports Group report revealed 66% of those surveyed will bet on the World Cup for the first time. Furthermore, 90% of US people surveyed stated they will bet on the competition for the first time, with 19% saying it will be the first time they have placed a bet on soccer.
With the total number of competing teams also increasing from 32 to 48, new football bettors will be exposed to new players and coaches, which might require US betting operators to educate and guide first-time players in a bid to secure a piece of this customer segment.
Mark Langdon, Group Sports Director of Spotlight Sports Group, believes operators should be “nudging” these bettors while simultaneously not generalising match details to the extent it may alienate existing bettors.
“It is a tricky situation because what you don’t want to do is make it so easy and simple that it puts off the people that usually come to your sportsbook with that knowledge already,” says Langdon.
“I’m speaking to one operator, and what they said to me makes real sense in terms of trying to find that sweet spot. It’s about giving people a nudge in the right direction. This would be pre-packaged bet builders, accumulators, etc. That’s easy to understand. I think that is probably the way to try to engage new bettors.”
Capturing the first-time bettor
Before an operator can deploy product strategies to engage first-time bettors ahead of the World Cup, they first need to capture the bettors’ imaginations and intrigue them with their offering.
Football fanfare is on the rise in the US. The arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in 2023 has galvanised Americans and provided a foundation as they are set to host sport’s most- watched global competition.
Despite this, soccer remains a secondary sport in the eyes of Americans, as the NFL and NBA take precedence over the MLS. However, former BetMGM CMO Casey Hurbis, who left the operator shortly after this interview was conducted, says the operator is bringing on board recognisable faces to help market its World Cup offerings to first-time bettors.
“We’re tapping into the authenticity and credibility of retired US soccer star and BetMGM ambassador Tim Howard, whose connection to American soccer fans gives BetMGM a unique aduantage as we introduce new players to the category,” says Hurbis.
He labelled the 2026 World Cup as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” in order to reach new bettors with “precision, not just scale”.
As BetMGM is a subsidiary of European- based Entain, the US betting operator is aiming to leverage its joint-parent company’s expertise in football betting and player props to deliver marketing content that delivers messages that feel relevant and premium” to first-time bettors.
“We’re activating with targeted, data- driven campaigns across broadcast. streaming, and social – where second- screen engagement wil be at an all- time high – to meet fans in the exact moments they’re exploring the sport,” continues Hurbis.
“We’re focusing on smart segmentation, creator-led content, and differentiated storytelling that introduces BetMGM to first-time bettors with messages that feel relevant and premium.”
Engaging the first-time bettor
Once a first-time bettor is onboarded, they will naturally gravitate towards placing bets on their h o m e nation. Spotlight Sports Group’s report revealed 21% of respondents bet on their country purely out of loyalty.
This is why Spotlight argues, the single most important factor operators should take into consideration when seeking to engage bettors this summer is personalisation. The report also revealed a staggering 96% of players find personalised betting content appealing.
For DraftKings, personalisation has become paramount in keeping the bettor engaged. It has rolled out a series of tailored in-play betting and micromarket offerings, live bet tracking capabilities, and a customisable home screen that uses machine learning to prioritise the leagues and sports customers care the most about.
“As a customer-centric brand, our focus is on responsibly delivering a best-in- class experience and continuing to elevate how fans engage with DraftKings, leveraging marketing insights and a data-driven approach to deliver more relevant, personalised touchpoints for our customers,” says Steph Sherman, Chief Marketing Officer at DraftKings.
“Within our sportsbook app, we highlight live sports and major events in real time, making it easy for fans to move from World Cup matches into other compelling moments across the sports calendar.”
Engaging the bettor in a personalised way for their first betting experience can ensure a level of customer satisfaction and fulfilment, but when the dust settles on 19 July in the US after the World Cup is over, will those customers feel t h e need to stay?
Retaining the first time bettor
The beauty of soccer, which new US fans may soon come to discover, is that the European calendar is in motion almost throughout the entire year, particularly when there is a big summer tournament.
Operators would do well to translate World Cup bettors into consistent customers for the European football calendar, with first-time bettors able to continue following players they adopted during the tournament, whether that is Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid or Erling Haaland at Manchester City.
This can translate into Same Game Parlays placed on those favourite players – a tool to retain new customers while deepening their engagement with the sport, which is a strategy being undertaken by BetMGM.
“Whether a fan wants to bet on the Premier League, La Liga, MLS, or any other major global league, we’ve got them covered,” says Hurbis.
“Most matches feature more than 100 unique markets on BetMGM, along with ample opportunities to build Same Game Parlays (SGPs) around their favourite props and outcomes.”
To encapsulate the first-time bettor journey across the World Cup cycle, marketing, engagement and retention are the three core principles operators must get right.
Why is this important before the World Cup? Langdon concludes that capturing the first-time bettor segment is crucial before the tournament begins, because the World Cup represents a scale of opportunity rarely seen in sports betting.
“This will be the biggest betting event of all time. It’s a huge opportunity,” says Langdon.
This feature first appeared in SBC Leaders June 2026 edition.
