Kambi Tops 100M World Cup Bets as Bet Builder Use Jumps
Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook network processed more than 100 million bets after 102 of the tournament’s 104 matches had been played, the supplier said on 16 July. The figure excludes millions of additional bets handled through its Odds Feed+ product.
According to Kambi, the expanded tournament lifted total betting volume, and average turnover per match and average stake also exceeded 2022 levels, with the final two matches still to be played. The company’s partner network distributed activity across more markets and time zones and spread risk and liabilities across its operator base.
Bet Builder Turnover Accelerates
Pre-match Bet Builder turnover rose 3.6 times compared with the 2022 tournament, Kambi reported. The average number of selections in a pre-match Bet Builder increased from 2.9 to 3.5.
Live Bet Builder turnover recorded the largest increase, up tenfold from 2022. Each semi-final attracted more than 700,000 unique Bet Builder combinations, according to Kambi.
Player shots on target became the highest-turnover pre-match Bet Builder selection. It generated twice the turnover of the traditional match-winner market.
The same player prop ranked as the most popular live betting option and accounted for 15% of live turnover. Markets other than match winner increased their share of pre-match turnover from 57% in 2022 to 63% in 2026.
This shift towards player props and larger Bet Builder combinations supported higher-margin recreational betting, Kambi said. The supplier maintained a strong tournament margin despite the top four seeds reaching the semi-finals and leading strikers scoring regularly.
AI System Trades First Full World Cup
The 2026 tournament marked the first World Cup in which Kambi’s proprietary algorithmic system fully compiled and traded both pre-match and live offers.
The system enabled a broader range of player props, more Bet Builder combinations, shorter market suspensions, reduced live delays and higher uptime, Kambi said. The company did not disclose turnover, revenue or margin figures for the tournament in its statement.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said the 100-million-bet milestone, reached before the final, showed the scale of the company’s network and the impact of its AI-powered trading capabilities. “At a tournament where results have not always been favourable for some bookmakers, these advances have enabled us to continue performing strongly and delivering for partners,” Becher said. Q2 2026 results are due on 22 July, when Kambi said it will provide further detail on sportsbook product performance and World Cup trading results.
💡TGJ Take
Kambi’s strongest result is not the 100 million-bet headline, but the change in betting mix. A tenfold rise in live Bet Builder turnover gives operators a clearer route to higher-margin activity without relying as heavily on match-winner volume. Becher’s own admission that results “have not always been favourable for some bookmakers” is the more telling line: it confirms product mix, not luck, is carrying margin this tournament. Kambi’s Q2 report on 22 July should show how much of this product growth actually reached revenue.
