The FIFA World Cup Round of 32 took a turn for the better for the global iGaming demand as the tournament switched from group-stage play to knockout-stage intensity. The round involved the elimination of all teams and games and as a result, there were dramatic shifts in markets experiencing the knockout-phase games involving high stakes, thus changing the course of players’ interests.
While World Cup momentum dominated the week on the upside, mean reversion was the next defining trend of the week. Several markets which had registered declines in the previous period instantly recorded positive change with news of enforcement pressure and other press release issues fading away.
On the other hand, the major decliners that registered the largest downtrend during the previous week turned around and recorded gainers as they rebounded. For instance, Turkey, Malaysia, and France moved to the gainers’ list with huge gains observed in the last week.
In contrast, among the best-performing nations during the previous week were Hungary, Latvia, and Uzbekistan whose growth declined this week with the initial catalysts failing to bear any fruit.
Top 5 Gainers of the Week
Bolivia (+51.7%)
Despite failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Bolivia recorded the highest increase in the week. Bolivia is an example of how big football events bring betting demand even in countries that are not footballing nations.
Japan (+47.5%)
Japan has witnessed one of the strongest gains. This happened following Japan’s shocking exit from the World Cup in the Round of 32 after losing to Brazil, which saw goal-scoring moments in the competition raising demand.
Turkey (+28.4%)
Turkey’s results came about after it saw a decline of 19.2%. This decline occurred due to Turkey being eliminated from its world cup matches, which saw the country unable to play a representative match.
Norway (+25.9%)
Norway experienced an increase in demand after successfully qualifying for the next stage following its victory in the Round of 32.
Malaysia (+24.8%)
Following the success, Malaysia was able to recover from the previous week when it experienced a decline of 22.6% due to the regulatory activity under Operation Op Soga XI.
Top 5 Decliners of the Week
US States: Oklahoma (-50.1%), North Carolina (-41.6%), Minnesota (-41.2%)
This week, US states were among losers in terms of drops in gambling stakes.
No one outside event was found responsible for the decline this week. The World Cup events going on in USA markets didn’t provide the same boost they delivered to states where betting is highly developed.
Hungary (-44.0%)
Hungary’s decline this week shows a reverse trend compared to last week’s increase of +37.5%.
The rise was due to the debates around the casino regulation and controversies raised by Prime Minister who initiated investigation into gambling concessions. However, once the discussions resolved without reaching any conclusion, the demand declined once again.
Uzbekistan (-39.4%)
Uzbekistan, after World Cup matches were over, dropped sharply. The decline in Uzbekistan’s case demonstrates how unstable event-driven markets may become without any local regulation.
Market Spotlight: Japan (+47.5%)
Japan is one of the most vivid examples of demand changes related to the World Cup matches.
The demand in Japan was influenced only because of the match between Japan and Brazil on June 29 in Houston stadium, where the Japanese team lost 1-2.
Reporting for the period from June 29 to July 5 showed that the World Cup knockout phase is producing dynamic iGaming environments around the world.
Going into the World Cup quarter-finals, the market is to remain volatile as the outcome of the tournament and the presence of the national football teams along with regulatory triggered states will continue to impact the iGaming movements during the coming week.
Original source: Blask.com
Blask Index tracks real-time iGaming player interest via AI-analyzed Google search data, updated hourly and filtered to remove low-intent noise (scams, complaints). WoW% measures momentum: positive indicates growing attention; negative indicates declining attention.