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World Cup betting splurge

A lot of the focus on the supposed economic benefits of the World Cup has been on the alcoholic drinks industry, but betting firms are also doing well. It is thought that £2.5bn of bets will be placed on the tournament, an increase of 50 per cent on the last World Cup. There has been a big rise in the number of female gamblers. At the last World Cup only one in ten bets was made by a woman; this year it is one in three.

Almost £500m has been bet in the past week with four out of five bets put on during matches. About a fifth of adverts shown during ITV's World Cup matches are devoted to gambling with many encouraging viewers to bet during matches on their smartphones. Live 'in play' betting has become so popular that more than £4,000 is being wagered per second on average.

Almost £150m was bet on the England v. Tunisia game, the equivalent of £11 for every person who watched the match in full.

The ideal scenario for bookmakers would be for England to make the final but to lose in extra time, having drawn 0-0 in 90 minutes. That would make it the most lucrative single sports event of all time for British bookmakers. If England win, it will generate the largest single sporting payout of all time, in excess of £100m.

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