The key protection is the rise of bet builders, known in the United States as same-game parlays. Customers combine several outcomes - such as a team win, a player to score, corner totals and cards - in one wager.
That structure is difficult to complete. A single missed selection loses the entire bet, even when the match result is correct. The report says these wagers accounted for more than 30% of bets in recent football tournaments for one major betting-technology provider.
That matters during a tournament dominated by expected results. Straight bets on favorites can reduce bookmaker exposure, but multi-selection tickets add more ways for customers to miss.
The World Cup boost does not remove the sector’s domestic problems. Online casino tax has reportedly risen from 21% to 40%, while sports-betting tax is expected to increase from 15% to 25% in April 2027.
Regulatory scrutiny is also tightening. The Gambling Commission has advanced financial-risk checks aimed at identifying customers vulnerable to gambling harm. The report says operators view some checks as intrusive, while one betting business claims 78% of its customers refuse to provide financial records when asked.
That leaves bookmakers balancing safer-gambling obligations against the risk of driving customers towards unlicensed operators.
With the UK offering higher taxes and heavier oversight, the United States is increasingly central to expansion plans. The report says Flutter is set to make New York its only stock-market base after leaving London, underlining where investors see the stronger long-term opportunity.
The next test will come when the tournament ends and the novelty fades. If bet builders retain their share of betting activity, bookmakers may continue protecting margins even when results favor customers. The bigger challenge arrives in 2027, when higher sports-betting taxes put that model under further strain.