Kambi surpasses 100 million World Cup bets as AI-driven Bet Builder and player props reshape player behaviour
2026-07-20
Kambi's Turnkey Sportsbook partners placed over 100 million bets during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, driven by a sharp rise in AI-powered Bet Builder and player props betting. Pre-match Bet Builder turnover tripled and live Bet Builder turnover increased tenfold compared to 2022.
Kambi has reported that its Turnkey Sportsbook partners collectively placed more than 100 million bets during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with 102 of the 104 tournament matches already completed. The milestone, which applies exclusively to Kambi's Turnkey platform and excludes its Odds Feed+ product, was announced ahead of the final two games.
Shift toward higher-margin products
The operator's data reveals a pronounced move away from traditional match-winner wagers toward more complex, higher-margin offerings. Pre-match Bet Builder turnover surged 3.6 times compared to the 2022 World Cup, while live Bet Builder turnover increased tenfold. The average number of selections in a pre-match Bet Builder rose from 2.9 to 3.5. Player shots on target emerged as the top pre-match Bet Builder offer by turnover, generating twice the turnover of the match winner market, and accounted for 15% of all live bets. Overall, the share of pre-match turnover coming from bets other than match winner climbed from 57% to 63%.
The semi-final matches alone saw more than 700,000 unique bet combinations placed on each game, illustrating the depth of engagement with player props and same-game parlays.
AI trading system underpins performance
This tournament marked the first World Cup in which all pre-match and live bet offers were fully compiled and traded by Kambi's proprietary AI system. The automated capability enabled broader and deeper market coverage, reduced suspension times, and improved uptime. Kambi said the AI-driven approach helped it sustain strong margins even though the top four seeded teams reached the semi-finals and leading strikers frequently scored—scenarios that have historically been unfavourable for bookmakers.
Geographic reach and outlook
Kambi's geographically diversified partner network distributed betting volume across multiple time zones and markets, which the company said helped mitigate risk and liability concentration. The expanded 48-team tournament delivered higher turnover per match and a higher average stake compared to the 2022 edition.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, commented: "This is the first World Cup fully traded by our AI-powered capabilities and we've seen the impact in stronger product performance, greater engagement with player props and Bet Builder, and a betting mix that continues to evolve beyond traditional markets." He added that the advances enabled Kambi to perform strongly even when results were not favourable for some bookmakers.
Kambi is scheduled to publish its Q2 2026 report on 22 July, at which point it will provide further details on World Cup performance and broader sportsbook metrics.