Apptopia has released a new report revealing how the 2026 World Cup is pulling online sports betting and prediction market apps out of their typical seasonal slowdown.
The report covers major platforms including DraftKings Inc (DKNG), Flutter Entertainment PLC (FLUT), Caesars Entertainment Inc (CZR), and MGM Resorts International (MGM), as well as prediction market platform Kalshi.
The findings show that sports bettors are skewing younger, with that demographic representing the fastest growing user segment across each of the apps analyzed.
Apptopia examined several key performance indicators, including inflections in downloads, daily active users, and average sessions per daily active user.
The World Cup, typically falling during a quieter period for online sports betting, has injected notable momentum into an industry that usually sees softer engagement mid-year.
Using its proprietary U.S. consumer device panel, Apptopia determined what percentage of World Cup bettors are entirely new users and what share were previously churned users re-engaged by the tournament.
The data suggests the World Cup is functioning as a powerful re-acquisition tool for platforms that often struggle to maintain year-round user engagement outside peak American sports seasons.
Apptopia’s consumer panel tracks engagement and cross-app behavior across 15 million devices, providing a granular view of how users move between competing platforms.
The firm’s data serves as an early indicator of consumer trends affecting company revenues, helping institutional investors position ahead of earnings announcements.
Apptopia is the flagship mobile data provider for Bloomberg and the leading mobile data provider of YipitData, giving its findings significant weight among institutional market participants.
The broader online sports betting market continues to attract significant investor attention, with the World Cup now emerging as a meaningful catalyst for user growth and re-engagement heading into the second half of 2026.
