Two World Cup games for England and five days of punting at Royal Ascot could see the UK wager half a billion pounds this week.
The betting industry is in for an ultra-busy week, with England’s opening game against Tunisia in the World Cup getting the ball rolling. Flat racing’s biggest betting event runs up until Saturday, followed by the Three Lions’ test against Panama the following afternoon.
Online bookmaker Betway predicts £30-40m will be wagered per day at Royal Ascot, nudging total bets placed towards £200 million, while England’s participation on Monday and Sunday bookends a betting bonanza that could see total stakes rise to £500m.
Betway’s Alan Alger said: “Every four years, the collision between Royal Ascot and the World Cup results in one of the biggest betting weeks of the year but this year is extra special.
“With England games both kicking off and closing a week that has Royal Ascot sandwiched in between, we could be set to see around half a billion pounds bet in just seven days.”
