Success on the biggest stage: World Cup webinar Q&A follow‑up

Following Kambi’s recent webinar, Success on the biggest stage: What it takes to win at the World Cup, we’re picking up on some of the audience questions we didn’t have time to cover live

During our recent webinar, Success on the biggest stage: What it takes to win at the World Cup, we received a number of audience questions that we didn’t have time to address live. Given the scale and significance of the upcoming tournament, we wanted to continue the conversation. 

In this Q&A, Kambi’s Head of Trading, Ryan Hughes, shares further insight into what really defines success at the World Cup – from acquisition versus retention and product execution, to risk management, CRM and the factors that separate the best-performing sportsbooks from the rest. 

For a competition this big, what’s worth the shot: rewarding existing active players or focusing on new ones? 

The honest answer is that both matter, but if forced to prioritise one, existing active players should come first. 

The World Cup will always drive a surge in casual interest and first‑time bettors, but history consistently shows that many of those customers churn quickly once the tournament ends. Existing players already understand the product, know the brand and are far more likely to remain active if they’re engaged properly throughout the competition. 

That said, this doesn’t mean ignoring acquisition. The opportunity lies in conversion, not sheer volume. Operators that spread value across the full tournament rather than front‑loading incentives, and that use product quality rather than pure bonusing, are far better positioned to turn World Cup interest into lasting behaviour. In a 39‑day tournament, pacing and balance are critical. 

Prediction market platforms are gaining popularity – will Kambi introduce prediction markets for sportsbooks during the World Cup? 

The short answer is no. 

While prediction markets have become a prominent industry trend in recent months, they are primarily a US‑centric phenomenon for now and operate very differently from regulated sportsbook environments. At Kambi, we remain firmly focused on operating within regulated sports betting markets, in close collaboration with our partners and regulators. 

Our priority is to evolve and deepen the core sportsbook experience rather than pursue adjacent verticals that have the potential for regulatory uncertainty. The World Cup will, however, provide useful insights on whether prediction markets are materially affecting acquisition costs – a topic which has been the source of much discussion recently. Even so, any such impact would be limited geographically to the US and would not affect the majority of Kambi’s global business. Our focus remains on delivering the strongest possible regulated sportsbook product at scale. 

What does a “successful” World Cup actually look like – and how should operators measure it? 

One of the clearest takeaways from the webinar discussion was that success is not universal. It depends entirely on an operator’s strategy, market maturity and objectives. 

Short‑term metrics like active players and turnover can be misleading if viewed in isolation. A more meaningful assessment comes after the tournament: how many customers are still active, how many have migrated into other sports or competitions, and what net profit per player looks like months rather than days later. 

For some operators, success might mean aggressive acquisition at scale. For others, it could be high‑value retention or cross‑sell. The key point is alignment. Teams across trading, product, CRM and marketing need a shared definition of success well before kick‑off – otherwise it’s very easy to optimise one metric at the expense of the bigger picture. 

Each match will include water breaks – how can operators use these moments? 

Water breaks introduce brief but structured pauses into matches, and while they may seem minor, they can be highly valuable from a sportsbook perspective. 

These moments create temporary stability in live betting. Markets don’t need to be unnecessarily delayed, and bettors have time to reassess positions. Operators can use water breaks to surface relevant in‑play markets, highlight micro‑bets or promote pre‑built Bet Builders. 

From a trading standpoint, defined pauses are easier to manage than unpredictable stoppages. With Kambi’s World Cup offering set to be 100% traded by AI for the first time, we can keep live markets open with confidence, thus reducing friction and improving overall UX. 

What CRM strategies help retain players once the World Cup ends? 

A consistent theme throughout the webinar was that retention is driven far more by product experience than by campaigns alone. 

CRM activity can absolutely support retention, but it works best when built on strong fundamentals: seamless onboarding, intuitive navigation, depth of offering, fast settlement and easy access to key markets. If those elements aren’t in place, promotions become a short‑term patch rather than a long‑term solution. 

Post‑World Cup, successful retention strategies tend to focus on continuity. Helping players move naturally from World Cup betting into domestic leagues, future outright markets or other sports is far more effective than trying to “re‑engage” them after a hard stop. Retention starts the moment a customer signs up – not when the final ends. 

How should operators approach a tournament with so many matches and varying quality? 

With over 100 matches, not every fixture will carry the same appeal. Some games will be one‑sided, some will feature teams or players casual bettors know very little about, and some will take place at challenging kick‑off times for European audiences. 

This is where curation becomes as important as coverage. Pre‑packaged Bet Builders, clearly presented player props and narrative‑led markets help lower the barrier to engagement. Rather than asking bettors to build everything from scratch, operators can guide them towards simple, compelling entry points. A strong live offering will also be crucial to keep players engaged during a match where the outcome is already for a foregone conclusion. 

What will separate the best performers from the rest at this World Cup? 

The real differentiator will be execution at scale. 

That means uptime during peak moments, fast and consistent settlement, low friction live betting and the ability to adapt as the tournament unfolds. The most successful operators treat the World Cup as a dynamic environment, using data from early matches to refine strategies rather than sticking rigidly to pre‑event plans. 

Ultimately, the World Cup rewards those who focus on fundamentals, trust their data and stay flexible. It’s the biggest stage the industry has but winning is about consistency over six intense weeks, not just making noise on opening night.

For more insight and analysis ahead of the biggest tournament in sports betting history, explore Kambi’s Road to the World Cup 2026 content hub. From product innovation and data-driven market trends and partner perspectives, it’s where we’ll be sharing our latest thinking as the countdown continues.