2026 World Cup to test online betting age verification at scale

Jumio research suggests the 2026 World Cup could drive a surge in online sports betting while increasing concerns about minors accessing gambling platforms.

The findings highlight a growing challenge for online gambling operators as major sporting events drive spikes in account creation and betting activity. With millions of new and occasional users expected to place wagers during the tournament, age and identity verification systems are likely to face increased scrutiny from regulators and child-safety advocates.

The company’s 2026 Online Identity Study, based on responses from 8,003 adults across the U.S., UK, Singapore and Mexico, found that 63 percent of consumers worry that minors will use sports betting apps during the tournament.

Nearly three‑quarters of respondents — 74 percent — say the responsibility for preventing underage gambling sits squarely with betting platforms and the technology providers behind them. Only 7 percent disagreed.

“As online sports betting grows, operators have a clear duty to prevent minors from accessing their platforms — not just react when something goes wrong,” says Bala Kumar, president and chief product and technology officer at Jumio. “That means layered identity and age verification built for real protection and designed so legitimate adults can get through without friction.”

Sports betting has become mainstream, and the FIFA World Cup remains one of the world’s largest sporting events, with the 2026 edition projected to draw in six billion viewers. One in three adults globally say they intend to place bets during the tournament, with interest highest in Mexico (43 percent), followed by the UK (33 percent), Singapore (29 percent) and the U.S. (26 percent).

For almost half of respondents, betting is now a core part of their World Cup rituals — 47 percent say it will be important to how they enjoy the event, and 46 percent expect to socialize around the bets they place. Consumers now expect age and identity verification, with 49 percent comfortable providing a government-issued ID and biometric data to access digital gaming platforms. Respondents in Mexico and the U.S. were the most comfortable, at 50 and 54 percent, respectively.

The study also highlights how the World Cup will draw new users into online gambling ecosystems. Twenty percent of respondents say this will be their first time interacting with an online gaming platform, and 37 percent expect to use multiple platforms during the tournament. More than half — 55 percent — prefer to place bets online rather than in person, and 43 percent already have an account they plan to use.

The combination of first-time users, multiple-account activity and event-driven traffic surges creates conditions that can increase fraud and age-assurance risks. For operators, the World Cup represents both a revenue opportunity and a large-scale test of onboarding, identity verification and compliance controls.

Jumio warns that new users, multiple accounts and high‑volume onboarding could strain operators’ verification systems at the very moment when preventing underage access is most critical. “In online betting, the operators who win will be the ones who treat verification as foundational, not as a checkbox,” says Kumar.

The 2026 report is the fifth edition of Jumio’s annual global consumer study, which tracks shifting attitudes toward online identity, trust and digital risk.

As online betting becomes increasingly intertwined with major sporting events, operators face growing pressure to balance seamless onboarding with stronger age and identity checks. The World Cup may become one of the largest tests yet of whether digital verification systems can keep minors off gambling platforms without creating excessive friction for legitimate users.

Article Topics

age verification  |  gambling  |  identity verification  |  Jumio  |  KYC  |  onboarding  |  World Cup