The United States men’s national team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup generated record soccer betting activity for Caesars Sportsbook, while sportsbooks across the US reported heavy wagering ahead of the Americans’ Round of 16 match against Belgium.
“It generated our highest soccer handle ever, the most wagers placed on a soccer event in our book’s history, and the highest number of unique customers wagering,” said Mark Bickerdike, Caesars’ Head of Soccer Trading. “That’s obviously very encouraging, and we hope to see that momentum continue into the Round of 16 matchup.”
The operator said the Bosnia match surpassed previous US World Cup fixtures in customer engagement. Other sportsbooks also reported record wagering levels for matches involving the US during the tournament.
The US has drawn significant public support since opening group-stage play on June 12. Bettors continued to back the Americans heavily against Bosnia, where the team entered the match as nearly a 3-to-1 favorite.
“The USA looked convincing throughout and were good value for their victory,” Bickerdike said. “As we’ve become accustomed to, the USMNT was extremely popular with our bettors, attracting 91% of handle in the match betting market. In addition, 87% of handle was on Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the ‘to qualify’ market, so it’s fair to say we have plenty of happy bettors this evening.
“From the book’s perspective, it helped to have Christian Pulisic’s goal ruled out from a results standpoint, as he was heavily backed in the anytime goalscorer market. We also avoided a significant payout in the total goals market, with the match finishing with just two goals,” said Bickerdike.
The victory came despite the second-half dismissal of Folarin Balogun, who received a red card and is expected to miss Monday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium under FIFA suspension rules.
Although the result created short-term liabilities for sportsbooks because of public betting on the US, bookmakers said the next knockout match is likely to generate even higher wagering volume.
“The USA advancing is not a good immediate result,” said John Murray, Vice President of the SuperBook. “But it sets up a fantastic Monday night match in primetime. USA vs. Belgium is gonna be huge.”
“Action certainly spiked with tonight’s game. It was the most-bet game, and I don’t know why Monday wouldn’t be bigger,” Murray said.
BetMGM trading manager Adair Horne also expects continued betting interest.
“I’m fairly confident the next game will be one of our biggest liabilities of the tournament, and the most-bet-game,” Horne said.
Following the victory, Caesars shortened the US odds to win the World Cup from +3,000 to +2,500. The Americans opened the tournament at +5,000, moved to +4,000 after defeating Paraguay 4-1, improved to +3,000 following a 2-0 win over Australia, remained at +3,000 after a 3-2 loss to Türkiye, and now stand as the seventh choice to win the tournament.
For Monday’s Round of 16 contest, Caesars lists the US as a slight -122 favorite to advance to the quarterfinals. BetMGM opened the three-way moneyline at USA +160, Belgium +160 and Draw +230, while Belgium was a slight -115 favorite in the “To Advance” market compared with the U.S. at -110.
“The move may feel small,” Bickerdike said. “But the USA was a heavy favorite to progress from [the Bosnia] matchup and now faces a tough Round of 16 test against Belgium, without the likely suspended Balogun.”
“That being said, our bettors were clearly encouraged by what they saw [Wednesday night], as we’ve already seen strong interest in the USA in the Tournament Winner market,” Bickerdike added.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/07/03/125217-caesars-reports-record-soccer-betting-handle-after-us-reaches-world-cup-round-of-16
