• Host state home to $2bn in annual gaming revenue

• Legal sports betting launched in Missouri in December 2025, with operators including bet365, FanDuel and BetMGMnow active in the state.

• Missouri sportsbooks handled more than $543 million in wagers during their first month following launch.

England’s World Cup home for at least the group stage is Kansas City, Missouri – a city famous for elite sport, barbecue, jazz and now one of America’s fastest-growing gambling industries.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are staying at the Inn at Meadowbrook and training at the Swope Soccer Village and leading online betting community OLBG has done a deep-dive into the city that will play host to the Three Lions stars for their World Cup campaign.

Gambling growth in Kansas

While not necessarily carrying the same global profile of New York, Miami or Los Angeles, Kansas City has become one of the biggest sports and entertainment hubs in the US and a particularly attractive destination for casino enthusiasts.

Missouri currently operates 13 fully licensed casinos across the state with the industry generating close to $2 billion annually in gaming revenue.

Legal sports-betting was only launched back in December 2025 but demand exploded almost instantly with reports that Missouri sportsbooks handled more than $543 million in wagers during their first month after launch.

There are several brands familiar to UK bettors that are now licensed or operating in Missouri following the launch of legal sports betting.

Missouri’s newly regulated sports betting market features some familiar brands to England fans with several major UK-facing operators now licensed in the state. bet365, FanDuel (owned by Flutter) BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook are all part of the state’s sportsbook rollout.

The soccer capital of America

Kansas City will offer up a different flavour of World Cup experience for England fans compared to Qatar and Russia.

The City has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into football infrastructure over the past 15 years and has become one of FIFA’s most important US host cities.

Arrowhead stadium, home to the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs will host six World Cup matches including a quarter-final. The stadium is regarded as one of the loudest stadiums in world sport for atmosphere and will host over 70,000 fans for World Cup fixtures.

Along with Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs, the city is home to MLS side Sporting Kansas City, NWSL club KC Current and MLB franchise Kansas City Royals.

OLBG’s top five experiences for visitors

1. Bally’s Kansas City – A two-level riverboat casino with 900 slots and a 45,000 sq ft casino

2. Arrowhead Stadium Experience – The home of the Kansas City Chiefs one of America’s most iconic sporting venues

3. Kansas City Barbecue – Embrace the barbecue culture with iconic restaurants including Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, Gates Bar-B-Q and Q39

4. Jazz District – Visit the historic 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District, home to the American Jazz Museum and legendary live music venue The Blue Room.

5. National WWI Museum and Memorial – The Liberty Memorial area will also host Kansas City’s official FIFA Fan Festival during the tournament.

With elite sporting infrastructure, billion-dollar casinos and one of America’s fastest-growing betting markets, England’s World Cup base could become one of the tournament’s biggest off-pitch attractions.

Supplier aligns with one of America’s fastest-growing online casino brands as RubyPlay’s multi-studio ecosystem drives tier-one demand

RubyPlay, a studio-based layered content ecosystem, has partnered with Fanatics Casino, bringing its content to the operator’s New Jersey platform.

The partnership sees a selection of RubyPlay’s titles go live in the Garden State, including Mad Hit® Mr Coin, Immortal Ways® Magic Gems, and Mad Hit® Diamonds, giving Fanatics Casino’s fast-expanding player base access to some of the studio’s most established titles.

New Jersey is one of the US’ longest-established regulated iGaming markets and remains an important part of RubyPlay’s North American growth strategy, following the company’s initial entry into the state in early 2025.

The partnership with Fanatics Casino further strengthens the supplier’s presence across the country, bringing its games to a broad and highly engaged player base.

Dima Reiderman, CCO at RubyPlay, said: “Partnering with Fanatics Casino is a prime example of how we are growing in North America with tier-one brands. Expanding in New Jersey, where we first launched in the US, makes this a particularly meaningful step and reinforces our commitment to building long-term, high-value operator relationships in key regulated markets.

“Our approach is centred around a layered content ecosystem, built to support sustained engagement and performance over time. For operators like Fanatics Casino, this means access to a broader and more flexible content strategy, shaped by multiple studios, including Koala Games, Mad Hat Games, xSlots and Firerose, each focused on specific markets and audiences. As the North American market continues to evolve, that adaptability is becoming increasingly important, and partnerships like this highlight how our model is resonating with leading brands.”

Kieron Shaw, Sr. Manager, Casino Content for Fanatics Betting and Gaming added: “RubyPlay’s studio-led model provides a framework for deeper, longer-term player engagement, which is exactly what we are looking to achieve as we continue to build out our offering. Bringing renowned series like Mad Hit® and Immortal Ways® to our New Jersey customers is an exciting step, and we see strong potential in the partnership moving forward.”

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Platform pairs sportsbook simulations with a QualiBest survey on fan confidence and compares 2026 sentiment to Brazil’s 2002 campaign.

Superbet has launched “As Odds do Penta,” a data and research hub focused on Brazil’s 2026 World Cup outlook, using sportsbook-driven simulations and public opinion polling to compare the current cycle with the national team’s 2002 campaign. The initiative was announced in São Paulo in June 2026 and is hosted at termometrosuper.com.br.

According to Superbet, its sportsbook model runs predictive simulations and weighs performance metrics alongside qualitative inputs, including media coverage tone and fan engagement, to recreate historical probabilities and compare them to today’s market. “The odds in 2002 would certainly be as high as what we have now in 2026.. The scenario has several similarities: widespread distrust, a tense qualifying phase, and pressure from the press.”, said Guilherme Simantob, a statistician at Superbet.

Superbet also cited results from “Termômetro Super,” a survey commissioned from Instituto QualiBest and conducted June 4-6 with 824 internet users aged 40+ across Brazil. The company said 58% of respondents see a medium-to-high probability of a Brazil turnaround in 2026, and that 58% reported being optimistic or moderately confident based on historical parallels. The release also noted demographic splits, including higher uncertainty among women; a more negative view among Class A respondents compared to Class C; and a stronger “medium probability” view among respondents aged 61+ (44%) versus those aged 40-50 (33%).

On whether prior World Cup disappointments affect belief in a 2026 title, Superbet said 35% reported that pressure from previous defeats reduces confidence, while 22% said history shows Brazil performs strongly when expectations are low; 37% described themselves as moderately confident.

The company added that, based on its reconstruction, Brazil would have been priced at 8.50 in 2002 (which it equated to an 11% mathematical chance). For 2026, Superbet said Brazil’s title odds are around 9.50, and that the “mercado internacional” assigns the team about a 5% chance to win. Commentator Jorge Iggor, cited in the release, argued that entering without being the market favorite can reduce pressure: “Looking at the historical context and the odds themselves proves that not carrying the absolute favoritism for 2026 is a great advantage. Arriving without the weight of being the top team on the market relieves the pressure and makes the atmosphere much lighter. In 2002, the team also defied all predictions and clinical doubts about its main stars to lift the trophy.”

Superbet also highlighted what it called an experience edge in the current squad: “There is an unprecedented and favorable point for the current team. The players selected for the 2026 tournament have accumulated far more titles than the 2002 team at that time: 305 titles combined now, compared to 176 in 2002. This provides experience in big games that could be our unseen advantage.”, Simantob said. The company said the hub will update during the tournament, including additional “Termômetro” polling updates tracking changes in public confidence.