With the FIFA World Cup arriving in Toronto this summer, the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) is moving beyond public service announcements and into the streets, bars, and transit hubs where fans will actually be watching. The timing is deliberate: new data from the organization's own longitudinal research program shows that tournament conditions create measurably different – and riskier – betting behaviour.
What the Data Shows
The findings stem from the RGC Sports Betting Study, a five-year longitudinal study tracking sports betting patterns in Canada. The soccer-specific numbers are striking. More than half of soccer bettors – 52.7% – say their wagering during major sporting events is not typical of their regular routine. That self-reported shift in behaviour is accompanied by a pattern of high-engagement, fast-moving bet types: 91.8% of soccer bettors engage in live, in-play betting, 83.1% report micro-betting, and 89.3% use parlay bets.
Young adults under 25 are flagged as a particularly high-risk cohort for these mechanics, given the speed and compounding nature of in-play and parlay wagering.
The study also isolates cash-out features as a meaningful risk signal across all sports bettors. Among those classified in the problem gambling category, 64.5% used cash-out features three or more times. The equivalent figure among non-problem bettors was just 11.7% – a gap that highlights how specific product features, not just overall volume, correlate with harmful behaviour patterns.
Cash-out features create a second decision point mid-play. The data suggests they are used at dramatically higher rates by those already experiencing gambling-related harm.
The table below compares engagement levels with key bet types among football bettors and the cash-out usage gap between problem and non-problem gamblers, according to the RGC Sports Betting Study.
| Metric | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Football bettors whose activity changes during major tournaments | 52.7% |
| Football bettors who place live / in-play bets | 91.8% |
| Football bettors who use parlay bets | 89.3% |
| Football bettors who place micro-bets | 83.1% |
| Problem gamblers using cash-out 3+ times | 64.5% |
| Non-problem gamblers using cash-out 3+ times | 11.7% |
52.7%
Soccer bettors who say major event wagering differs from their regular routine
91.8%
Soccer bettors who engage in live, in-play betting
89.3%
Soccer bettors who use parlay bets
83.1%
Soccer bettors who report micro-betting
64.5%
Problem gamblers who used cash-out features three or more times
11.7%
Non-problem bettors who used cash-out features three or more times
The Campaign: Meeting Fans Where They Are
Running from June 22 through the tournament final on July 19, the "You vs. You" campaign is designed to intervene during precisely these elevated-risk moments. Rather than relying solely on digital or broadcast messaging, RGC is deploying physical activations across Toronto, Brampton, Scarborough, and Pickering – communities with significant soccer fan bases.
The activation mix includes branded placements at bars and restaurants, bathroom mirror decals at high-footfall venues, and street teams pairing Brand Ambassadors with PlaySmart Advisors. Out-of-home advertising is projected to generate an estimated 8.9 million impressions across the Greater Toronto Area during the tournament window.
The campaign's core message – "Back yourself – bet within your budget" – frames responsible behaviour as a personal choice rather than an externally imposed restriction, encouraging fans to set a budget, understand the bets they are placing, and check in with themselves and those around them before and during matches.
"Our research tells us that major sporting events change how people bet. More than half of soccer bettors say their betting during these events doesn't look like their regular routine. The World Cup is going to be an incredible experience for fans, and we want to make sure people have the tools and moments of pause to make decisions they feel good about. That's why we're showing up in the places where fans actually are: the bars, the streets, the transit stops."
— Sarah McCarthy, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council
The "You vs. You" campaign is funded through the Responsible Internet Gambling Fund (RIGF) from the Government of Ontario. Earlier this year, RGC released its RIGF impact report alongside a targeted PSA campaign for young adult males — the same demographic identified as highest-risk in the sports betting study. Additional resources are available at responsiblegambling.org.
What 'You vs. You' Means for Fan Engagement Strategy
The campaign's framing of responsible gambling as a personal performance standard — rather than a regulatory warning — represents a deliberate shift in tone. By anchoring messaging in self-determination language ('Back yourself'), RGC targets the same identity-driven motivation that makes sports betting appealing in the first place. Operators designing their own responsible gambling touchpoints during major tournaments may find this framing more effective than compliance-style disclosures, particularly with the under-25 cohort identified as high-risk in the study.
Operator and Regulatory Implications
For operators and compliance teams, the RGC data carries implications beyond this specific campaign. The sharp divergence in cash-out usage – 64.5% among problem gamblers versus 11.7% among non-problem bettors – provides a quantified behavioural marker that regulators and responsible gambling teams could reasonably treat as a monitoring trigger. If platforms can identify users exhibiting elevated cash-out frequency during live major events, that pattern alone may warrant automated intervention prompts or account review.
The broader finding that tournament conditions systematically alter betting routines for the majority of soccer bettors also raises product design questions. Features purpose-built for fast-moving live play – in-play markets, micro-bets, parlays, cash-out – are precisely those the study associates with problem gambling indicators. As the Canadian market matures under Ontario's regulated framework, the pressure on operators to build harm-reduction logic directly into these mechanics is likely to intensify. The Responsible Gambling Council's partnership with ICRG targets this kind of evidence-based global harm prevention, suggesting the sports betting data may inform international frameworks beyond Ontario.
RGC, which has delivered evidence-based awareness programmes for more than 40 years, positions the five-year longitudinal study as an ongoing resource for policymakers and the industry alike. How operators and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario respond to the specific feature-level data in the months following the World Cup will be worth tracking.
The timing also intersects with broader betting integrity considerations: the IBIA has already prepared a FIFA World Cup 2026 betting integrity framework addressing the unprecedented volumes expected across regulated markets this summer.
Warning
The 5.5x difference in cash-out usage between problem and non-problem bettors is one of the most operationally specific data points in the RGC study. Unlike aggregate volume metrics, cash-out frequency is a platform-observable signal — meaning operators already have the technical infrastructure to flag it. As Ontario's regulated market matures, the AGCO may move toward prescribing intervention thresholds tied to specific product features rather than relying solely on self-exclusion or deposit limit frameworks. Compliance teams should begin documenting how current systems respond to elevated cash-out activity now, ahead of any formal guidance.
RGC study data, especially the fivefold difference in cash-out use between problem and non-problem gamblers, is publicly available and can serve as a benchmark for setting platform monitoring thresholds. However, the article does not clarify whether AGCO or other regulators have formally adopted this data as a regulatory standard. Operators should consult regulators on its use in their own compliance systems.
The article describes physical activations in bars, restaurants, transit hubs and street teams across four cities, plus out-of-home advertising with projected reach of 8.9 million impressions. Details on digital or broadcast channels are not disclosed in the source, although responsiblegambling.org is listed as an additional resource.
The article positions the Sports Betting Study as an "ongoing resource for policymakers and industry," implying that it will continue after the tournament. However, the source does not mention specific next stages, publication dates, or plans to expand the sample. Operators and regulators that want to track further findings should contact RGC directly.
According to RGC.
