Sports betting spikes at local sportsbooks as major events drive surge in action

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- With the World Cup heating up and the NBA Finals all wrapped up, sportsbooks are seeing a surge in betting.

From championship basketball to international soccer, fans aren’t just watching the games, they’re putting money on the line.

We checked in with one local sportsbook to find out which event is driving the most action. Senior Race and Sportsbook Manager Richard Lyon said, “So, we’ve seen a lot of sports betting action in total. A lot more has come in on the NBA Finals so far. In the World Cup, for sure, we think that as it gets closer to the championship, we will see a lot heavier action. We will see a lot of parley bets coming in right now. People just rooting for their favorite teams.”

Officials at BetMGM say they expect betting to pick up in the later rounds of the World Cup, especially if Team USA makes a deep run in the tournament.