In its estimates, GCI relied on global monitoring operations and market analytical information, using data sources owned by it and others licensed from third parties.
The company defines a “qualifying view” as a view that lasts at least 90 seconds, and this indicator measures the number of views of the broadcast, not the number of unique viewers. It said its methodology takes into account broadcast interruptions, forced refreshes, reloading, switching between alternative broadcast channels, and resetting channels during the match.
According to GCI’s analysis, the average qualifying views for illegal broadcasts reached 1.68 billion views per match globally, while the Spain-Argentina final recorded 6.2 billion qualified views.
The company said that its monitoring operations showed a link between illegal sports broadcasting and advertisements for unregulated online gambling, noting that illegal broadcasters may obtain revenues from advertising and referring the public to unregulated gambling operators, through referral agreements that allow them between 25% and 50% of the net gaming revenues that these operators achieve from referred customers.
GCI had previously monitored this connection in Great Britain, as it said that an analysis issued in January 2026 recorded 3.1 billion views of illegal broadcasts lasting 90 seconds or more across the top 10 sports during 2024, in addition to another 1.6 billion views during the first half of 2025, with unregulated gambling ads appearing in 89% of the illegal sports broadcasts it monitored.
GCI also estimates the total value of online betting globally during the 2026 World Cup at about $593 billion, of which $409 billion, or 69%, is through the unregulated market, compared to $184 billion, or 31%, through the regulated market.
The company’s analysis finds that illegal streaming allows unregulated gambling operators to reach sports audiences while watching live events, while legal and illegal streams compete for the same audience.
GCI also warned of security risks associated with some illegal streaming sites, saying that video players, pop-ups and fake buttons calling for HD or 4K viewing may hide malware, spyware and keystroke logging software, which could expose user data to surreptitious collection.
Matt Holt, CEO of GCI, said that the volume of views monitored by the company indicates that illegal broadcasting operates on a large scale and competes with legal broadcasters for the audience, adding that the spread of unregulated gambling advertisements within these views turns illegal broadcasting into a channel to attract customers for the benefit of this market.
For his part, Ismail Vali, president, founder and former CEO of Yield Sec, said that confronting the phenomenon requires, in his opinion, dealing with the illegal market and its supply chain in an integrated manner, in addition to enforcing the rules and improving legal services provided to consumers.
