The World Cup is in full swing, is USDT becoming the "new favorite" for betting on football?

Foreword

At the early morning of June 12, 2026, Beijing time, the 23rd FIFA World Cup officially kicked off. With 48 teams, 104 matches, spanning Canada, Mexico, and the United States as hosts, this event is not only a carnival for global football fans but also a “hotspot” for illegal gambling and crypto scams.

Hong Kong police have explicitly stated that with the start of the World Cup, illegal gambling activities are expected to increase significantly. More alarmingly, in recent years, the promotion, contact, and betting methods of illegal gambling have shown a clear digital trend, even using virtual currencies for transactions to evade law enforcement. Meanwhile, on-chain security monitoring has detected multiple active cryptocurrency scams targeting World Cup fans, with related scam funds converging into specific blockchain and exchange addresses.

USDT—this stablecoin with a market cap of about $190 billion—has become the “preferred currency” for illegal betting payments during the World Cup due to its price stability, strong anonymity, and fast cross-border transfer capabilities. Analyzing this on-chain fund flow is a key step in understanding the risk chain behind online gambling.

Part 01 - Why Has USDT Become the “First Choice” for World Cup Online Gambling?

During the World Cup, the demand for fund flow on betting platforms will surge explosively, with USDT playing a central role.

1. Stablecoins solve “betting fluctuation anxiety”

Traditional cryptocurrencies (BTC / ETH) are highly volatile, while USDT is pegged to the dollar, allowing users to:

• Deposit 1000 USDT ≈ 1000 USD

• Be unaffected by market fluctuations

• Directly serve as “betting units”

This enables betting platforms to establish a unified pricing system.

2. No reliance on banking systems, instant cross-border transfers

USDT (especially TRC20) features:

• Transfer without KYC

• Global wallet interoperability

• Irreversible transactions

For betting platforms, this means: once funds enter the chain, they are in an “irrecoverable state.”

3. USDT traffic spikes significantly during the World Cup

According to observations from multiple on-chain security agencies:

• USDT transfer frequency increases markedly during the World Cup period

• Activity of betting-related addresses rises

• Number of intermediary addresses expands rapidly

Part 02 - Visual Guide: The Complete On-Chain Fund Chain of USDT Online Gambling

The fund flow in USDT online gambling is not simply “bettor → platform → withdrawal,” but involves multiple layers of jumps, cross-chain dispersal, and complex money laundering chains.

1. Bettor deposits

The fund flow in USDT online gambling is not just “bettor → platform → withdrawal,” but involves multiple layers of jumps, cross-chain dispersal, and complex money laundering chains.

2. Platform dispersal collection

Platforms do not concentrate all betting funds in a single address but gather funds through numerous scattered addresses. Each address receives small amounts, dispersing transfers to evade on-chain monitoring and risk control systems.

3. Intermediary address groups

Funds are consolidated from scattered addresses into intermediary address groups. This stage features rapid in-and-out transactions and large deposits—funds enter and quickly transfer out, with address control patterns (such as gas fee payment modes) highly consistent within the same group, serving as important on-chain identification clues.

4. Mixer obfuscation

Some funds enter mixers (like Tornado Cash), where multiple sources are blended and redistributed, disrupting the linkability of fund sources and increasing tracking difficulty.

5. Cross-chain jumps

Funds jump across multiple public chains via bridges—for example, from Polygon to Tron, then to Ethereum. This creates “break chain” illusions by exploiting information silos between different blockchains.

6. Final cash-out

Funds are transferred to exchange deposit addresses and converted into fiat currency to launder the money. Notably, security detection platforms have found that crypto scam funds related to the World Cup are flowing from Polygon to Tron and directly into exchange deposit addresses—indicating the entire money laundering chain is accelerating its closed loop.

Part 03 - Three Typical USDT Online Gambling Scams During the World Cup

Scams during the World Cup are not “single models” but highly industrialized operations.

1. “USDT Betting to Evade Regulations” Scam

Updated scripts:

• “On-chain betting, no real-name required”

• “Unregulated, high odds”

Essentially:

Fake betting platforms + backend manipulation of wins and losses

2. Fake Sports Betting Platforms (High-Replica Sites)

Features:

• UI highly mimics legitimate platforms

• Allows small withdrawals initially

• Later, directly freezes accounts

Typical tactics:

“Win you 100 USDT first, then make you lose 1000 USDT”

3. Insider predictions / guaranteed win plans

Scripts:

• “Internal data predictions”

• “AI analysis for guaranteed wins”

• “Match outcome manipulation models”

Essentially:

Targeting “information-anxious users”

Case: “Gambling network” behind promotion and traffic

Besides direct scams targeting bettors, gambling groups are also heavily involved in promotion and traffic diversion. During the World Cup, many “sure-win recommendations,” “inside scores,” and “high odds portals” seen on social media are paid ads from gambling sites.

In June 2026, Guangxi Yulin Cybersecurity Department, as part of the “Clean Network—2026” special operation, cracked a case involving online gambling promotion and traffic diversion related to the World Cup. Suspects set up studios, posting大量 gambling ads in images and videos across multiple social platforms, providing traffic and operational services for gambling sites, and profiting illegally. They have now been criminally detained.

Police actions show: promoting and diverting traffic for online gambling is now clearly illegal. Ordinary users should avoid clicking, trusting, or sharing such ads.

Part 04 - How to Identify USDT Gambling Addresses on the Chain?

From a security analysis perspective, abnormal funds can be identified through on-chain behavior:

1. Fast in-and-out pattern

The most typical feature of gambling addresses is rapid in-and-out transactions—funds stay in addresses for very short periods, almost never overnight; dispersed deposits, large outflows—many small amounts from different addresses are consolidated into large transfers; daily balances are nearly zero—funds do not accumulate in any address.

2. Abnormal address clustering

Clustering algorithms can reveal that many addresses interacting with the same betting platform, though appearing independent, show high consistency in transaction times, amounts, and counterparties, and can be grouped as the same entity.

3. Gas fee consistency

Addresses controlled by the same group show highly similar gas payment patterns—regardless of gas price choices, transaction timing, or gas limits—forming a “behavior fingerprint” in on-chain analysis.

4. High-frequency cross-chain jumps

Funds frequently jump between different chains—Polygon in, Tron out, then to Ethereum. Such cross-chain activity is a significant risk indicator, especially when funds ultimately flow into exchange deposit addresses, effectively locking in the cash-out stage.

Part 05 - How Ordinary Users Can Recognize and Prevent USDT Gambling Traps?

As an ordinary user, you don’t need to be an on-chain detective, but the following points can help you avoid most traps:

Avoid any “USDT betting” projects

If you see keywords like:

• Stablecoin betting

• On-chain gambling

• Web3 prediction

• No real-name required, high returns

Treat it as high risk immediately

Beware of “sure-win models”

Any promises of:

• Guaranteed wins

• Insider info

• AI predictions

• High win rates with signals

are standard scam scripts in gambling fraud.

Don’t trust “small withdrawals with profits”

The core logic of gambling scams:

• Let you win first, then make you invest more

Platforms often allow small initial withdrawals to build trust. As users increase their investments, they will be restricted from withdrawing through claims of account anomalies, deposits, or withdrawal reviews, eventually running off with the money.

Small withdrawals do not mean the platform is safe.

Keep on-chain evidence (key)

If you have already transferred to a suspicious platform, immediately save:

• Transaction hash

• Wallet address

• Chat records

• Transfer screenshots

• Platform URL

Although blockchain transactions are difficult to reverse, on-chain data is transparent and public. Complete evidence helps with subsequent fund tracking, risk assessment, and reporting to authorities.

When you detect anomalies, do not continue transferring—preserve evidence first.

Conclusion

USDT makes cross-border fund transfers extremely efficient but also enables black and gray industries with unprecedented “liquidity.” The World Cup is not only a sports event but also becoming one of the most active on-chain fund flow cycles in black and gray markets.

From an on-chain perspective, the essence of these USDT gambling scams is not complicated:

Use stablecoins as packaging, gambling as the entry point, and cross-chain as the laundering method.

For ordinary users, the most effective protection is simply:
Avoid participating in any form of on-chain gambling—it's the best risk isolation.