Xpander

How to play Xpander

Thanks to their hosting of the World Cup, numerous cities across the nation have experienced higher visitor volumes this year.

They include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Austin, Detroit, and New Orleans have also reported higher tourism in 2026.

The record-breaking numbers make clear that Americans haven’t pulled back on travel spending, even amid a challenging economic backdrop. But that demand hasn’t necessarily translated to Las Vegas in 2026, as World Cup host cities absorbed a larger share of domestic trips.

About Xpander

“The Fifa World Cup draws global attention in a way that no other sporting event can, and it was the best stress test of the technology we could have asked for,” says Oliver Lamb, SVP of trading at Kambi.

“We also delivered a nigh-on limitless range of bet combinations, delivered in a more rapid and more seamless manner than we have been able to before.”

Kambi’s path to the 2026 World Cup began with its initial investment in AI trading technology in 2021. The platform was deployed at scale during the Qatar 2022 tournament and fully embedded within its trading operations by 2024.

What is Xpander?

Veikkaus has submitted licence applications as a private entity, joining around 50 other companies that had applied to join the upcoming market by the end of June.

The company committed to a management reshuffle late last year as part of this transition, scrapping the role of deputy CEO after Velipekka Nummikoski was shuffled into a new role.

The operator has made a number of key operational and technology changes during this process, including switching its sportsbook backend from DraftKings to OpenBet. And hiring a number of industry stalwards to lead its competitive business.