The new betting audience is women!

Publication date: 24 Oct 2023

They have confidently come to betting sites.  They are ready to get the hang of new sports, bets and odds. According to statistics, they even win more! Who are they? Meet a new audience in online betting – women!

Sports betting: what is the choice of women?

Experts say that betting on women’s sports is growing in different sports, leagues and teams. As an example, such a trend is noted in the report of BetMGM betting company, which is based on the analysis of statistical data for 2023. For instance, compared to last year: 

• in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) competitions, betting has increased by 27%. 
• the number of participants in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s basketball tournament in 2023 increased by 30% and the number of active bettors by 22%.

Thus, BetMGM experts clarify, for the first time, betting on the NCAA women’s tournament was comparable to playing in the NFL.

However, basketball is not the only sport that has experienced an increase in betting. Women’s tennis and golf are also up 40% year-over-year. 

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup also broke records for the number of bets received. This made it the most popular sporting event in BetMGM’s history.

• Softswiss platform experts have collected interesting information based on the last year’s data. It turned out that Europe is the leader in terms of the number of female users of betting companies (18.11%), followed by Latin America, but Asia is far behind. These figures can be attributed to the high level of female participation in the European economy, resulting in higher levels of education and personal income.

The growth of betting on women’s football was also reported by British bookmaker William Hill. Besides the fact that the total number of bets is growing, the BC representatives also claim that the female audience among those who bet is increasing. For example, in England’s first three matches in the group stage of the tournament alone, a fifth of bets were placed by women.

• According to the German Sport University Cologne, the amount of the sports betting market among women is growing rapidly. Since 2020, the annual increase in just football alone is 20%.  

Women’s betting in different countries: the best GEOs

The US is one of the most active and fastest developing gambling markets in the world.  Even with this explosive growth, DraftKings experts anticipate even more development, with new opportunities related specifically to women’s sports. According to DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, interest in women’s sports betting is gaining momentum. Recent data indicates that the top teams in the USA Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, have clearly revitalized the women’s basketball betting market. Meanwhile, the US Women’s National Team has received more bets than Inter Miami featuring football star Lionel Messi. The expansion of betting markets on women’s sports is in line with the ongoing changes in the sports industry towards diversity, inclusivity and equal opportunities for female athletes.

In Brazil, betting on women’s football has grown by 139% in the past year (2022)! Based on data from Igaming Brazil, the majority of betting (95%) has been on the Brazil Women’s World Championship 2022.

• Data and statistics for this event for 2023 are not yet available, the final was held on 10 September.  Announcements and dates for the 2024 Brazil Women’s Championship can be found in the Sporting Events Calendar on 3S.INFO.

Simultaneously, the number of women betting on sports has also risen! According to Galeda, a gaming company, the number of bets placed by women is around 40%.  Whereas in 2021, the figure was only at 18%. In BC Esportes da Sorte, the percentage of female bets is 43.8% (for 2023), a year earlier there were 36% of women among the bookmaker’s players. At the same time, the most active (more than 45%) bettors are women between 25 and 34 years old. Read more about the target audience and other peculiarities of working with bookmakers in the review “How to promote online betting and gambling in Brazil?”.

UK bookmakers are deliberately starting to attract more women to gambling. For instance, BC Entain announced the development of special technologies aimed at women.  The promotion of free games and casual games, as well as changes in playing time are expected to attract women to betting.

By the way, the second area for expanding the Entain bookmaker’s audience is millennials. Find out who they are and how to attract them to betting in the article “How to promote betting and gambling according to the theory of generations”.

• Interesting fact! The heads of the UK’s biggest bookmakers are women. Jette Nygaard-Andersen is the CEO of Entain Plc and the head of Bet365 is Denise Coates, one of the richest women in the country.

The significant expansion of the female segment in sports betting is a reflection of the trend towards gender equality in betting. Women have long and firmly penetrated the “traditionally male areas of life” such as exact sciences, careers and action sports. This has led to an explosive growth in the number of women placing daily bets on sports worldwide.  Moreover, they are much more interested in betting on women’s sports! So, it’s time to explore a new niche: choose the best betting offers on 3SNET, generate creatives targeted to the female audience and launch your advertising campaign!