The interest in women’s sports, with respect to both viewership and betting participation, is on the rise, according to recent findings. As per ESPN Chalk’s David Purdum, BetMGM has just reported a 40% year-on-year increase in betting on women’s sports, including the WNBA, professional soccer leagues, LPGA, WTA, and more.
A group of European sports betting industry leaders also recently released a study titled “Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women’s Sports, Betting, and Integrity Challenges,” which affirmed that the popularity of women’s sports is increasing.
creating very significant and untapped opportunities for sports betting”
“The dramatic growth of women’s sports is a hugely positive development — for sports lovers, the sports and athletes themselves, and also for the betting market,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). “It is creating very significant and untapped opportunities for sports betting.”
The rise in popularity has been helped by a combination of greater awareness, as well as the growth of star players and marquee events.
A women’s March Madness showdown between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and the Angel Reese-led LSU Tigers drew 9.9 million viewers this year, just over two million fewer than the 2022 World Series and over twice as much as the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final.
In a landmark moment in June, Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana headlined UFC 289 in what was the former’s final fight of her career, which ended in a victory via unanimous decision.
The women’s World Cup is also in line to potentially smash betting and viewership records for women’s sports when it gets underway on July 20. BetMGM has the USA as +225 favorites to win the competition, ahead of England (+400), Spain (+550), and Germany (+700).