Women in Sports Betting: Breaking Barriers

It was only five years ago that the sports betting industry was massively dominated by men. However, during this period, women have been making their presence felt, both in prominent industry positions, the sports themselves, and as keen sports bettors.

We’re going to explore the ways in which women are changing the sports betting industry for the better by challenging stereotypes and bringing new markets to light. 

Women in the Sports Betting Market

One of the areas where the largest shift has taken place is in the number of women who now take part in sports betting. As of 2024, approximately 31% of regular sports betting customers, in the United States, are women. 

This marks a considerable shift in the sports betting demographic, where historically sports betting has been a massively male dominated area, now nearly a third of bettors are female. This only becomes more pronounced when we look at the online only statistics.

Women in Online Betting 

The largest growth in sports betting has been in the online realm. In the US alone, around 20% of women aged from 18 to 49 have an account with at least one online sportsbook. 

Last year alone saw a 115% year-on-year increase in women joining sports betting apps (a total of 4.6 million) compared to an increase of 63% for men. This percentage is nearly double that of men, showing how large this shift has been.

Increased Engagement with Women’s Sports

Heading across the pond to the UK now, for a 2023 survey which brought some fascinating results. From 5,000 respondents (half male, half female) it was found that 60% of regular bettors actively follow women’s sports. 

As you might expect after the Women’s Euros in 2022, women’s football was the sport of choice for UK bettors. Around 23% of male sports bettors have made wagers on women’s football. This might not seem like a lot, but this percentage lines up with bets placed on men’s cricket, tennis, boxing, and rugby. So, we have a lot to thank the lionesses for!

Younger Demographics and Women’s Sports

Part of the reason for such an increase in the number of women who are now betting on sports is in the interest from the younger generation. Two-thirds of the bettors who engage with women’s sports are under the age of 45. 

This is fantastic news for an industry that wants to embrace both women betting on sports, and everyone betting on women’s sports, as the younger generation will inform where investment from sportsbook goes. 

Female Athletes in Media Coverage

One area that certainly could be worked on is the coverage of women in sport. As we’re in the thick of the Olympics with notable female powerhouses like Simone Biles, Ilonah Maher, and Sha’Carrie Richardson to name but three, it feels as though the media is making a turn. 

However, at the moment only 15% of sports media coverage is being dedicated to women’s sports. Despite this, more than half of the top marketable athletes were women! There’s a big disparity here, one that the smarter sportsbooks will capitalize on.