Sportsbooks Behind the Ball on Women's Soccer Odds

The National Women's Soccer League playoffs begin this Sunday. Caesars Sportsbook is the only sportsbook offering odds on the tournament. FanDuel promises to post the markets 48 hours before kickoff. For most sports betting markets, the odds are posted shortly after a tournament bracket is set and for an outright winner are also posted.

Sportsbooks are not offering odds on the National Women's Soccer League playoffs. Caesars Sportsbook is the only one offering the odds. FanDuel will have the playoffs available this week. DraftKings has seen bets on women's sports increase 61% year over year. The sportsbook also offers outright betting odds for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. It saw a market increase of 270% in WNBA bets this summer. The number of women's leagues available has increased by 30 times since 2018.

The team is bullish on women's sports. They have booked the championship game in the past, but it's difficult to fit it in with the sports calendar.

FanDuel is happy with the handle and interest in the NWSL games.

Here are some of the things we learned from conversations with FanDuel, Caesars, DraftKings and other books.

The NWSL is not approved for sports betting in New York. The league is mired in scandal. Women's sports get only 4% of the total sports media coverage. TV exposure might be trending in the right direction for the league. In 2020, the NWS sealed a new media rights deal and the viewership grew by 476%. This year's Championship match will be aired for first time in primetime on CBS. The match can also be watched internationally on Twitch.

Sportsbooks have to be sure they'll get enough public action to make offering new markets pay off. For larger sportsbooks, adding a small league doesn't affect ROI so significantly. Major sportsbook have the opportunity to open smaller markets, which could impact visibility for the NWSL.

The sports betting calendar is packed this time of year with the NFL, MLB playoffs, NHL, and the NBA starting up next week. Smaller leagues get less attention from sports bettors during busy times of the year. The highest bet-on women's league is the WNBA.

There is a lack of rich data in the women's sports. This affects the oddsmaking industry. The MLS has more player performance stats than the NWSL. For club stats, the website has about one-fifth the amount of data compared to the MLS. The data is getting better but needs to improve for individual player markets.

Sports betting is a huge source of revenue for the major leagues. The NFL is projected to gain $2.326 billion from sports betting.

Sportsbooks Behind the Ball on Women's Soccer Odds projected that MLB will make $1.106 billion and NBA $585 million.