The Evolution of Betting on Women's Sports

Women are signing up for mobile sports betting apps at a much higher rate than men. In the US, over 4.6 million women signed up in the past year.

SheBettor is sister website to Gaming Today. They want to know why women's sports have historically received less betting action than men's.

In the 1800s, women educators wanted their women students to be able to play sports. In 1972, the US enacts Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex for educational programs or activities that receive funding from the federal government. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 1992 banned single-game wagering everywhere except for Nevada. PASpa was struck down in 2018.

In 2022, sports betting and women's sports are exploding in popularity. Since 2018, 30 states have legalized sports gambling, 21 of them allow online betting. In Feb. 2022 the US Women’s National Soccer Team won a $24 million settlement and a pledge from the U.S. Soccer Federation to equalize pay between men's and woman's teams. The NCAA women”s basketball championship set the record for the most-watched college basketball on ESPN since 2008. It was also the highest bet-on women in BetMGM history.

30 states have legalized sports betting in some form. 21 states allow online betting. The US Women’s National Soccer Team won a $24 million settlement and a pledge from the US Soccer Federation to equalize pay between men's and women's teams. In April 2022, the NCAA women”s basketball championship set the record for the most-watched college basketball on ESPN since 2008. It was also themost bet-on women in BetMGM history.

The Evolution of Betting on Women's Sports is an exciting time to be a fan of women's sports and sports betting.

Sportsbooks in the United States have seen growth in wagers on women's sports year-over-year. FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars Sportsbook report that bets on the WNBA have increased. The biggest handle goes to the Australian Open Tennis, College Basketball, US Open tennis, and Olympic Basketball.

Women comprise 40% of all athletes but only 4% in sports media coverage. Women's sports get less funding, less promotion, and less broadcast time. There's no rich data available on women's sport.

The Fan Project found that women's sports fans are ideal candidates to be active mobile sports bettors.

Women's sports fans are networked and more active than other fans. They are more prepared to promote their sports and their teams. They prefer to watch sports together. Women's sport have had abysmal broadcast coverage compared to men's.

Women's sports fans are networked and more active than other sports supporters. They are more prepared to promote their sports and their teams. They want to watch sports together. Women's sport fans have had to learn how to use apps and streaming services.

Jaymee Messler argues that women's sports are proven to deliver when given a real platform. The recent media rights deal with CBS increased the number of women’s sports fans by 476%. The NCAA women basketball final broke viewership and sports betting records. ESPN and the NCAA invested in the women.