Australia v England: 2023 Women’s World Cup sees major rise in female gamblers
As England take on Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final this morning, new gambling data reveals that more women are betting on football.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes and Coral report that 21 per cent of bets on England’s group stage games were made by women, up from 13 per cent at the last Women’s World Cup and 17 per cent at last summer’s victorious European Championship.
The trend is mirrored in the southern hemisphere, where bookmaker TABNew Zealand has seen 15 per cent of bets placed by women, a 67 per cent increase on the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Co-hosting the event has also sparked a major rise in wagers on the tournament in both New Zealand and Australia.
Betting with TABNew Zealand is up 365 per cent on the last edition of the tournament, while in Australia it increased almost 200 per cent.
The data was released by Entain, the London-listed global gaming group which includes Ladbrokes, Coral and TABNew Zealand as well as BetMGM, Sportingbet and bwin.
“This summer, we’re witnessing the biggest Women’s World Cup in history, and around the world there is a growing audience and appetite for women’s sports,” Dominic Grounsell, Entain’s Chief Commercial Officer.
“The facts say it all. More of our customers are finding new ways to support their favourite teams – and that’s with a bet.
“This can only be brilliant for women’s sport. The interest from fans is there, which paves the way for women’s sport to gain bigger audiences, more media attention, and more avenues for aspiring female athletes around the world to take up sports professionally.”
European champions England are chasing a first appearance in the Women’s World Cup final, having lost at the semi-final stage at the last two editions of the tournament.