177% up to 5BTC + 77 Free Spins!
New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 177% + 77 Free Spins
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), All-In Diversity Project (AIDP), Entain, Flutter, and Stats Perform have release a new study titled “Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women’s Sports, Betting, and Integrity Challenges.” The German Sport University Cologne carried out this study, which premiered at IGaming Business Live! in Amsterdam.
This report reviews into the commercial progression of five pivotal women’s sports: soccer, tennis, basketball, cricket, and volleyball. This marks the maiden venture into analyzing the magnitude and nature of the women’s sports betting market and assessing the potential susceptibility of women’s sports to match manipulation.
Khalid Ali, IBIA’s CEO, acknowledged the unprecedented surge in women’s sports, stating, “We are about to witness the best attended and most watched women’s World Cup in history, and where soccer leads other women’s sports are rapidly following.” He further noted that this rapid expansion carries immense untapped opportunities for sports betting, but also the responsibility to guard sports integrity and prevent match-fixing in women’s sports.
This research substantiates the concurrent expansion in women’s sports and betting on the same. Soccer spearheads this trend, having seen an annual market growth rate of roughly 20% since 2020, closely trailed by tennis, basketball, and cricket, which also reported growth rates exceeding 10% from 2017 to 2022.
In the recent years, the study finds a steady rise in female bettors across all five analyzed sports, with annual growth rates reaching 10%, and a doubling in the number of women betting on women’s soccer. This growth among women bettors underscores potential unexplored avenues.
While the study finds corruption levels in women’s sports to be significantly lower than in men’s sports, it also warns of the possible exploitation of sports and athletes by criminals manipulating matches. The analysis makes a series of suggestions to fortify the fight against match-fixing in women’s sport, including enhanced cooperation between sports governing bodies, betting operators, and law enforcement agencies; targeted educational programs to raise awareness about the risks of corruption and match-fixing; and advocating for fair wages and economic transparency in women’s sports.
Industry leaders voiced their support for the study and its findings. Grainne Hurst, Group Director of Corporate Affairs at Entain, said, “Entain is delighted to fund and support the publication of today’s study, which is an important step in increasing our understanding of developing trends within women’s sport.”
Alex Rice, Chief Commercial Officer at Stats Perform, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Understanding women’s sports fans is key to achieving this, so we’re proud to have helped with this important research.”
Looking ahead, the study advocates for more research and analysis on women’s sports and betting to further comprehend match-fixing dynamics in women’s sports and develop tailored approaches to sports integrity that address women’s sports’ unique circumstances.