Betting on Women’s vs Men’s Sports – Football, Psychology and Market Evolution: Part 2

Author: Matthew Haynes

In the first part, we examined the economic divide in basketball and the evolving demographics of the betting market. Now the focus shifts to football, tennis and the psychology behind bettor behaviour. These areas reveal whether growth in women’s sports betting is driven by temporary spikes or the foundations of a longer-term structural change.

Football's Accelerating Rise

Football offers a different trajectory. The women's game has undergone rapid development over the past decade, and its impact on betting has been considerable. The European Championship in 2022 provided one of the most-watched women's sporting events in British history, with more than seventeen million people tuning in to see England defeat Germany at Wembley. That level of visibility inevitably drew bettors. Sportsbooks reported volumes that rivalled mid-tier men's competitions, and in some cases, women's football accounted for nearly ten percent of football handle during tournament peaks.

The Women's World Cup in 2023 continued this momentum, with global audiences climbing and betting engagement following closely behind. Major operators introduced player prop markets and expanded in-play options to capture the enthusiasm of fans who were watching live broadcasts in prime slots.

Yet once the tournament ended, the momentum dipped. Domestic leagues still do not attract equivalent attention. Matches in the Women's Super League are televised more than ever before, but viewing figures remain far behind the Premier League. Betting activity reflects this reality. A Chelsea versus Arsenal women's match may attract interest, but week-to-week fixtures struggle to maintain the same profile. The challenge for women's football, therefore, lies in sustaining engagement across an entire season rather than relying on quadrennial surges.

Tennis and the Symbol of Equal Pay

Tennis has long been viewed as a sport where men and women occupy parallel stages. Grand Slam tournaments present both simultaneously, and matches alternate on show courts. The four majors have gone further by awarding equal prize money to the singles champions. Wimbledon now pays the men's and women's champions around three million pounds each, a statement of symbolic equality that few other sports can claim.

Though the commercial realities still diverge. Television audiences for men's finals typically exceed those for the women's final, particularly in the era dominated by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Serena Williams was able to close this gap for a time, becoming a global superstar who drew audiences across demographics, but her retirement has left a vacuum in star power. Betting patterns mirror this imbalance. Although women's tennis offers the same opportunities for in-play wagering and data analysis, men's matches tend to attract greater volume. The equalisation of prize money has not translated into equal betting engagement.

The Psychology Behind Bettor Behaviour

For decades, fans have been immersed in the names and histories of men's competitions, creating a sense of comfort and reliability when placing a wager. The global fame of athletes such as LeBron James or Lionel Messi provides anchors for betting decisions. Women's sport, despite its growth, has not yet produced the same level of universally recognised figures, though individual stars like Caitlin Clark are beginning to shift this dynamic.

Perceptions of quality also influence behaviour. There is a common assumption among casual fans that men's competitions are more predictable or professional. Bettors often equate predictability with profitability, even though women's competitions can present inefficiencies that create opportunity. The belief that men's games are a safer arena for wagers endures, even if it is not always supported by evidence.

The role of operators should not be underestimated. Sportsbooks shape bettor behaviour through design and promotion. When NBA lines are highlighted on front pages and WNBA fixtures are hidden within submenus, users are subtly guided towards certain markets. Equal visibility and marketing would alter engagement, yet operators are hesitant to allocate resources to products that do not currently generate equivalent revenue. The 2024 data suggests this calculus may be shifting as operators recognise untapped growth potential.

Signs of Change and Future Possibilities

Despite these obstacles, there are reasons for optimism. Media coverage of women's sport has increased dramatically, creating greater familiarity with athletes and competitions. Younger demographics are particularly receptive to campaigns that emphasise gender equality in sport, and their betting habits in the years to come will shape the market. That wider shift also sits within the broader debate over the gambling’s social impact, where growth and consumer harm are increasingly discussed side by side. Statistical coverage is expanding across leagues, with women's basketball and football beginning to generate the kind of data depth that enables advanced betting models.

DraftKings projected an additional 50% growth in WNBA betting for 2024, building on already impressive gains. The combination of star power, improved broadcasting, and sophisticated marketing suggests women's sports betting may be approaching a tipping point where sustained year-round engagement becomes viable.

International tournaments act as accelerants, drawing in casual fans who are then exposed to betting markets. Each surge provides operators with an opportunity to capture new customers and create long-term habits. The key lies in whether those habits persist once the spotlight moves elsewhere. Early indicators from 2024 suggest retention may be improving as women's leagues extend their seasons and maintain visibility between major events.

Betting as a Measure of Social Progress

As explored in Part 1 of this analysis, basketball shows the clearest commercial divide, while the second half of the story comes into focus through football, tennis and bettor behaviour.

Betting on women’s vs men’s sports remains uneven, yet the trajectory is unmistakable. Basketball demonstrates both the commercial gulf and the explosive growth potential, with the NBA still dwarfing the WNBA in every measurable respect while 2024 betting figures reveal unprecedented momentum. Football illustrates the potential of visibility, as global tournaments create moments of mass engagement and substantial betting activity. Tennis reveals that equality in prize money can coexist with persistent differences in audience and betting demand.

The act of betting reflects more than economics. It is a cultural barometer that measures how society values competitions and athletes. The data from 2024 and early 2025 suggest a genuine inflection point. Female participation in sports betting continues to climb, betting on women's competitions is experiencing triple-digit growth rates in key markets, and individual athletes are becoming genuine betting draws capable of moving lines and generating sustained interest.

As women's sport continues to grow in visibility, the betting industry will adapt, but the pace of adaptation will depend on whether viewership and cultural investment keep rising. The statistics indicate momentum is building. The odds may still be stacked unevenly, yet they are beginning to move faster than many anticipated. What was once dismissed as a niche market is increasingly recognised as a growth opportunity that operators cannot afford to ignore.