Women’s sports are gaining traction with soccer pulling the biggest numbers. Yet, a concerning byproduct of this growing popularity is the integrity of the games and the safeguards in place to prevent any nefarious activity.
This rise in popularity could have an impact on the U.S. sports betting realm with the current Women’s World Cup in soccer.
Women Betting on Women’s Sports
“Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women’s Sports, Betting, and Integrity Challenges” is a recent study conducted by the German Sport University Cologne and jointly sponsored by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), All-In Diversity Project (AIDP), Entain (owner of bwin, Coral, Ladbrokes, PartyPoker and Sportingbet), Flutter (parent company of FanDuel), and Stats Perform.
The study revealed that match-fixing is currently greater in men’s sports but the women’s sample size was too small to draw definitive conclusions. Yet, as interest in women’s sports escalates so too does the volume of betting on the events which could conceivably lead to match-fixing. The more money, the greater the possibility of corruption.
The report is a proactive approach to addressing this growing possibility and Grainne Hurst, Group Director of Corporate Affairs at Entain, voiced her support for women’s sports and the role gaming companies are playing in advocating for increased scrutiny of those contests.
Hurst stated, “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.”
The study focused on women’s soccer, basketball, tennis, cricket, and volleyball. Soccer has seen the most interest, growing 20% annually since 2020 while the others revealed a 10% growth rate between 2017 and 2022. Furthermore, female bettors have increased at a 10% annual clip across all five sports.
Women’s World Cup Expected to Set Records
Khalid Ali, CEO of the IBIA, echoed the need for a pragmatic approach to protecting the players from unscrupulous parties and vigilantly policing the burgeoning betting sector.
“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,” Ali said. “The dramatic growth of women’s sports is a hugely positive development – for fans, the sports and athletes themselves, and also for the betting market.”
“It is creating very significant and untapped opportunities for sports betting. However, with increased growth, comes an increased responsibility for ensuring we get ahead of the game when it comes to sports integrity and the fight against match-fixing in women’s sport. There is no room for complacency,” he added.
The study authors made a series of recommendations to bolster integrity in women’s sports, including:
- Strengthening monitoring and enhancing cooperation between sports governing bodies, betting operators, and law enforcement agencies
- Developing tailored education and communication programs for athletes, coaches, and support staff to raise awareness about the risks of corruption and match-fixing
- Promoting fair wages and economic transparency in women’s sports to reduce the risk of corruption and match-fixing
Christina Thakor-Rankin, Co-Founder of All-in Diversity, continued: “This study wants to be the beginning of a conversation with the betting industry on how it addresses women’s sports. By understanding what this new and rapidly evolving landscape looks like we put ourselves in the best possible position to keep customers, sports betting operators, athletes, and sport safe for all.”
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