Sportsbook 2023: How to Win the Bet on Women’s Sports
Against the exciting and apposite background of the Women’s Football World Cup in full flow Down Under, Sergey Tsukanov, Chief Product Officer at BETBY, explains why women’s sport in general needs to start becoming a key part of an operator’s sportsbook offering – and the help it needs to do so.
Is the Women’s World Cup proving to be an attractive betting proposition for brands?
“We all know that the popularity of women’s football is growing each year and its rising popularity can be evidenced by the 87,000 spectators who attended the women’s Euro 2022 final in London. It’s a very powerful sport that’s gaining momentum; although [many would argue] the level of entertainment, speed, and recognition of teams and players are still significantly lower than in men’s football.
“This year, the Women’s World Cup, being held jointly in Australia and New Zealand, has no other global sporting event to compete with. Australia, for example, has a huge fanbase for women’s football, where the team is affectionately called “The Matildas”, so what better moment for women’s football to grab the attention of an international audience?
“A problem of the Women’s World Cup is the big difference in the level of the leading teams, and the so-called “lesser” teams that make it to the tournament. There have been heavy defeats and little intrigue during the group stages. The real games that pique the interest of bettors will start in the knock-out rounds. The tournament will get its share of the attention from the audience and fill the void in time when other football events are absent. But not, as things currently stand, from a betting proposition.”
How has BETBY prepared for the Women’s World Cup to make the tournament attractive to bettors?
“BETBY has prepared for the Women’s World Cup like never before, to try and increase the interest of the audience in order to boost the general interest in women’s football as a whole.
“We have taken the same steps as when we cover the top five football leagues across Europe, providing an intuitive and engaging offering with an array of markets to wager on.
“In addition to this, we have also launched an additional league within our Betby.Games range to capitalise on the attention that the tournament is generating.
“We are delighted to announce the launch of a unique AI vs AI tournament among women’s teams, in celebration of the Women’s World Cup.
“Betby.Games has decided to commemorate the competition by introducing this innovation which will be the first of its kind, offering viewers and gamers a unique opportunity to witness artificial intelligence competing on the football pitch alongside the continuation of the Women’s World Cup.”
How is women’s sport fairing as a betting proposition within the industry?
“Women’s sports are an integral part of any bookmaker’s offering, but it’s worth noting that outside of tennis, where the WTA provides equal conditions for male and female players–thus generating much more interest–tournament and market coverage is usually much less.
“There are many outside factors that have a part to play in optimising women’s sport, particularly an increase in media coverage. As this improves, this should lead to more people becoming familiar with the athletes and teams, which could make women’s sports more appealing to bet on.”
What do you feel can be done to add further interest in betting on women’s sporting events up a level?
“There needs to be clear development of women’s sports by individual federations and governing bodies, which will raise the level of the game.
“As mentioned earlier, an improved stream of media coverage can only be beneficial to raise the base popularity and bring sports into the mainstream.
“This is fundamental to letting the bookmakers see the increased interest and larger audiences, meaning they will then see women’s sport as an attractive and viable betting proposition, resulting in them offering a more comprehensive betting product centred around women’s sport.”
Editor’s Note:
After catching up with Sergey, it’s encouraging to see the emergence of this trend towards women’s sport. There is clearly an integral role being played by this sector of the sportsbook industry and it has become a significant part of most operators’ portfolios.
However, it’s important to note that as Sergey so eloquently pointed out, outside of key sports such as tennis, there is still a lot more work to be done to raise awareness of the massive iGaming potential in women’s sports.
Hopefully, with exciting international tournaments such as the Women’s World Cup taking place and suppliers like BETBY forging the way ahead, the path towards greater adoption of women’s sports will become much easier.
