Results of comprehensive study on women's sports and sports betting to be unveiled at iGB L!VE

A "ground-breaking" study on women's sports and sports betting will be launched at the upcoming edition of iGB L!ve in Amsterdam, event organizers announced on Friday. The major gaming industry expo returns to RAI Amsterdam on July 11-14, with the “Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women's Sports Growth, Betting Trends, and Integrity Challenges" study set to be presented on July 12.

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), All-In Diversity Project (AIDP), Entain, Flutter, and Stats Perform joined forces for this study and will together unveil its results to the expo's attendees. The study was conducted by the German Sport University Cologne and analyses the economic development of five women’s sports: soccer, tennis, basketball, cricket, and volleyball.

However, what sets the study apart is that, for the very first time, research also takes "a deep dive" into the betting trends in women’s sports and examines the integrity of women’s sports at a point in which such events are gaining momentum.

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “Women’s sport has moved from the margins to the mainstream – it is the future of sport and sports betting. That is why understanding the transformation of women’s sports and what it means for the sports betting market and sports integrity is so important."

"With the Women’s Football World Cup due to start in July, this is a great moment to kick off the conversation about women’s sports, betting and integrity. We look forward to presenting the results of the study at iGB L!VE”

The data confirms that the last 5 years have seen a dramatic rise in the popularity of women’s sports across the world. For example, last’s year’s Women’s Euros final set a new record for attendance of 87,192 for any Euros final, men or women, and the 2019 Women’s World Cup was also watched by 1.12 billion people across all platforms.

Latest reports also show that there are no signs of a slowdown, as momentum keeps building around women's soccer. More than 1 million tickets have already been sold for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and it is expected to set new records for attendance and viewing.

But the growth of women’s sports is not just visible in this sport. Both women’s rugby and cricket are also seeing similar popularity surges, with both World Cups attracting record crowds and viewers as mainstream broadcasters wake-up to the massive potential of women’s sport.

As interest in the events grows, sponsorship and investment are also on the rise. Women’s sport is attracting prestige brands, such as Visa, and in 2023, the Women's Premier League saw one of the largest financial injections in the history of women’s cricket when five teams were auctioned for more than $570 million.

Women's cricket is also seeing a surge in popularity

In addition to these developments, the study also analyses how the rapid growth of women’s sports is impacting the number of bettors, bets placed, and betting volume, and assesses whether there are particular characteristics to women’s sports betting.

Additionally, the study provides an assessment of the potential integrity threats to women’s sports, including the type of match-fixing, level of play, involved stakeholders, and financial and sports consequences.

Dr. Sören Dallmeyer, professor at the German Sports University, stated: “As women's sports continue to gain popularity, so does the expansion of sports betting within this domain."

"One of our roles as a research institution is to study this rapid growth closely. Based on existing scientific evidence and data, we aim to identify where threats to the sport's integrity may arise and determine the most effective strategies to counteract these challenges.”

The results from the study will be presented by Henry Steinfeldt, Professor at the German Sport University Cologne, followed by a discussion around the impact on the industry with Vasileios Bountzouklis, Commercial Manager- Betting, Stats Perform; Silvia Paleari, Director of Public Affairs, IBIA; chaired by Christina Thakor-Rankin, Co-Founder, All-in Diversity Project.

Christina Thakor-Rankin

Christina Thakor-Rankin commented: “The rise in women’s sport is bringing in a new, younger and more female generation of sports bettors whose attitude and approach to betting is very different to male bettors. This has implications not just for sports integrity, but also trading practices, market making and safe gambling."

"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. Thank you to IBIA, Germans Sport University Cologne, Stats Perform, Entain and Flutter for their support in helping the industry to take this very important first step.”

The study's presentation takes place within the framework of iGB L!VE's much-expected 2023 edition. The show will comprise 14,805 gross sqm dedicated to product, learning and networking, organizers confirmed this month.

The net figure, which reflects the space occupied by exhibitors, stands at 5,870sqm, making it 30% bigger than the previous high of 4,513sqm recorded last year. The increase in floor space is also reflected in the number of exhibitors who will have a presence in Amsterdam: that figure stands at 207, compared with the previous high of 173 - an increase of 20%.