Posted on: 01/10/2024, 06:30h.
Last updated on: 30/09/2024, 06:45h.
Klaus Zimmermann
As Euro 2024 progressed, female sports betting fans made up a steadily growing proportion of bookmakers in the UK. This is the result of a study conducted by the British gambling authority UKGC on betting behavior during the European Football Championship.
Euro 2024 fueled betting interest (Image: UEFA)
The market research institute Yonder examined British sports betting activity before, during and after the European Football Championship on behalf of the UK Gambling Commission. The market researchers asked around 6,200 people about their betting behavior in three surveys.
The surveys of more than 2,000 participants were carried out one week before the start, during the group and knockout phases and one week after the tournament ended. The market researchers paid particular attention to the behavior of female sports betting fans from Great Britain at Euro 2024. There were also analyzes of the age of the bettors.
The analysis of the survey revealed a growing enthusiasm among female fans for sports betting. While 20.8% of men and only 6.7% of women were interested in it before the start of the European Championship, this difference decreased significantly afterwards.
During the course of the tournament, 27% of men and 9.6% of women bet, whereas after the end 27.3% of men but at least 13.3% of women said they had placed bets with bookmakers.
England’s successes fuel betting enthusiasm
According to Yonder, the driver of the increase in betting interest among women and men was the European Championship. Accordingly, the stakes rose parallel to the Take place of the English team.
Added to this were the bookmakers’ marketing campaigns. According to the survey, offering free bets contributed to 60% of respondents’ participation in sports betting.
In addition to female fans, the proportion of younger players also increased over the course of the European Championship. While only 14% of 18 to 24 year olds had bet before the tournament, this number grew to 36% by the finale.
The participants cited the chance to earn money as the main reason for the missions. But possible wealth through gambling seems to have been just one of many reasons, as fun and excitement were also often mentioned as triggering factors.
However, the sustainability of interest from male and female sports betting fans is uncertain after the end of Euro 2024. The market researchers also found that interest in future sports betting did not increase further during the course of the tournament.
