Sports betting is gaining popularity as it becomes legalized in more states, and last year, the amount of women participating grew at a much faster rate than that of men.
More than 4.6 million women joined sports betting apps in 2021, according to Global Wireless Solutions, and female user rates grew 115% compared to 2020.
- FanDuel added around 1.7 million female users last year.
- DraftKings brought in an estimated 900,000 women.
While the number of men on sports betting apps was 250% more than women in 2021, men’s growth rate was only 63%.
Some of the biggest sportsbook apps in the U.S. reportedly now have more female users than male, including BetRivers and its associated New Jersey outlet SugarHouse (54% to 46%). Fewer than 380,000 men signed up with the company last year, compared to around 600,000 women.
Despite the higher growth rate, women use the apps less frequently than men. The study found that 70% of women engage with the apps for a mere one-to-five weeks per year compared to 61% of men.
New Numbers
The overall number of sportsbook app users has doubled over the last two years, with the top 5% of users claiming more than half of all app usage.
In 2021, sports betting revenue increased 179.7% from 2020 to a record $4.3 billion from $57.2 billion in handle.
