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The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), All-In Diversity Project (AIDP), Entain, Flutter and Stats Perform will unveil the results of a ground-breaking study on women’s sports and women in sports betting, ‘Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women’s Sports Growth, Betting Trends and Integrity Challenges’, during the 2023 edition of iGB L!VE in Amsterdam on July 12.

The study, conducted by the German Sport University Cologne, analyses the economic development of five women’s sports: soccer, tennis, basketball, cricket and volleyball. For the very first time it also takes a deep dive into the betting trends in women’s sports and examines the integrity of women’s sports.

“Women’s sport has moved from the margins to the mainstream; it is the future of sport and sports betting,” the Chief Executive Officer for the IBIA, Khalid Ali (pictured), said. “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 five 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. One million tickets have already been sold for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and it is to set new records for attendance and viewing.

The growth of women’s sports is not just visible in soccer. Both women’s rugby and cricket are 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.

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.

The study also analyses how the rapid growth of women’s sport is impacting on 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.

“As women’s sports continue to gain popularity, so does the expansion of sports betting within this domain,” professor at the German Sport University Cologne, Dr. Sören Dallmeyer, said. “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 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,” Co-Founder of All-In Diversity, Christina Thakor-Rankin, said. “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 the IBIA, German Sport University Cologne, Stats Perform, Entain and Flutter for their support in helping the industry to take this very important first step.”

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.

iGB L!VE is cementing its status as the unmissable mid-year European-based event for the global iGaming community. The show, which takes place across July 11 to 14 at the RAI Amsterdam will comprise 14,805 gross sqm dedicated to product, learning and networking. The net figure that reflects the space occupied by exhibitors stands at 5,870 sqm making it 30% bigger than the previous high of 4,513 sqm recorded last year. The increase in floor space is 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%. iGB L!VE: July 11 to 14, RAI Amsterdam, www. iGBLive.com.

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