- More than 4.6 million US women joined sportsbook betting apps in 2021, with female user rates growing 115% compared to 2020
- The biggest apps in US sportsbook gambling saw up to 1 million new female users sign up, with some now claiming more female users than male
- The number of sportsbook app users has doubled over the past two years, with a significant increase during every NFL season
- The top 5% of sportsbook app users make up over half (51%) of all app usage, with the top 20% of users responsible for 83% of app usage
Dulles, VA, 26th April – With the upcoming NFL draft set to add to the already record-breaking amount spent on sportsbook wagers this year, new data has revealed that US online betting companies are now capturing female users at higher rates than ever before, with some betting apps now boasting more women on their platforms than men.
Following recent comments including those from FanDuel’s Amy Howe highlighting sportsbook betting apps’ ambitions to boost their appeal to women, the new data shows that over 4.6 million new female users joined Sportsbook betting apps in 2021, showing 115% year-on-year growth. Though the number of male users still exceeds female by 250%, the rate of men using sportsbook betting apps grew by 63% in the same time period.
The findings, published by mobile insights consulting firm Global Wireless Solutions (GWS), were collected and weighted via the company’s opt-in OneMeasure Consumer Panel (OMCP) of 200,000 US adult smartphone users.
GWS found that FanDuel brought in more new US female users in 2021 than any other sportsbook gambling company, with an estimated 1.7 million women joining since the previous year. Next was DraftKings who added an estimated 900,000 new female users. BetRivers, along with its associated New Jersey outlet SugarHouse, also showed success in attracting new female users to the extent that the company now has a higher proportion of women than men in its user base (around 54% to 46%). The company saw approximately 600,000 women sign up in 2021, compared to just under 380,000 men.
This growth was part of a broader trend that has seen the number of sportsbook app users double every NFL season following a series of bills across numerous states that have made online sports betting legal. Still, much of this rise in app usage has been driven by the younger generations, with those aged between 25-44 showing double the monthly sportsbook app usage than any other age group.
GWS also found that the vast majority of smartphone sportsbook gamblers only use the apps intermittently, with over two thirds (64%) engaging with them for no more than five weeks across the year. However, the findings show that those who are fanatical about sportsbook gambling apps more than make up for it, with the top 5% of users making up over half (51%) of all app use. The top 20% of users are responsible for 83% of sportsbook app usage.
Despite the significant growth in female users across different sportsbook platforms, GWS found that women tend to use mobile betting apps less frequently throughout the year. 70% of female app users only engage with the apps for 1-5 weeks per year compared to 61% of male users.
GWS also used its consumer panel to measure the perceptions of 663 American adult gamblers, finding that sportsbook bettors reported losing money less frequently than bookmakers’ profits might suggest. When surveyed 29% of sportsbook app users said they had lost more than they had won, but the same amount (29%) also said they won more, overall, than they had lost.
This seemingly overinflated view of sportsbook winnings also adds explanation to the reactions many sportsbook gamblers had to a loss. Rather than reducing the amount spent on bets or quitting altogether when they lose, the data showed that sports gamblers often doubled down, with 17% increasing the amount placed on the next bet. Other common reactions to losing money on sports bets include swearing in public (12%), getting drunk (10%) and throwing one’s phone in disgust (6%).
Paul Carter, CEO, Global Wireless Solutions, commented: “The power of increasingly sophisticated applications, smarter mobile phones and ever stronger digital connectivity has made many aspects of our lives easier and more convenient – and now, this includes sportsbook betting. It seems that the increase in mobile betting has enabled sportsbook app makers to reach demographics they had historically struggled to attract, including women and younger adults. While it is of course important for people to bet in a responsible way, it’s interesting to see how superior digital connectivity is allowing industries to adapt and reach new audiences. One of the most beneficial aspects of the proliferation in mobile technology is its increasingly catch all nature, with new groups turning to trends and experiences they might have previously ignored.”
