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Women’s Football: A Matter of Life or Death By Christina Thakor-Rankin
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arlier this year the All-In Diversity Project partnered with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)to host a session exploring the growing popularity of women’s sport and how this might have an impact in areas such as betting integrity and new commercial opportunities. The session covered a number of areas including the rising number of female sports bettors and included statistics indicating that 43% of sports bettors in the US could be women. Other research suggested that women sports-bettors were on average 20% more successful than their male counterparts. The session appeared to be well received by an open, interested and predominantly male audience.
information was being questioned, the surprise was that the this came from 1) a woman; and 2) a woman who considers themselves to be a supporter of women in the industry.
tions about the rise in female sports betting addiction the evidence is there for anyone who wants to see it. Women’s sport and sports betting is now ‘a thing’.
With that in mind it feels somehow fitting that as the Women in Gaming awards enter their second decade of celebrating women in the industry, the focus for this month should be about supporting women.
But women’s sport is so, SO, much more than just about female sports bettors and the commercial opportunities it presents to forward-thinking betting operators. In 2021 is it also fast becoming a platform for promoting gender equality and women’s rights.
A few weeks later elements of this discussion were repeated in a smaller closed session. What happened next came as something of a surprise. All-in was contacted and criticised for spreading misinformation in suggesting that the number of female sports bettors was so high. The surprise was not that our integrity or that of the
Add in some anecdotal data such as betting operators now regularly offering odds on women’s football, cricket and golf (not just tennis), the rise in women’s sports and betting communities on social media, female sports pundits appearing alongside their male counterparts, and reports from problem gambling organiza-
INFINITY GAMING
According to WGP Global women’s football (soccer) is the fastest growing sport in the world. According to FIFA the last women’s World Cup was watched by over 1 billion people, with 260 million watching the final live.
The Olympics and Para Olympics have seen female athletes raise awareness about the inequalities that continue to exist within sport. The Norwegian women’s volleyball team received a fine and risked disqualification after taking a stand against the skimpy bikini bottoms which are a mandatory requirement of the women’s uniform and appearing in shorts as worn as by the men’s team. The event also saw Lauren Hubbard represent New Zealand as the first ever transgender athlete
