New research from mobile insights consulting from Global Wireless Solutions has found that female users are signing up to US sportsbooks at a faster rate than men.
GWS data noted that over 4.6 million new female users joined sportsbook betting apps in 2021, showing 115% year-on-year growth, compared to the growth of men being just 63%.
Breaking down the acquisition of female customers per operator, FanDuel led the way in 2021, signing up 1.7m women. FanDuel was followed by DraftKings (900,000) and BetRivers (600,000).
Notably, BetRivers, along with its associated New Jersey outlet SugarHouse, has a higher proportion of female users than male users by 54% to 46%, with the 600,000 women signing up in 2021 beating the 380,000 men who signed up during the same period.
Elsewhere in the report, GWS revealed that the number of users downloading mobile sportsbooks in the US is doubling each NFL season, given the rise in legalized states and growing interest as a result.
Despite this growth, it was noted that over two-thirds of mobile sportsbook users do not use such apps more than five weeks throughout the year, but those who make up the top 5% of usage make up 51% of total wagers in 2021.
Once again referring to gender-based data, female users, despite enormous growth in 2021, use sportsbook apps less frequently than men, with 71% of females using sportsbook apps for 1-5 weeks throughout the year compared to 61% of males.
Paul Carter, CEO at 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.”
