BetMGM Enjoys Increase in Betting on Women’s Basketball

Across the United States, sports betting’s popularity continues to grow. Since 2018 when PASPA was struck down by the US Supreme Court, now, more than 30 US states offer legal sports betting. Pennsylvania was one of the first sports betting markets in the country, considering it launched retail betting back in November 2018, followed by an online sports betting market launch in May 2019.

The state currently has multiple professional sports teams that enjoy plenty of support from sports fans and bettors alike. While in general, most of the popularity is split between the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, NCAA Division I basketball has also seen an increase in popularity.

More importantly, a significant increase was observed in the popularity of NCAA women’s basketball. A report released by Play Pennsylvania reveals that during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, a significant increase was observed in betting on women’s basketball. Citing data from BetMGM in Pennsylvania, the publication revealed that betting on women’s basketball during the tournament marked a significant increase.

Viewership of Women’s NCAA Games on the Rise

Christian Cipollini, a sports trader for BetMGM, revealed that the viewership for NCAA women’s games increased. He explained that the soaring viewership helped attract more bettors during the tournament in Pennsylvania.

Cipollini said that the betting handle reported by BetMGM on the women’s NCAA Tournament this year increased by 30% when compared to 2022. Finally, the sports trader explained that this was the first time BetMGM was able to compare the women’s NCAA Tournament action to an NFL game.

“With viewership of the women’s NCAA games being up, as was betting action throughout the tournament. BetMGM saw a 30% increase in handle on the women’s NCAA Tournament this year in comparison to last year. For the first time ever, action was comparable to an NFL game.“

Christian Cipollini, sports trader at BetMGM

The reported increase doesn’t come as a huge surprise, considering the growing interest in NCAA women’s basketball. In fact, LSU’s victory of 102-85 against Iowa was deemed as the most-viewed NCAA Division I Women’s College basketball ever, according to Boardroom. The popularity of the game increased 103% year-over-year, hitting a record viewership of 9.9 million. Moreover, the game hit a peak viewership of 12.6 million, making it the most-viewed college event on ESPN+.