FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023: Examining the betting appetite in Britain

According to a recent poll conducted via YouGov Surveys, a fifth of all sports gamblers in Great Britain say they are very likely or fairly likely to bet on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (22%). This is in addition to 8% of sports gamblers who have already placed one or more bets on the event as of 3 August. Looking at Britons on the whole, 5% say they are likely to place a bet, with 3% having already placed bets during the event.

Among more regular sports gamblers – that is those who place a bet at least once a month on average – the share of those likely to place a bet stands at 32%. About a tenth of these monthly sports gamblers have already placed a bet on the marquee event (9%).

Sports gamblers in the piece are defined as those who have placed any bet(s) on a sports event over the past six months.

Unsurprisingly, there is a correlation between those watching the World Cup and betting appetite. Among Brits following the event ‘very’ closely, over a third say they are likely to place a bet (36%), with 6% having already placed a bet or more. Among those saying they follow the event ‘fairly’ closely, just 17% say they are likely to place a bet and only 1% have already placed one.

But who are these potential bettors? Seven-tenths of those who say they are likely to place a bet on the World Cup are men, with women making up just 28% of the group. Women actually constitute a bigger share in the group of sports gamblers (33%) overall. So, it is somewhat curious that they form a smaller cohort within the group of potential World Cup bettors, which is arguably the most important women’s sporting event globally.

At 57%, young Brits (aged 18-34) are significantly over-represented in the group of potential FIFA Women’s World Cup bettors. This group makes up less than half that share in the overall British population (26%).

A third (34%) of potential World Cup bettors are aged between 35-54, and just a tenth of them are aged over 55 (9%). It is worth noting that those aged over 55 make up three times that share in the group of sports gamblers (27%).

Some of this data is perhaps encouraging for betting companies, particularly the higher levels of betting interest among young people. But how do brands convert this betting intention into action? According to responses about factors that would motivate consumers to bet on the event, attractive odds (37%) and promotions (35%) are major draws among potential bettors.

A third of these potential bettors also say that their support for a particular team or player could encourage them to bet (32%), which could become more of a factor with the Lionesses still roaring in the late stages of the event. More than a quarter of these potential bettors could get swayed by the chance to feel more engaged with matches (27%). Knowledge of a player or team stats (26%) is also a big motivator.

Betting recommendations from friends (20%), a bettors’ guide to the tournament (17%) and recommendations from gambling experts (13%) also could play a key role in attracting potential gamblers.

For betting companies, this data is an opportunity to tweak their marketing messages to emphasise on factors that are the most likely to appeal to potential gamblers.

Having worked for YouGov for over a decade, Oliver Rowe has advised companies including Tesco and Barclays on their reputation management. He now brings that experience to a sector which includes the betting and gaming industry in his role as global sector head for leisure and entertainment.