YouGov: Punters more likely to bet on Women’s Euros than the Ashes or Six Nations
Data shows undercurrent of interest in women’s sport as a betting market, with 16% of respondents planning to wager on this summer’s tournament
A YouGov study has claimed sports fan are more likely to bet on the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 than male sporting events, including the Six Nations and the Ashes this year.
The study was commissioned by OLBG and took place online between 20 December to 23 December 2024.
YouGov asked 2,054 people what events they planned to bet on in 2025, with figures weighted and representative of all UK adults aged 18 and over.
Events taking place this year include the Six Nations, Super Bowl, Wimbledon, FA Cup and Champions League finals, as well as basketball’s March Madness, the Ashes and Royal Ascot.
Of those surveyed, 48% said they would most likely bet on The Grand National, 33% said the FA Cup final, 29% the Champions League final and 22% the Cheltenham Festival.
However, 16% said they would bet on the Women’s Euros in July, with both England and Wales representing the Home Nations in Switzerland.
That figure is larger than the 10% of participants who said they would bet on the Six Nations, which begins on 31 January when Wales take on France, while 9% said they would bet on the Super Bowl and 6% on the Ashes.
Only 4% said they would gamble on US college basketball’s March Madness, the same percentage as the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in April.
The survey also found that 18% of men expect to bet on the Women’s Euros, while 11% of women in the survey said the same.
Commenting on the emergence of women’s sport as an event to bet on, OLBG CEO Richard Moffat said the involvement of both England and Wales will “drive interest”.
He remarked: “The surge in popularity of women’s football is well documented and it seems that betting patterns are starting to follow suit.
“Undoubtedly, the fact there’s a major tournament this summer including England and Wales will drive interest among bettors.
“It’s interesting to see that more people intend to bet on the Euros than some big, established showpiece events in 2025 such as the Ashes, the Super Bowl and the Six Nations.”
YouGov research from February 2024, commissioned by Stats Perform and the Women’s Sports Group, suggested women are “active, under-served bettors who enjoy the social aspect of betting”.
The study also noted that both male and female bettors find women’s sport an equally appealing proposition to bet on.
The OLBG-commissioned study added that 26% of people in the North West of England said they planned on placing a wager on a sporting event this year.
The next region on the list was Yorkshire at 24%, following by London at 22% and Northern Ireland at 21%.
On the opposite end of the scale, only 13% of people based in the South West said they planned to gamble in 2025.