Why Betting on Sports Is Still a Man’s World in the United Kingdom

UK betting statistics reveal more men betting on sports than women, even in the entertainment betting sector.

The Grand National has once again proved that betting is primarily a man’s thing, although the number of women wagering on sports increases every year. Let’s take a closer look at why betting is considered to be something men do, and why women tend to despise this activity.

Grand National

Saturday revealed how Dr. Richard Newland managed to train Pineau De Re to win the Grand National ahead of all the favorites. Many punters were surprised and disappointed, but the luckiest ones were bettors, who believed the little guys can do it, and are now counting their winnings under British gambling laws.

Every year, the famous horserace gathers a huge number of bets. Almost half of the country’s adult population wants to bet on sports in the United Kingdom bet on sports in the United Kingdom during the Saturday race. The event is widely referred to as the “Christmas for the bookies”, and certainly is the biggest day on the British gambling calendar.

While this year’s figures are yet to be revealed, the race usually generated around GBP 150 million in bets. What’s even more interesting is the fact, that Grand National is one of the rarest, if not the only event, when women are actually making up a considerable percentage of bettors: one third of the total bets placed.

Other bets women usually place

With the increase of entertainment betting offers, women have much more opportunities to wager on different events at both land-based and online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom. Some of them bet on Dancing with the stars, The Voice, Dancing on Ice, or other popular TV show competitions. Other place bets on the latest social events and celebrities lives.

However, betting is still an uncharted territory for most women. One of the main reasons is the perception of the shops in the eyes of women. Most of them think about the betting outlets, as something dodgy, located in the dark part of town. With the advancement of online and mobile betting those days are now over, but it will still take a lot of time for women to catch up to men in terms of the amount of money they bet on sports.

What do women gamble on

Women are usually big on bingo, that’s a historic fact. Also they are the biggest spenders on online games like Candy Crush and the like. You can see lots of beautiful women at the casinos, but they are primarily hanging out with some rich suited guys with a thick Russian accent. But what about the real statistics of betting on sports?

Gambling in the UK is primarily a man’s thing
 
• Recent research revealed a bigger percentage of men betting in the UK • Both land-based, mobile, and online sportsbooks in the UK were looked at
• Men even lead the entertainment betting statistics

The recent gambling research statistics from Kantar Gambling Survey reveal that the high-street bookies are visited by 88 males and 12 females from a 100. And this can be understandable, given the still persistent fear of actually going to a betting shop. But, online and mobile statistics show almost the same split: 77-23 for online and 84-16 for mobile gambling.

Research, carried out by William Hill has proven that TV reality betting is mostly done by women, but there’s little to be surprised about there. The increase in this type of betting and women spending money on online and mobile games, still doesn’t lead to an increase in the number of women betting on sports.

Remember betting on the Royal baby name? Surprisingly, 43 percent of those bets were placed by men, contrary to popular belief it was women who wager on those things. Just as a small comparison, a usual Premier League match, generates around 8 percent of bets by women, you can feel the difference, can’t you?

What women say about betting

A William Hill executive, Kate Miller, knows her way around sports betting: she practically grew up among odds. Her dad was a bookie, and enjoyed him teaching every little thing about betting, percentages and sports. According to some industry experts, Kate is one of the best female tipsters in the UK.

British gambling news have once quoted Kate Miller saying that she enjoys the whole process of betting. The preparation and in-depth research to find a winner: studying trends, grounds, conditions, and of course the mathematical side of things – assessing the odds, and ultimately betting on the event.

According to Kate, the reason women don’t bet as much as men, lies more in psychology, men tend to use the affirmation coming from placing the right bet as an ego booster more often than women.

Based on the Kantar’s research, 31 percent of men in the UK have placed a bet during last year, while only 18 percent of women did likewise. When asked if they like the risk of betting, 26 percent of men agreed, while only 18 percent of women who bet said yes.

It seems that betting is still largely a male thing. And while women can enjoy the occasional bet or lottery ticket, it’s still men who make up the majority of bets in the United Kingdom.