Kiosks like this at Capital One Arena in Washington, D. C. , will soon also be a familiar site for Phoenix sports fans. Fan Duel’s retail sports inside the Phoenix Suns Arena will allow for a variety of bets, adding women’s sports. (Photo courtesy of William Hill Sportsbook)
PHOENIX – What comes to mind when you talk about sports betting?
A dark room that smells of cigars?Railbirds on an equestrian track?A guy with his hat on his forehead in a roadside casino?
This is the classic view of sports betting. Since it became legal in the U. S. In 2018, and with its apps, websites and stands at sporting events, it no longer seems so. This may just be good news for women’s sport, as some observers claim that greater accessibility to the game can result in greater interest and fandom.
“One way to increase the audience for women’s sports would be to upplay the game,” said Lindsey Darvin, an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Cortland who studies diversity and gender equality in sports. “Allow other people to interact in the same way they do on the men’s side, but for women’s sport, because you don’t necessarily have to be a fan of an express team, an express athlete, an express sports league. “
The sporting landscape continues to change.
“There’s a kind of perception that men bet with their local bookmaker and have gone to their local bar,” said Amber Hoffman, editor-in-chief of i15 Media, which runs internet sites that teach other people about legal betting markets, adding Arizona. “Now that things are legal in one form or another, whether online or in person, in about two dozen states, it’s becoming more and more common. “
It’s in Arizona, where the PGA Tour announced in April its goal of opening a bookmaker in TPC Scottsdale, and where the structure of a fanduel retail bookmaker has already begun inside the Phoenix Suns Arena. Legality is helping to blend in with sports entertainment culture, Hoffman said. Fans turning to sporting events are very likely to hear discussions about point differentials, sports above/below, and fantasy.
In general, gambling and fantasy sports load a social network to watch games.
“(People) appreciate the side of the games, and that makes them very interested,” Darvin said. “They appreciate the fantastic side. They create groups with their friends, with their friends. They meet weekly. They make a draft. “
In addition to the social aspect, sports betting encourages enthusiasts to participate in games for the duration of their duration, as bettors can bet on individual players and express statistical achievements in contests that are not as captivating.
Cheri Kempf, senior director of Athletes Unlimited, a new professional sports league for women, said those benefits increase to greater participation in the sport, as other people spend time searching for fast players and analyzing fit fites through fit.
“Investing is a kind of literal pun here in this situation,” Kempf said. “Whether it’s fantasy or betting or anything else, all of a sudden you care about every batter, your player you’re betting on or who the component of your team is. . . it becomes vital to you. “
Currently, other people play women’s tennis and it is one of the most watched women’s sports, and infrequently even surpasses men’s tennis as it did at the 2018 US Open.
Darvin believes adding fantasy sports to women’s sports would introduce more fans, as even those who don’t know much about the WNBA, for example, can worry about the players and their seasons. fantasy sports and women’s sports systems can generate more interest.
However, the political vacuum between men’s and women’s sports presents itself for fantasy sports and sports betting, as data on women’s sports for fantasy homeowners is minimal.
Women make up 40% of all athletes, but only 4% of sports media policy, according to a UNESCO survey. Darvin said it may generate more interest, but the lack of a women’s sports policy may mean other people can’t optimize their experience. .
“What will drive you more productive first?” asked. ” Should the game and fantasy take off?But then what about statistics? What about the media?I’d love to see them take place at the same time, but I know it’s probably not possible.
Kempf sees sports betting as a desire for women’s sports to expand their audience.
“People don’t know as much and when you don’t know as much about a sport, indifferent,” he said. “The more others feel like part of it, they perceive it, they can talk about it with their friends. “and they care in every respect, chances are they will feel part of this organization and continue to commit to it. “
Because other people who don’t know much about women’s sports can still know about sports betting, Kempf believes fantasy and play can appeal to women’s professional sports enthusiasts at a “crazy speed. “
Consider Athletes Unlimited to be a selection of herbs for sports bettors and fantasy sports enthusiasts, as the style of Athletes Unlimited is similar to how a team works. Instead of having teams explained, both, an athlete competes separately to earn points and win the season. playing team sports, both one week and two, team captains write a new team, looking for who did well the week before and what gaps they want to fill in their lineups.
Kempf said the league is making sure not only to hire classic sports enthusiasts, but also that tactics interact with other demographics, and sees sports betting as a component of this strategy.
Unlike Darvin and Kempf, Jill R. Dorson, editor-in-chief of sports news site Sports Handle, believes sports are just to attract the interest of women’s sports groups that excel or that other people are already enthusiastic about.
He used Connecticut as an example. Since the network has already invested in the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, sports betting may just be another way to participate, but they believe the effect will be small elsewhere.
“If you’re in a state where school girls’ basketball groups are mediocre and don’t have a huge following, sports betting is rarely going to massively attract them in a positive way,” she said.
Patrick Eichner, pointsbet’s director of communications, agreed with Dorson in general, but added that professional bettors and informal bettors are different. For informal bettors, it does not foresee greater interest in the women’s game. that they invest because they seek to find merit and it is possible that the women’s game simply offers them the opportunity to earn cash where others do not.
According to ESPN, the audience for women’s sports is increasing in all areas. Eichner said betting in women’s sports was following suit. others who completed a hiatus for the women’s tournament in 2019 did so in 2021.
PointsBet has noticed a significant increase in sports around the NCAA women’s basketball tournament this year compared to previous years and a similar trend with the WNBA, Eichner said.
He expects the stakes in the WNBA to increase once the league’s schedules return to general after adjusting for COVID-19, as the WNBA season high usually runs in the summer after the NHL and NBA playoffs instead of them. , which is the case at the moment. .
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Betting corporations like PointsBet recognize the potential price of making an investment in women’s sport. PointsBet only has one official WNBA betting spouse, and BetMGM has married the LPGA.
“Big names in the industry, like PointsBet and BetMGM, are looking for tactics to grow,” Hoffman said. “One of the main untapped markets is that of women.
Because the women’s gaming and gaming markets are growing, this represents an opportunity for both of you to help others along the way.
“It’s a kind of shared vision to all degrees in terms of two entities that are developing at a fairly rapid rate and are starting to open up to new demographics and being able to join forces and ultimately see how you can help everyone. one to the other, the other on both sides of the table,” Eichner said.
PointsBet can now work with WNBA express groups on referrals and integrate the WNBA logo into your product. The company also highlights a WNBA game of the night each night on its social media.
Kempf said partners must succeed in humans, so the way you succeed in humans is a credit to them.
“If you have a lot or thousands of people interested in this, whether it’s literally in betting and genuine money, or just the right to brag, with their little teams of friends, or whatever, they’ll connect. “Kempf said: “Not only will they connect, however, they will be careful, so it’s wonderful for their partners and sponsors because everything they give to fans, spectators or renters pays attention to that as well.
As more and more states put legal gaming betting into effect, its effect on women’s gambling will become clearer. In Arizona, gaming bets are expected to be released on Sept. 9, an immediate change since Gov. Doug Ducey only signed the law allowing it. betting on daily gambling and fantasy games in April.
Catie Cheshire hopes to graduate in August 2021 with a master’s degree in sports journalism. Cheshire is a graduate assistant at the National Centre for Disability and Journalism.
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