UKGC survey sees increase of female bettors during Euros

British betting activity during the 2024 Euros showed a healthy increase, especially among females, according to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). 

A research co-led by consumer behaviour analyst Yonder showcased that the success of England in this year’s competition naturally strengthened the interest in the tournament, all the way through to the very final where the Three Lions went against Spain.

The survey in question included a series of questions spread across three waves, the first being a week before the start of the Euros, the second conducted during the group and knockout stages, and the third and final wave reaching consumers a week after the tournament had ended. 

Each wave of questioning was met with answers from just over 2,000 participants, for a total of 6,237 responses. Questions focused on betting activity and intentions, awareness of advertising, use of promotional offers, gambling motivations, as well as the effects on behaviour of seeing England reaching the final. 

To no surprise, England’s success was a key factor in driving handle for operators, alongside promotional offers, motivation to ‘make games more interesting’, or simply the potential monetary incentive. 

Free bets proved to be the most popular type of promotion, utilised by every three out of four bettors. Meanwhile, sports betting advertising seemed to have had limited impact on betting behaviour, with less than 10% of respondents saying they’ve placed a bet because of an ad. 

When looking at the betting activity divided by gender, a total of 20.8% of males reported betting on the Euros during the pre-tournament stage – against the backdrop of 6.6% of females. Mid-tournament saw 27% of males placing a bet, with 9.6% of the opposite gender doing the same. 

In the last wave, a total of 13.3% of females reported placing a bet compared to a relatively unchanged male customer base of 27.3%, with Yonder concluding that the ‘notable increase’ in female bettors ‘significantly outpaced the rate of increase among male respondents’. 

Looking at the age proportion, there was also a high increase of bettors aged 18-24 in wave three of the survey (36%) compared to those in wave one (14%). 

Money-wise, a large percent of respondents revealed that they’ve had a set budget for placing bets on the Euros. Out of all those surveyed, 67% said they’ve spent the amount they’ve anticipated, 15% reported spending less than their initial goal, while 10% reported spending more than they had planned. 

Looking ahead at potential future trends, Yonder and the UKGC highlighted that 67% of respondents anticipate placing a bet on the 2026 World Cup, 52% on the Premier League, and 22% on the recent Olympics. 

However, since those numbers did not change between wave one and three of the survey, it would be safe to assume that the Euros had no influence on betting behaviours across other sporting events.