Sportsbook Operators Struggle to Attract Women, Gen Z Clients

Sportsbooks are trying to attract female and Gen Z customers

It’s been more than five years since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), paving the way for sports betting to reach a wider audience in the United States. The data shows that those betting on sports are the usual suspects.

Today, sports betting is open in 33 states and Washington, DC. It already exists and is legal in five more states and awaits rollout. Despite momentum and geographic expansion, sports betting has struggled to attract women and Gen Z.

Data shows that regardless of whether the activity is legal, a much higher proportion of women (74%) say they never bet on sports (74%) than men (51%) and all adults 21 and older (63%). ” According to Morning Consult data. “Additionally, Gen Z adults are more likely than Millennials to say they will never bet on sports (62% vs. 45%.”

In terms of gambling trends across generations, Millennials and Gen Z are avid gamblers. However, in the latter case, the data shows that they prefer online casinos to similar brick-and-mortar venues over sports betting.

Who is the “typical” sports bettor?

According to Morning Consult, the typical sports bettor is a millennial male earning around six figures a year. 61% of the generation

Morning Consult, which is active in political polling, says bettors are not biased against sports betting.

"Some might think that since Democratic governors have legalized online betting in major sports betting markets like New Jersey and Illinois, bettors are more likely to be considered liberal. But in reality, they are on the ideological spectrum The divide is fairly even and lawmakers’ crackdown on gambling is a bipartisan matter,” the research firm said.

By that logic, governors in blue states like Illinois, Michigan and New York who have approved sports betting don’t deserve a Gold Star. That's because they did it because of the financial problems caused by their policies and their predecessor's policies.

Since the fall of PAPSA in April 2018, some industry observers have attempted to politicize sports betting, often praising states like Illinois and New York for legalizing sports betting. However, of the 33 legal states, Former President Trump won 14 states in 2020, Kentucky and Nebraska are not included as they are the five legal but non-life states two of them.

College campuses are considered a good idea for sports bettors looking to interact with Generation Z. But marketing deals with gaming companies and college athletic departments have become controversial and are now considered taboo, forcing operators to consider other options.

"Sports betting may eventually strengthen its ties to national sports bar chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and Dave & Buster's, rather than relying on college campuses, as those chains' reach includes but is not limited to Gen Z, 21 and older." Morning Inter Consulting added. “For example, a chain could dedicate certain TVs in its restaurants to the new DraftKings streaming service.”

Women Should Not Give Up Sports Betting

There are signs that bookmakers should not give up on trying to attract women into sports betting. Women are less opposed to sports betting than men for ethical reasons.

"While some attribute the difference in willingness to gamble to moral reasons, the proportion of women who say gambling is immoral and would refuse to gamble (61%) is actually lower than the corresponding proportion of men (67%)," The Morning Consultation observed.“This suggests that a lack of familiarity with sports betting or sporting events targeting female interests is more likely to hold many people back.”

Some women who don't currently participate in sports betting said their views might change if bookmakers made more of an effort to highlight women's sports. FanDuel, the largest online sportsbook in the United States, does this through partnerships with the WNBA and Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

“Another step is to create more customized content around rising female sports stars like Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese to accelerate their rise,” Morning Consult concluded.

Clark (Iowa State) and Reese (LSU) were college basketball stars.