Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa State Hawkeyes defeats Louisiana 94-87 in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena in Albany, New York on April 1, 2024 The State College Tigers celebrate afterward.
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Monday night’s superstar women’s college basketball game not only drew crowds, the game set a new sports betting record.
fan duel told CNBC that the LSU-Iowa game was the biggest betting event in the history of women’s sports.
The record bets come as women’s sports have reached an inflection point, with the rise of once-in-a-lifetime superstars like Caitlin Clark and rising valuations of women’s sports franchises Sports are reaching larger audiences and attracting more interest than ever before.
ESPN explain Women’s Sweet 16 ratings It set a record for the highest ratings ever, an increase of 96% over last year. Ratings for women’s sports events are flooding into the sports betting space, reaching record highs. However, with only 26% of bettors being women, according to the American Gaming Association, sportsbooks see a huge opportunity.
Monday’s LSU-Iowa game is a nail-biting rematch between two legendary teams: household names Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and legendary coach Kim Kim Mulkey, whose leadership style has always been Capture the latest headlines. All that combined made it the No. 1 betting event on Monday, ahead of all National Basketball Association, MLB and National Hockey League games, FanDuel said. This game saw a 28% improvement in possession compared to the 2023 Women’s National Championship Game.
The ensuing game between UConn and USC was the third-highest sportsbook game of the day, with fans watching star Paige Bueckers score 28 points and grab 10 rebounds , helping UConn win 80-73.
“We’ve seen incredible growth in betting on women’s sports as fans show unprecedented interest, and we look forward to seeing what fans see,” Karol Corcoran, senior vice president and general manager of FanDuel Sportsbook, said in an email. How to get involved during the Final Four.”
Draft king Women’s basketball also dominated sports betting Monday night. A spokesperson told CNBC that the women’s basketball games were the two most important games last night, ahead of every MLB and NBA game.
The sportsbook said the game is comparable from a handle perspective to many NFL games from last season.
Bette MGM Also had a big night, calling Iowa State’s game against LSU the most watched women’s basketball game ever.
Seamus Magee, trading manager at BetMGM, said: “It was a special night for match and sports betting as we saw record handles both pre-match and live.”
Looking ahead to the women’s Final Four, FanDuel says the Wolfpack will be upset with Iowa State as 2.5-point favorites over UConn and South Carolina as 11.5-point favorites over North Carolina.
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