Can you imagine a woman who places bets on sports in a meaningful and interesting way? Many people still consider this to be unnatural. In many countries, including India, there is a persistent stereotype that betting is strictly a male activity. And this stereotype persists out of inertia, because reality has long since changed.
Betting culture developed in a male environment—this is an indisputable historical fact, and there is no point in disputing it. Men were interested in sports and went to matches. Accordingly, they also placed bets. Women were simply not invited into this world. In the Indian context, this is most noticeable because a national passion such as cricket has long remained a purely male domain, and women have not seen examples of it being normal to be interested in cricket, so they have distanced themselves from it. Everything from advertising to bookmakers was geared exclusively towards a male audience. Sporting aggression and real adrenaline are the most common associations. However, recent years have seen a blurring of boundaries, as more women follow the IPL. But it’s not just cricket; female audiences are also getting involved in other sports, such as soccer and even e-sports. Young women in India, who have grown up in the digital age, do not see any boundaries between male and female. This is hardly surprising, given that these boundaries are artificial. They argue about match results on social media, watch broadcasts, make predictions, and participate in fantasy leagues. In India, the share of women in the online betting segment is growing, from less than 10% in 2020 to more than 18% in 2023.
The motivation of women who bet is often different from that of men. Men most often bet to try their luck or to make money. Women, on the other hand, tend to enjoy feeling involved in the game. They see betting as an extension of their interest in sports, which is especially true for women who work in analytics. Such skills can be easily adapted to the world of sports predictions.
The issue of interfaces deserves special attention. While bookmakers used to look like gloomy places “for their own,” modern bookmaker websites are entirely different. Mobile apps offer convenient navigation and accessible statistics, making everything simple and understandable, even for beginners. This trend applies not only to betting sites themselves, but also to resources related to betting. For example, this can be said about the website mostbetcom.in, which offers a detailed overview of the operator Mostbet.
At the same time, the issue of condemnation is still acute. Sometimes you hear people in your family say that sports betting isn’t for women. Often, women’s comments on sports forums online aren’t taken seriously. There are also internal barriers—women judge themselves and feel afraid. Public examples of women who have started betting on sports are significant in this context.
The female audience in the betting world is not a passing trend; it is the result of the changing role of women in society and the fact that digitalization has made sports betting more accessible to them. The behavior of the platforms themselves is also changing in response to this backdrop, and it is interesting to observe these changes. They are becoming more universal, introducing demo modes, and adapting to smartphone users. In this way, sports betting platforms are accessible to everyone, regardless of gender.
No one should dictate to women how they should spend their money and free time. They can choose whatever they want; the most important thing here is not to forget about the freedom of choice itself.