Major U.S. sportsbooks DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM have all confirmed that the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa was the most bet-on women’s sporting event on record. FanDuel reported a 155% increase in the amount of money bet and a 205% increase in bet count compared to the previous year’s national title game.
The significant increase in betting indicates the growing financial value of women’s college basketball. The NCAA recently valued the women’s tournament at around $65 million in its new media deal scheduled to begin in September. Karol Corcoran, senior vice president and general manager of FanDuel, expressed that this year’s women’s March Madness tournament lived up to its hype and showcased the power of the women’s game.
BetMGM also saw record-breaking betting numbers in the Elite Eight, Final Four, and championship games. The title game had a 34% increase from the Final Four game between Iowa and UConn. With an increasing number of states legalizing sports betting each year, the market for sports betting is continually expanding. For example, DraftKings had 2.6 million monthly users last year, and that number has now grown to 3.5 million.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark wrapped up a successful four-year career with a loss to South Carolina in the championship game. Clark scored an NCAA record of 3,951 career points. According to a spokesperson for BetMGM, Clark received the second most prop bets of both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Purdue center Zach Edey, who is playing in the men’s championship game, received the most prop bets
