According to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), British betting activity showed a healthy increase during the 2024 Euros. This increase was particularly notable among female bettors.
A research study co-led by a consumer behavior analyst revealed that England’s success in the 2024 competition significantly boosted interest in the tournament. This heightened interest continued all the way to the final, where the Three Lions faced Spain.
The survey includes a series of questions spread across three waves. The first being a week before the start of the Euros. Second was conducted during the group and knockout stages. The third and final wave reaches consumers a week after the tournament had ended.
Each wave of questioning received answers from just over 2,000 participants, totaling 6,237 responses. Questions focused on betting activity and intentions, awareness of advertising, use of promotional offers, gambling motivations, and the effects on behavior of seeing England reaching the final.
As expected, the success of England was a key factor in driving handle for operations. This is with 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. Three out of four bettors utilize it. On the other hand, sports betting advertising seemed to have had limited impact on betting behavior. This is with less than 10% of respondents saying they’ve placed a bet because of an ad.
A total of 20.8% of males reported betting on the Euros during the pre-tournament stage. This statistic reflects the betting activity divided by gender. This is against a backdrop of 6.6% of females. 27% of males placing a bet mid-tournament, with 9.6% of the opposite gender doing the same.
A total of 13.3% of female bettors reported placing a bet. In comparison, the percentage of male bettors remained relatively unchanged at 27.3% in the last wave.
