Wagering on women: The sports betting industry (finally) seems focused on female participation

Wagering on women: The sports betting industry (finally) seems focused on female participation

Article brief provided by Sports Handle
  • Mike Seely, Sports Handle
April 30, 2022 8:52 PM
  • Mike Seely, Sports Handle

Brett Abarbanel says that in her household growing up, “spectatorship of sports was always very matriarchal.”

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“I grew up watching sports with my mom,” said Abarbanel, the director of research at UNLV’s International Gaming Institute. “My dad had no interest.”

Dave Sharapan has three daughters, aged 18, 16, and 8. The oldest plays softball on scholarship at the College of Southern Nevada and recently wrote a paper wondering why women’s sports aren’t on TV as often as men’s sports.

“She’s like, ‘Softball’s as good or better than baseball,'” said Sharapan, a veteran Las Vegas bookmaker and sports betting personality. “I’ve been coaching girls since the age of 12 to pursue this dream, and for them not to have a next level stinks.”