Whether it’s Spotify Wrapped or YouTube Rewind, December is a time to look back, and it’s no different over at bet365, who have released their 2024 Year in Sports Betting.
Among the notable revelations from this past year include major growth on two fronts, specifically betting on women’s sports, as well as the player prop bet market.
“Action on sports in general is up, and specifically it’s been very encouraging to see the growth in popularity for some women’s sports leagues that have been around for some time, but haven’t garnered the attention they deserve,” said bet365 trading leader Aron Wattleworth.
“Women’s college basketball is extremely popular now, whereas it wasn’t nearly as popular two to five years ago. The numbers in the WNBA show that their potential now and for the future is huge.”
That’s reflected in no small part thanks to the mega-star arrival of Caitlin Clark, who took home the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year honors in a historic season. The league as a whole saw substantial gains league-wide, as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier led the way on MVP props, serving as the tip of the spear for a league that saw 67% growth globally, and growth as high as 100% in parts of North America.
“The league attendance and viewing is way up and the attention overall leads to more attention for other women’s sports/leagues,” Wattleworth noted. “Women’s UFC action has always been decent for the bigger title fights, but we see huge growth in the sport in general and that brings more action to the women’s bouts.”
bet365 also demonstrated major growth in the world of player prop bets, with NBA stars leading the way for the booming sports betting sector.
“Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry can often see more action on their total points scored lines than on the game total,” Wattleworth noted, demonstrating the incredible power of stardom the NBA has harnessed.
This was also seen to a lesser degree in the NFL with star backs like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley – the latter of whom represents the most popular non-QB MVP play thanks to a record breaking rushing yards pace – often finding themselves included on NFL moneyline or Anytime TD parlays.
Flash Bets, or micro-bets, also represent another prop bet product expected to continue to see growth at bet365, with plans to offer new markets in the new year as well as integrating the product into existing available sports.
Other takeaways as 2024 winds down
In addition to key areas of growth for bet365 over the past year, the release also outlined the most bet on teams in the U.S. by league, as well as the most bet on players.
It’s perhaps no surprise that in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, off back-to-back Super Bowl wins and well on their way to a three-peat thanks to a 12-1 start, represented the most bet on team to win the Super Bowl, with the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers trailing behind. Patrick Mahomes also represented the Chiefs well as the third most bet-on NFL MVP behind current favorite Josh Allen and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson.
Other interesting markets across the gridiron include the Offensive Rookie of the Year odds race, with Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix ahead of Washington Commanders phenom Jayden Daniels on total despite the former boasting far longer odds. Finally, on the defensive side of the ball, T.J. Watt has remained the class of the NFL, with the shortest odds to win DPOY and the most popular pick to do so.
On the hardwood, Jokic leads the way on player props to win his fourth MVP award, which would tie him with LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain for the fourth most all-time. More interestingly, however, is Tatum’s place as the second-most bet on pick to win the Michael Jordan Trophy, even with his +1,200 odds representing distant third among podium finishers. Oklahoma City’s Gilgeous-Alexander was the third-most bet on and priced at +375.
Nikola Jokic's last five games have been OUTRAGEOUS ?
— Covers (@Covers) December 9, 2024
? 48 PTS 14 REB 8 AST
? 56 PTS 16 REB 8 AST
? 27 PTS 20 REB 11 AST
? 38 PTS 10 REB 6 AST
? 28 PTS 14 REB 11 AST
He's -110 to win his 4th MVP award ??pic.twitter.com/Z1LuLlnQWd
Maybe bettors are onto something with that, however, as Tatum’s Boston Celtics, looking to go back-to-back after winning their first NBA title since 2008, are bettors' most popular choice to win it all this year.
Finally, despite data coming from bet365 U.S., it's NHL teams North of the Border dominating the markets to win the Stanley Cup, despite an ongoing 30-year Canadian Stanley Cup drought. The Edmonton Oilers represent the most popular pick thanks to Connor McDavid, the most popular pick to take home the NHL’s Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Behind them, however, NHL fans appear to believe it could be a year to end droughts, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks represent the second- and third-most popular selections among fans. The Maple Leafs have famously failed to capture the Stanley Cup since 1967, while the Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup in their 54-year history.