Mr Viral
One of the largest sports betting and gaming groups built on proprietary technology, Entain, has released a fresh report revealing tennis as the second-ranking sport in terms of the number of in-play bets across the UK and US markets.
Bettors Rely on Momentum Swings
Entain attributes tennis’ popularity to momentum swings, where bettors use real-time insights to anticipate outcomes.
“Momentum is about which player is in control at any point of the match,” the report explains, emphasizing “the mentally draining aspect of the sport” as a crucial factor in determining results.
The report’s insight comes shortly after Jannik Sinner, the Italian professional player currently ranked the world No. 1 in men’s singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), successfully defended his title by overcoming Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final.
On the women’s side, ATP’s world No. 7, Madison Keys, emerged as a standout by taking down top-ranked players Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to clinch the championship.
While the Australian Open retains a solid following, especially given its status as a Grand Slam event, time zone differences have made it “less ideal” for bettors in Western Europe and America.
Tennis has consistently outperformed American football in terms of in-play betting volume in the US for the last three years, trailing only basketball, and holds the same position in the UK, where soccer is in the lead.
Spain and Brazil are also significant tennis markets for Entain. Thanks to its large US customer base through the BetMGM joint venture, the US Open is the company’s most popular tennis tournament.
The French Open generates more engagement than Wimbledon since clay-court matches typically last longer than grass-court games, providing more in-play betting opportunities.
60% of Entain’s Bets, On Men’s Tournaments
Around 90% of all tennis bets placed with Entain are in-play. The most popular betting markets are match betting, current game-winner, and set winner, which account for nearly 85% of in-play wagers.
“While many players enjoy the quick settlement aspect, in-play is also hugely popular due to a phenomenon known as momentum swings, which those betting on tennis often love to try and predict and use to their advantage,” said Entain.
Interestingly, 60% of all tennis bets on Entain are placed on men’s tournaments, which feature best-of-five-set matches, compared to the women’s best-of-three format.
However, the Australian Open’s women’s draw attracted a higher number of bets this year, mainly due to a “deeper and more even field.”
The report also noted the role of national pride in betting patterns, with American customers mainly backing players like Coco Gauff (world No. 2 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles), Jessica Pegula (six singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, three WTA 1000 titles in singles and two in doubles), Ben Shelton (world No. 13 career-high singles ranking, two singles titles on the ATP Tour), and Taylor Fritz (world No. 4 singles ATP ranking, No. 104 doubles ranking, eight ATP Tour singles titles).
Despite Keys’ eventual victory, she was “relatively unbacked” by bettors until the final.
Entain plans to expand its in-play betting options to meet the growing demand for tennis betting. Bet builders are considered a potential future feature.
Last week, we reported that, according to an expert analysis, MGM may consider a bid for Entain or the remaining 50% stake.
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