Gamblers in Britain are significantly likelier than the average Brit to be Wimbledon fans, YouGov SportsIndex data shows. Nearly a quarter (24%) of gamblers say they’re likely to give up time to follow the tournament, compared to just 18% of the overall population.
While tennis is clearly popular among British gamblers, this article explores a different question: how popular is betting on tennis itself – and who makes up this audience? Tennis is the third most popular betting sport among UK gamblers, with 12% saying they’ve placed a bet on it in the past 12 months. That puts it behind football (57%) and horseracing (35%), but well ahead of other sports like cricket, golf or boxing. Among online sports bettors, tennis performs slightly better, with 16% saying they’ve had a flutter on the sport.
A younger, more male and wealthier crowd
Tennis bettors skew significantly younger than bettors in other major sports. More than half (52%) are aged 18-34, compared to just 32% of football bettors and 16% of horseracing bettors. Another 35% of tennis bettors fall in the 35–54 bracket, while only 13% are aged 55 or older, suggesting limited appeal among older demographics, particularly when compared to horseracing, which over-indexes with older audiences.
Gender dynamics mirror those seen in football. Three in four tennis bettors (74%) are men, which is nearly identical to football (77% men). Horseracing, by contrast, shows a greater gender balance, with 33% of bettors identifying as women.
Affluence is another distinguishing trait. Nearly two-fifths (39%) of tennis bettors are in the high-income group, significantly above the proportion among football (29%) or horseracing (25%) bettors. This higher income profile may reflect both the younger age skew and the global, somewhat premium perception of tennis as a sport.
Bigger stakes: tennis bettors spend more monthly
Tennis bettors are not only younger and wealthier – they also tend to wager more. Nearly 14% say they spend more than £500 per month on gambling, a rate that far outpaces soccer (5.7%) and horseracing (5.4%) bettors. An additional 28% fall into the £101–£500 range.
While a majority (58%) still spend less than £100 monthly, this figure is considerably lower than in other sports, where four in five horseracing bettors and football bettors fall into that lowest bracket.
These figures suggest that tennis bettors represent a higher-value segment – not just in terms of income, but also in terms of actual gambling outlay. This has important implications for sportsbook operators, especially during peak Grand Slam periods when engagement is likely at its highest.
Which betting brands do tennis bettors use for online sports betting?
When it comes to platforms, bet365 is the go-to choice for tennis bettors – used by nearly half (50%) of them. Sky Bet comes in second at 38%, followed closely by Betway (29%) and William Hill (28%).
But the real story may be in the longtail. Digital-first brands such as Betway and 888 appear to punch above their weight in the tennis category. Betway, for example, is used by just 8% of horseracing bettors and 13% of football bettors, but 29% of tennis bettors. 888 shows a similar trend: 17% usage among tennis bettors versus just 6% for horseracing and 7% for football.
Overall, tennis bettors are young, high-value and more likely to seek out digital-first platforms, making them a unique and potentially lucrative segment for bookmakers and tournament sponsors alike.
Methodology: Data is taken from YouGov’s Global Gambling Profiles tool which interviewed a representative sample of 1,677 tennis gamblers in from July 2024 to May 2025. Fieldwork was completed online and all respondents are members of YouGov’s Great Britain panel of survey respondents.
Richard Moller is a research director for the Consumer division at YouGov, providing data and insights for clients across sectors such as gambling, retail, travel, leisure and entertainment. He has 20+ years research experience working within both large and small research agencies but has spent over 12 years of these at his current company.
The post Who bets on tennis? Profiling the sport’s betting audience first appeared on EGR Intel.
YouGov’s Richard Moller finds Brits wagering on tennis tend to be young, high-value and more likely to seek out digital-first platforms
The post Who bets on tennis? Profiling the sport’s betting audience first appeared on EGR Intel.