As March Madness grips college basketball fans across the country, a different kind of frenzy is unfolding behind the scenes—one fueled not just by brackets and buzzer-beaters, but by a rapidly expanding betting industry that is increasingly targeting women.

For decades, gambling—especially sports betting—has been framed as a male-dominated space. But that perception is shifting quickly. Researchers, counselors and public health advocates say women are now one of the fastest-growing groups entering the world of legal wagering, driven in part by aggressive marketing campaigns and unprecedented accessibility.

With sports betting now legal in dozens of states and available on smartphones at all hours, the barriers to entry have effectively disappeared. What once required a trip to a casino or bookmaker can now be done instantly, privately and repeatedly.

And the industry has noticed.

Advertising has evolved to meet this new audience. Gone are the exclusively male-focused campaigns centered on competition and bravado. In their place are carefully tailored messages that emphasize community, lifestyle and empowerment—appeals that experts say are designed to resonate more strongly with women.

Influencer-driven campaigns, celebrity endorsements and social media integrations have become central strategies. Betting platforms are increasingly embedding themselves in pop culture spaces traditionally less associated with gambling, creating a sense that wagering is not just acceptable, but socially integrated.

“The growth in female engagement is undeniable,” said Michelle Malkin, a criminology professor who studies gambling behaviors. She points to normalization—through advertising, social media and peer influence—as a key driver.

But as participation rises, so do concerns.

Unlike earlier assumptions that men and women gambled in fundamentally different ways, new research suggests the gap is narrowing. Women are not only entering sports betting spaces—they are doing so at levels that are beginning to mirror broader trends in gambling behavior.

At the same time, counselors are seeing a shift in who seeks help.

Jessica Auslander, a licensed addiction specialist, says her caseload now includes a growing number of women, many of whom are drawn in not by competition, but by emotional factors.

“Boredom, isolation, grief—those are common drivers,” she said. “And when you combine that with something that’s always available on your phone, it becomes much harder to step away.”

The numbers reflect the scale of the boom.

In North Carolina alone, where sports betting was legalized in March 2024, more than $6.6 billion in bets were placed in the first year. That translated into hundreds of millions in operator revenue and over $128 million in tax income for the state.

Yet only a fraction of that money is being directed toward treatment and prevention.

Critics say the imbalance is alarming. As access expands and marketing intensifies, the infrastructure to address problem gambling has not kept pace.

“Two million dollars a year is nothing,” Auslander said of funding for addiction services in North Carolina. “We’re seeing more people, but we don’t have the resources to meet that demand.”

Perhaps most controversial is the rise of prediction markets—platforms that blur the line between financial trading and gambling. These sites allow users to bet on outcomes ranging from sports events to political developments, often framed as “investments” rather than wagers.

Experts warn that this framing can be especially misleading.

“It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Kitty Martz, a recovery advocate who has tracked the growth of these platforms. “That first win feels empowering. But over time, the house still wins.”

Social media has amplified their reach. Accounts tied to betting platforms now target younger audiences, including women, through lifestyle branding—pairing wagers with aspirational imagery, fashion and influencer culture.

For some, the concern is not just participation, but perception.

When gambling is presented as a path to empowerment or financial independence, critics argue, it risks obscuring the underlying odds—and the potential for harm.

Lawmakers are beginning to respond. Proposed legislation aims to restrict certain forms of betting and tighten regulations around advertising, particularly when it comes to vulnerable demographics.

But for now, the industry continues to grow.

And as millions fill out their brackets this March, placing bets with a tap of a screen, experts say the real story may not be who wins on the court—but who gets drawn into the game off it.