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Wrexham Football Club will make its debut this weekend in League Two, the English Football League, after gaining fame on Hollywood with the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries. Entain, an international sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment company, has revealed the “Wrexham Effect” in sports betting to mark this landmark.
Entain’s Ladbrokes & Coral brands in the UK saw a 59% increase in bets during the National League 2021/22 from the 2017/18 season. This is a far greater increase than the League One, League Two and Championship Leagues, which each saw an increase of 15%, 32%, and 24% respectively.
The impact has been felt by other non-league teams as well – such as Wrexham AFC, the former rival of Notts County FC. Notts County FC finished second in the National League in 2022/23 and had an 89% rise in bets from 2021/22.
Entain Australia has seen a 781% increase in the number of bets on Wrexham AFC games from 2019/20 until 2022/23. BetMGM placed a record number of bets on Wrexham games in the US from the season 2020/21 to 2022/23. Wrexham AFC’s popularity has soared in the US thanks to the celebrity status that their new owners have. Google Trends data shows the Red Dragons are now more popular than Major League Soccer, the top league of the US.
The NBA has also benefited from this boom, as The Last Dance, a Netflix docuseries that followed the Chicago Bulls dream team, was released in April 2020.
- Entain data shows that bets on NBA games have increased by 46% between the seasons 2019/20 and 2020/21.
- BetMGM data shows that the NBA league’s home is gaining in popularity. The number of bets increased by 61% between 2021 and 2022.
The Drive for Survive Netflix series has also attracted new Formula 1 fans. The docuseries’ viewership numbers are improving every season. Season five saw nearly 570,000 viewers in its first week. This is a 40% increase over season four, which premiered in 2022.
- Entain data shows that bets on Formula 1 races have increased 16% from the previous year to 2022, and 63% since 2019, when Drive for Survive’s first season aired.
- Data from BetMGM shows that Formula 1 bets in 2022 will increase by 142% compared to 2021.
Dominic Grounsell is Chief Commercial Officer of Entain. He said: We’ve seen an enormous step change in how fans engage with sports. Behind-the-scenes footage in sporting documentaries has only intensified this. The report highlights the need to find new and innovative ways to engage with sports, and to support your favourite teams. It also aims to attract new fans.
Entain is constantly listening to its customers and creating content which resonates with their needs. Coral’s Taking the Reins documentary series is a great example and shows our commitment to bringing excitement to fans outside of the track, pitch or court.
Entain Australia has produced, in conjunction with Racing Victoria, a sports docudrama that is based on the All-Star Mile race in Melbourne. The documentary will give viewers an insider’s view of the build-up of one of Australia’s most lucrative races. The documentary will be aired later this year.
