WOMEN’S CRICKET BETTING SURGE

BETTING on women’s sport has surged on the back of a glorious summer for the England football and cricket teams.

William Hill said it expects a record £3m to be wagered on England in the Women’s Euro 2017 football tournament. The Lionesses play the Netherlands in the semi-final tonight.

The same figure was gambled on the World Cup-winning England women’s cricket team last month, handing tidy returns to a growing army of patriotic punters who bet on an England victory. ‘The success of the England women’s teams has led to a boom in patriotic bets on women’s sport,’ said William Hill chief executive Philip Bowcock. ‘We have seen a tenfold increase in bets.’

The comments came as William Hill reported a 7pc fall in profits to £93.5m in the first half of the year. But shares rose 6.1pc, or 15.4p, to 268p as investors cheered a 3pc rise in revenues to £837m – driven in part by a 13pc rise in money wagered on sport online.