Sportsbooks say LSU-Iowa did record numbers for women's game - ESPN

The highly anticipated rematch between LSU and Iowa in the Elite Eight of the NCAA women's basketball tournament lived up to expectations Monday night.

It also raised the bar for betting handle in women's sports.

The contest, which saw the Hawkeyes avenge their 2023 championship game loss to the Tigers, was the most-bet women's game of all time at sportsbooks across America, including ESPN BET, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Caesars, they all confirmed to ESPN.

ESPN BET said the game took more than double the number of bets as Iowa's Sweet 16 matchup with Colorado on Saturday, previously the book's most-bet women's game ever (ESPN BET launched in November). Other books said Monday's game exceeded the mark set by the LSU-Iowa championship game last April, with FanDuel saying this one garnered a 28% increase in handle to be its most-bet women's sporting event of all time.

Monday's LSU-Iowa showdown more than held its own against incumbent betting sports.

At ESPN BET, the game was Monday's most popular event and drew more bets than any NHL game and all but one MLB and NBA game in the last week. DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM similarly reported that the big game drew more bets and handle than any other event on the Monday night sports slate.

«It was a special night for the game and for the sportsbook as we saw record handles in both pregame and live in-play action,» BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said.

Aside from the publicity, the heavy handle likely benefited the betting public more than it benefited the sportsbooks. The Hawkeyes largely attracted the majority of bets and handle for the contest, ultimately covering their 1.5-to-2.5-point spread as favorites with a comfortable 94-87 victory. Iowa's run through the