Entain (ENT.L), owner of Ladbrokes and Coral brands, said it saw "exponential growth" in betting on the sport and a record number of women globally placing bets. The first three England games saw one-fifth of bets placed by women, it said. Betting on the co-host and semi-finalist Australia saw a 200% increase, fuelled by the Matildas strong run. Soccer leads the way in terms of the number of people betting and placing bets, and the number of women betting on women's soccer has doubled annually, the study said. Entain did not immediately disclose the number of bets placed on the World Cup.

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Persons: Alishia, William Hill, Lee Phelps, Entain, Dominic Grounsell, Yadarisa, Conor Humphries Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Australian High Commission, Australia, England, REUTERS, German Sport University Cologne, Soccer, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, London, Australia, Britain, Bengaluru