Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Stoke WNBA Betting Boom

Posted on: February 6, 2025, 02:33h. 

Last updated on: February 6, 2025, 03:12h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

In their rookie campaigns, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese brought more attention to the WNBA, including sparking a significant uptick in betting volume on the league.

Caitlin Clark
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark (left) in a 2024 game. She and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese drove a huge increase in WNBA betting last year. (Image: Michael Ainsworth/AP)

A new study by the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics confirms the star power possessed by Clark and Reese brought more bettors into the WNBA fold last season despite both players being on bad teams. Clark, who plays for the Indiana Fever, and Reese of the Chicago Sky, share history. While in college, Clark’s Iowa team lost to LSU and Reese in the 2023 title game before avenging that defeat in the Elite Eight of the 2024 tournament.

That rivalry carried over to the WNBA with Fever/Sky games being among the league’s most watched and heavily wagered on last season. When the two stars weren’t facing off against each other, they still generated higher handle on their respective games. Last season, Indiana Fever games saw double the betting volume as other WNBA games not involving Clark, according to the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics.

The increase wasn’t as large for Reese and the Chicago Sky, but the team’s games still experienced a significant increase in handle relative to the WNBA average.

Clark, Reese Boosting WNBA, but Headwinds Remain

Beyond betting, Clark and Reese have generated historic levels of buzz around the WNBA, helping the money-losing league capture more mainstream attention.

With the arrivals of the two stars last year, attention soared and television viewership along with the betting boom. Other off-the-court effects include a swell of interest in WNBA cards, led in large part by astronomical prices for some Clark cards.

Still, the WNBA faces headwinds, including its schedule. The league’s season starts in May and runs through October. The early portion of the slate is overshadowed by the NBA playoffs and by the time August rolls around, most sports fans and bettors are turning their attention to college football and the NFL.

The Journal of Gambling Business and Economics analysis confirmed that on days on which there were college football, NFL, and WNBA games, betting volume the women’s basketball league plunged. That adds to the long-running discussion that leagues such as the WNBA need to be smart with their scheduling and avoid direct competition with the likes of the NFL and NBA.

Other Interesting WNBA Betting Phenomenon

The Journal of Gambling Business and Economics highlighted an interesting phenomenon regarding Clark and Reese. Last year, bettors who invested in Fever games were about as likely to wager on Clark’s team as they were to bet against it.

Conversely, they were significantly more likely to bet on Reese’s Sky, though that could have been the result of the team being a consistent underdog — often a heavy one at that. During the 2024 season, the Sky was favored in just eight games, including just once in the last 11 tilts.

Wagering on the Sky to cover last year was a losing bet as the team failed to do so in 24 of its 40 games.