VEGAS BETTING REPORT: WNBA Betting Handle Up 10% as Playoff Race Heats Up

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been a mishmash of on- and off-court storylines in recent weeks, from the controversy surrounding Sophie Cunningham — including the clothesline, called a Flagrant 2 foul, that she took from the Indiana Fever’s DiJonai Carrington on an Aug. 8 fast break — to the ongoing transgender debate around the league. 

In between all the chatter, some marquee playoff battles are taking shape as the regular season winds down.

There’s an old saying that “any publicity is good publicity.” But is that really the case when it comes to WNBA betting handle?

Controversy Isn’t Moving Handle

“I haven’t seen any impact,” said Christian Cipollini, senior trading manager, BetMGM. “Betting has been consistent this summer.”

Topping the marquee game schedule is tonight’s (Aug. 15) Minnesota Lynx battle against the Las Vegas Aces, 8 p.m. ET, with Minnesota, 28-7, first overall in the league, trying to protect the No. 1 seed. The Aces, 24-11, are in third. Motivation and seeding matter more now than they did a month ago.

Golden State (24-9), Atlanta (21-12), Indiana (21-12), New York (21-14) and Dallas (20-14) are all in the playoff race. Caitlin Clark looks healthy again after struggling lately with a back injury. Friday night (Aug. 14) against Dallas, she looked healthy – 29 points, including 16 in the third quarter. One of the best betting games tomorrow (Aug. 16) is Indiana against Atlanta.

Playoff Race Drives Betting

On-court competition is driving up betting handle on the WNBA as the league rounds the corner toward the playoffs, starting Sept. 27 (the league breaks from Aug. 31-Sept. 16 for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup).

“WNBA handle is up about 10% year over year so far,” said David Lieberman, pro basketball lead at Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas. 

“I think a few more individual bettors are interested in the WNBA, which is growing every year. Indiana Fever games always have a bit more handle than most teams.

“I haven’t noticed an increase in betting around any off-the-court stuff. I don’t think the off-court controversy matters much in betting or handle, really; it might bring in slightly more people to watch the games or who want to bet on these games, but ultimately, I’m not sure it has a ton of impact betting-wise.”

Lynx Lead Futures Movement

According to BetMGM, the teams with the biggest line movement (open to current) are the Lynx (+400 to -105), Aces (+300 to +400), Golden State Valkyries (+3500 to +800) and Atlanta Dream (+1400 to +850).

The highest ticket percentages have been the Fever (24.8%), Lynx (14.0%) and Aces (11.9%), with the Fever (26.2%), Lynx (19.8%) and Aces (14.1%) on the handle side. 

The biggest line movements in regular season MVP futures are A’ja Wilson of the Aces (+250 to -550), Olivia Miles of the Seattle Storm (+12500 to +750), Clark of the Fever (+225 to +1700), and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings (+2000 to +2500).

Clark Effect Still Resonates

Cipollini said there have been major increases in handle the past few years, especially since Clark joined the league in 2024.

“This year, while handle has improved, it hasn’t been to the degree it was in Clark’s years 1 and 2,” he said. “Year 1 in particular was a major jump. I think the league is becoming less dependent on Clark. In previous years our handle on Fever futures would be five times the handle of the next team. This year, the Fever are not one of our top 3 most-bet futures book team, yet handle is still increasing versus last year. 

“With most sports, we typically see a direct correlation to viewer numbers and handle. If views are up, typically so is our handle.”