Perhaps the most important game in WNBA sports betting history will be taking place on May 14 when the Indiana Fever (13-27 last year) visit the Connecticut Sun (who went 27-13 last year).
Of course, this game, on opening night of the 2024 WNBA season, is being singled out for one reason and one reason only: It will mark the professional debut of Caitlin Clark, who is (duh) going to be the number one pick for the Fever at the WNBA draft next Monday night.
To give some idea of how ready the public will be to put a little money down on the WNBA that evening, consider the effect Clark has had on NCAA women’s basketball betting this year.
“NCAA women’s hoops was up 14x by handle year over year at DraftKings,” according to a company spokesman. “We’ve seen steady growth in engagement with the WNBA as well. We’ll see what Clark brings to the table.”
Over at Hard Rock Bet, according to their spokesman Jon Chapper, the semifinal game between Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and the Connecticut Huskies did three times the betting volume of any women’s college basketball game this season (Numbers for Sunday’s final were not in yet).
There is little doubt that Clark has captured the imagination of America’s sports – and sports betting – fans, and now she will be taking her talents to the pros. Will the Fever continue with her as a member of the Fever?
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“I think the Caitlin Clark effect is worth a minimum of 25% in handle, and I’m gauging that on just increased eyes on the product,” said longtime bookmaker (and big-time WNBA fan) Robert Walker. “The number of tickets will skyrocket, but the handle is hard to gauge because WNBA is limited to begin with. No one’s taking $50,000 bets on the WNBA, plus a lot of the industry keeps kicking people out, so there’s a few factors that conspire against the total, but ticket volume will go through the roof.”
This is already starting to play out at FanDuel, where more tickets have been written on the Fever at +2000 to win the WNBA title than other team, and where Clark – at +1400 odds – has garnered an astounding 78% of the bets and 87% of the handle to be named MVP.
Walker isn’t surprised.
“The more eyes on her has led to more eyes on women’s basketball, which will lead to more eyes on the WNBA,” Walker said. “She’s going to elevate eyes on the product, and eyes on product leads to more betting, and more betting leads to more eyes on the product. It’s a never-ending cycle and all Caitlin Clark did is expand that.”
These points are not lost on Kevin Hennessy, the spokesperson for Fanatics Sportsbook.
“This year’s women’s college basketball tournament had some real individual star power led by Caitlin Clark that has captured the country’s attention and propelled women’s sports to the forefront of conversations around sport,” he said. “That can only be seen as a positive for the WNBA, which has seen interest grow from a betting standpoint over the years. We are excited to see how the WNBA captures that fan interest and builds these new young stars.”
Walker, for one, is ready to see what Clark brings to his favorite sports league.
“The viewership doesn’t lie. She’s must-see TV,” Walker said. “Reminds me a little bit of when Michael Jordan came into the league his rookie year. You had to find a TV when the Bulls played. And that’s what Caitlin is. She’s the best shooter of all time, and it’s not even close. She’s Steph Curry if Steph Curry could as well.”
In the end, Walker think’s Clark’s arrival to the WNBA is going to push the league forward quickly.
“We just hurdled a few steps,” he said.
