Caitlin Clark And Angel Reese Have Boosted WNBA Betting: According To New Research

A new study set to be published in the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics has found that WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dramatically changed betting patterns for the WNBA. While their popularity brought new attention to women’s basketball, which these betting trends speak to, the research also uncovered some troubling trends about how race influences betting behavior in a sport that continues to fight for equitable recognition and visibility.

The motivation behind the study emerged from the strong growth in women’s sport over the previous decade. Dr. Gina Pauline, co-author of the study and an Associate Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University noted, “The growth of women’s sports over the past few years has been remarkable. We wanted to explore a potential pillar of this growth and increased fan engagement by taking a look at women’s basketball, specifically due to the star power within the sport.”

Star Power Drives Betting Interest

The study found that games featuring either Clark or Reese saw a significant increase in the number of bets placed compared to other WNBA games. Clark’s impact was particularly strong, with her games attracting more than twice as many additional bets as games without her. While Reese’s impact wasn’t quite as large, her presence still led to a notable surge in betting activity.

These findings validate predictions made back in 2020, that suggested sports betting could help boost fan engagement with women’s sports. These previous predictions noted that when women’s sports receive proper promotion and marketing attention, they consistently draw strong viewership and attendance numbers. During the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball season, for example, this notion became a reality as ticket prices for Clark’s final home game soared as high as $6,489 per ticket.

Different Betting Patterns Emerge

One of the study’s most interesting findings was how bettors responded differently to Clark and Reese. When Clark played, bets were split fairly evenly between people betting for and against the Indiana Fever. This suggests that while Clark attracted a lot of attention, bettors were divided on whether her presence would help or hurt her team’s chances of winning. The pattern was quite different for Reese. When she played for the Chicago Sky, more bettors consistently put money on her team to win, both at home and on the road.

This kind of dedicated betting for Reese suggests that star power can help overcome some of the biases that have historically limited fan engagement with women’s sports. The implications of these trends are especially important once considering the potential to drive of sports betting in driving additional engagement with the league. According to Dr. Rodney Paul, co-author of the study and Professor of Sport Analytics at Syracuse University, “due to the complementarity between betting (including daily fantasy in that definition) and fans watching sports, we thought that seeing an increase in betting activity could contribute to a higher likelihood of sustained interest and growth in the [WNBA]

, so we wanted to test that concept in addition to highlighting what happened with the introduction of the two superstars.”

Concerning Trends Around Race

The study also reveals some troubling patterns about how race influences betting behavior in the WNBA. Games featuring more White players saw higher betting volumes overall, and teams with more White players on their rosters attracted a higher percentage of bets. To determine this, the research team used advanced computer software to analyze player photos from the WNBA website and identify players’ races. This allowed them to calculate the percentage of White players on each team and study how these percentages related to betting patterns.

Importantly, “although the racial bias is concerning in terms of bettor behavior, the positive impact of Angel Reese on betting activity and bettors preferring to back her, even on a Chicago Sky team that struggled during the season, shows that a superstar, independent of race, can attract interest and could lead to further interest in other players and the league overall,” Paul stated.

Impacts of Other Sports and Scheduling

The study also uncovered that WNBA betting activity was heavily influenced by competition from other sports. Betting volumes dropped significantly when NFL or college football games were being played on the same day. This decline was particularly apparent during the NFL regular season, suggesting that many sports bettors prioritize football over women’s basketball when given the choice of competing options. That being said, this trend could also be a result of network’s prioritizing NFL games into those prime-time slots.

In addition, results determined that certain days of the week were better for WNBA betting than others, which could also be a measure of overall engagement on those days. Monday games, for example, typically saw higher betting volumes, likely because there was less competition from other sports on those days. These findings align with earlier suggestions that women’s sports need strategic scheduling and promotion to maximize fan engagement. The results also support recent calls from players and fans for networks to put women’s games on during more of the prime-time broadcast slots.

Breaking Barriers

The surge in betting activity around Clark and Reese represents a potentially significant shift in how fans engage with women’s sports. Historically, women athletes have faced persistent obstacles in attracting media coverage and fan interest. Research has shown women’s sports typically receive just 15% of total sports media coverage across streaming and traditional media sources. This limited exposure has creates a cyclical cycle where the lack of visibility makes it harder to build fan bases and attract investment.

Women athletes have also historically faced challenging double standards: they’re expected to be competitive, exciting to watch, aggressive, and successful while still conforming to traditional gender expectations about behavior, appearance, and demeanor. This has often meant walking a tightrope between being seen as too aggressive or not competitive enough. As a result, women athletes have faced both overt discrimination and subtle biases that affect everything from media coverage to fan engagement.

That being said, the betting patterns revealed in the study suggest that new trends in women’s sport coverage, in addition to the increased visibility of women athletes and teams through social media platforms, may help to overcome some of these historical barriers. Both Clark and Reese have brought new audiences to women’s basketball through their distinctive styles of play and competitive personalities, and the media has been successfully crafting a rivalry between the two athletes for some time now. The fact that Reese – in particular – has developed a dedicated betting following shows that athletic excellence can help overcome some traditional biases, though the study’s findings about racial bias in overall betting patterns indicate there’s still significant work to be done.

Future of Women’s Sport Betting

The current study’s findings are particularly significant given that experts had previously identified sports betting as a potential catalyst for increasing fan engagement with women’s sports. That being said, the promotion of sports betting is often met with hesitation, regardless of the potential growth that could result.

Paul noted, “although we know there are many negative externalities to betting, if played responsibly, the hope would be that bettors who follow one player or team may ultimately be led to following other teams and players through placing wagers on the game and/or having daily fantasy lineups to further boost the chances of the league gaining wider popularity.”

The complete study will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics. Importantly, the increased engagement in the WNBA through betting also provides practitioners with some additional concrete data showing there’s genuine fan interest in women’s sports when they receive proper promotion and marketing attention. This could help break the cycle of limited coverage that has historically held women’s sports back, as betting activity provides clear metrics demonstrating fan engagement that leagues and media companies can use to justify increased investment and coverage.