Report: WNBA, Pro Women’s Leagues, Athletes Driving Fantasy, Sports Wagering
Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 05:06PM By Barry Janoff
February 20, 2025: The growth of the WNBA has been no fantasy, but the league plays a major role in fantasy sports and sports wagering.
The WNBA is the “top women’s league for both fantasy sports and betting, with steady engagement in other women’s sports such as MMA, soccer and golf.
“Younger, more-educated participants lead the way in this space, indicating a strong potential for continued growth in female sports engagement,” according to a just-released report from the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Assn.
The research, conducted by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of the FSGA, reveals “consistent engagement in fantasy sports and sports betting, growing interest in women’s sports, fresh insights on sweepstakes-style social sportbooks and new information about players’ feelings about advertising.”
The FSGA report supports a new study in the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics co-authored by Dr. Gina Pauline that “WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dramatically changed betting patterns for the WNBA.
“Games featuring either Clark or Reese saw a significant increase in the number of bets placed compared to other WNBA games,” according to Forbes. “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.”
“The growth of women’s sports over the past few years has been remarkable,” Dr. Pauline, associate professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University, told Forbes, “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.”
According to FSGA, “Nearly 28% of U.S. adults — an estimated 73 million people — participated in fantasy sports or sports betting over the past year. This level is consistent with last year’s figures, underscoring a mature, mainstream market.
“However, even though fantasy play and sports betting remain the same, crossplay is becoming more selective as bettors and fantasy players increasingly perceive them as distinct.”
Via the FSGA, 18% of American adults reported playing fantasy sports in the past 12 months, while 22% engaged in sports betting.
According to the FSGA, fantasy sports are games of skill, not games of luck, and should not be classified as gambling.
Fantasy sports players tend to be younger (average age 42.4 years) and predominantly male (74%), while sports bettors are slightly older (average age 45) but similarly male-skewed (61%).
Also via the FSGA. “Consumers of all ages show a clear preference for educational content and promotional offers that explain platforms’ features rather than repetitive commercials or testimonials.”
The survey was conducted by the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Assn. and Angus Reid Group Jan. 21-29, 2025, "among a representative sample of 2,052 online Americans who are members of the Angus Reid Forum."
U.S. Gaming Revenue Hits Record $71.9B, Sports Wagering Tops $13.7B
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