WNBA Betting Boom: Can Sports Betting Narrow the Wage Gap?
The WNBA is going all-in on sports betting. Over the past few years, they’ve locked in high-profile deals with DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and ESPN Bet. These partnerships have been essential for boosting visibility and revenue.
One looming question is whether this betting boom can help close the long-standing pay gap between the WNBA and the NBA.
NBA players receive a guaranteed 50% share of league earnings. Meanwhile, WNBA salaries are limited by a fixed cap, leaving players with just a small slice of the league’s financial growth.
With WNBA revenue projected to hit $1B in 2025, it’s a pivotal moment for women’s basketball. Let’s take a closer look at what’s possible.
Key Insights
- Betting is booming in the WNBA: In 2024, WNBA betting volume jumped 150% at ESPN BET and 108% at BetMGM.
- Star power is fueling the surge: New stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese drove a 180% spike in daily betting activity, redefining how fans and sportsbooks engage with the league.
- Wagers = leverage: Every bet placed is a measurable demand signal, strengthening players’ bargaining power in future collective CBAs and media rights negotiations.
- Performance parity, pay disparity: WNBA players score nearly the same per minute as NBA players. However, they play 15 fewer games per season, reducing exposure and earnings.
- Revenue share limits salary growth: WNBA salaries account for approximately 20% of the league’s revenue. However, unlike the NBA’s guaranteed 50% split, this isn’t contractually mandated. Instead, it’s the result of fixed salary caps that limit what teams can pay players.
Sports Betting Is Fueling the WNBA’s Growth
The WNBA’s betting boom isn’t just a happy accident—it’s the result of strategic partnerships designed to bring in more fans, wagers, and revenue. Over the past few seasons, the league has signed high-profile sportsbook deals, reshaping how fans engage and money flows through the system.
- FanDuel (2022): Became the WNBA’s official sportsbook and fantasy partner, securing branding rights and in-game highlight integrations.
- DraftKings (2024): Locked-in access to exclusive content and official league data feeds.
- BetMGM, Bally Bet, nVenue: Multi-year agreements brought microbetting features, branded promotions, and league-specific markets across broadcasts and platforms.
- ESPN BET (2024): Helped drive a 150% year-over-year spike in WNBA betting handle, fueled mainly by Caitlin Clark-related prop bets and game wagers.
These deals don’t just boost the WNBA’s visibility. They feed directly into league revenue, some of which goes back to players via the revenue share model. This influx could be a key piece in closing the pay gap for a league pushing toward $1B in projected revenue by 2025.
Why Betting Matters for Player Pay and Future CBAs
Under the WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, player pay isn’t tied to total league revenue like in the NBA. Instead, salaries are capped at a fixed amount per team, with only limited revenue-sharing options triggered if the league surpasses specific growth benchmarks.
That’s why every betting deal, prop wager, and fantasy feature matters—new money could help players make the case for bigger payouts in the next CBA.
Here’s how it all stacks up:
- Revenue Growth: Betting partnerships are part of league earnings, driving up the pool for revenue-share payouts.
- Fan Engagement: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped spark a 180% surge in WNBA betting activity in 2024.
- Visibility and Sponsorships: Sportsbooks promote leagues they profit from. This means more player highlights, media coverage, and sponsor opportunities.
- CBA Leverage: Greater revenue gives players more bargaining power in upcoming contract negotiations.
“The hope would be that bettors who follow one player or team may ultimately be led to following other teams and players … to further boost the chances of the [WNBA] gaining wider popularity.” —Dr. Rodney Paul, Journal of Gambling Business and Economics, via Forbes.
Betting trends aren’t just entertainment. They’re hard metrics that signal fan demand, guide media strategy, and shape the economic future of the WNBA.
CBA Opt-Out Signals High-Stakes Negotiations Ahead
In October 2024, WNBA players officially opted out of the current CBA. They cited the league’s financial growth, including sports betting revenue and a new $2.2B media deal, as reasons to demand a bigger share. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike made it clear:
“Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks—it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built.”
This move sets the stage for high-impact negotiations later in 2025, where sports betting metrics and league earnings could help redefine how revenue is shared between players and the league.
The Revenue Gap: One Sport, Two Very Different Payouts
When people ask why WNBA players earn a fraction of what NBA players do, the answer lies in how each league structures its compensation.
In the NBA, players are guaranteed 50% of all Basketball-Related Income (BRI) through their CBA. Their salaries adjust based on how much the league earns—a true revenue-sharing model.
In the WNBA, the setup is very different. Instead of a revenue split, teams operate under a hard salary cap, which limits how much they can pay players. While only around 20% of total league revenue currently goes toward salaries, this isn’t guaranteed—it’s simply a result of the system’s design.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 🏀 NBA 2023–24 revenue: $11.34B
- 💵 NBA player share (via CBA): ~$5.67B → ~$189M per team
This is guaranteed as 50% of Basketball Related Income (BRI)
- 🏀 WNBA 2023–24 revenue: Estimated ~$710M
This estimate comes from recent reporting and includes projected growth tied to media deals and sponsorships. The WNBA does not officially publish its annual revenue.
- 💵 Total WNBA player share (base salaries + bonuses): ~$16.4M → ~$1.37M per team
This figure is not tied to a guaranteed percentage of league revenue. Instead, it reflects the current hard salary cap system in place.
💡What if the WNBA adopted the NBA’s 50/50 model? Team salary budgets could climb from ~$1.37M to over $29.5M—more than a 20x increase in player earning power.
Player Pay — Still Playing Catch-Up
The WNBA’s salary growth is trending up, but not nearly fast enough to match its rising revenues or player impact. While viewership, sponsorships, and betting activity have all surged, total salary spend remains a sliver of what NBA players earn. The numbers below illustrate the extent of the gap—and why structural change is crucial.
2024–2025 Salary Snapshot:
| League | Total Teams in League | Average Salary | Total Salary Spend | League Revenue | % of Revenue to Salaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBA | 30 | $9.15M | $5.21B | $11.34B | 46%** |
| WNBA | 12 | $128,140 | $16.4M | $710M* | 2.3%*** |
*$710M: This revenue figure is based on Bloomberg’s confirmed 2023–2024 data. Projections for 2025 place WNBA revenue closer to $1B, but salary increases have not yet reflected that growth.
**46% (NBA): While the NBA’s CBA guarantees players 50% of Basketball Related Income, not all league revenue is classified as “BRI.” The 46% figure reflects the actual salary spent as a portion of total league revenue for the 2023–2024 season.
**2.3% (WNBA): The WNBA’s CBA does not guarantee a set percentage of league revenue toward salaries. Instead, salaries are capped by a fixed team limit (~$1.5M in 2025). The 2.3% reflects the most recent actual player salary spend ($16.4M) out of the reported league revenue for the 2023–2024 season ($710M).
Betting Can Also Boost Visibility
More bets = more fans = more screen time. Sports betting isn’t just fueling league revenue—it’s solving one of the WNBA’s oldest problems: visibility.
When sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings lock in official data deals, they gain an incentive to showcase more WNBA content. That means:
- Boosted odds and branded promos around WNBA games
- More player prop bets (points, rebounds, assists)
- Custom parlays pairing WNBA stars with men’s leagues
- Prime placement on sportsbook apps and fantasy platforms
And fans are showing up:
- Penn Entertainment saw a 150% jump in WNBA betting handles.
- BetMGM reported a 108% increase.
- Rithmm tracked 180% more daily WNBA bets in 2024.
Performance Parity, Visibility Disparity
The talent gap isn’t the problem. WNBA stars are producing at an elite level without the same exposure, volume, or financial reward.
Look at the numbers:
- Napheesa Collier is leading the WNBA this season, averaging 25.5 points in 35.1 minutes per game for the Minnesota Lynx.
- Luka Dončić led the NBA in the 2024-2025 season with 33.9 points in 37.5 minutes per game for the Dallas Mavericks.
Both are high-usage stars, consistently putting up massive numbers for their franchises. But here’s the difference:
- WNBA players compete in 15 fewer regular-season games.
- They receive significantly less media coverage, endorsement opportunities, and betting market presence.
Fewer games mean fewer highlights, fewer box scores, and fewer betting props, each one a missed revenue opportunity for the athletes and the league.
How Betting Visibility Helps Shift the Pay Equation
The visibility gap isn’t just a media problem, it’s a money problem. Fewer broadcasts and limited exposure mean fewer sponsorships, lower fan engagement, and smaller betting markets. All these directly impact league revenue and, ultimately, player pay.
But that’s changing:
- Six of the eight most-bet WNBA games in 2024 featured Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever.
- Clark alone drove a 250% year-over-year spike in WNBA prop betting on ESPN BET.
This surge in betting visibility isn’t just spotlighting individual players, but is also demonstrating tangible demand. And that kind of fan data? It’s negotiating fuel when players push for a bigger cut in future CBAs.
Final Buzzer: Betting Could Tip the Scales in Women’s Basketball
The WNBA has no shortage of talent, but it has long lacked a revenue structure to reward it. Unlike the NBA’s 50/50 model, where player salaries scale with the league’s success, the WNBA operates under a fixed salary cap. That means even as revenue climbs, player pay doesn’t automatically follow.
But the betting boom is changing the equation.
Every wager placed is more than entertainment—it’s evidence. Proof that fans are watching, spending, and showing up. That’s leverage players can take into CBA negotiations, especially now that they’ve opted out of the current agreement ahead of the 2026 season.
If momentum holds, sportsbooks won’t just help fans find the WNBA—they could help players finally get paid like the stars they are.
Sources:
1. “Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Have Boosted WNBA Betting: According to New Research,” Forbes.
2. “Report: 2025 women’s sports revenue projected to hit $2.35B,” ESPN.
3. “WNBA Raise $75 Millions with Hopes of Business Model Revamp,” NYT.
4. “’Unprecedented levels’: Inside the WNBA’s Rise to betting prominence,” ESPN.
5. “WNBA Players Opt Out of CBA: Salaries, long-term benefits among focus,” ESPN.
6. “Vivid Seats Announces 2025 WNBA Loyalty Report,” Globe News Wire.
7. “What is the Average Salary of a WNBA Player in 2025,” Sports Illustrated.
8. “2025 WNBA Draft Draws Second-Highest Viewership in ESPN History,” Just Women’s Sports.
9. “WNBA 2025: Will the Ws Keep Coming,” Sports Business Journal.
10. “As WNBA Popularity Soars, player salaries remain a big hurdle for the league to address,” Spectrum Local News.
11. “WNBA Players Opt Out of Current CBA, Face Possible Work Stoppage in 2025,” Sports Illustrated.
