WNBA Championship Betting Odds & Lines

Overview

The Women’s National Basketball Association is an American female basketball league where most of the world’s premier talents are employed, including a large number of American professionals.

The championship is officially known as the WNBA Finals, falling in line with the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s NBA Finals, the male equivalent— this chance was made in 2002 after it had previously been referred to as simply the WNBA Championship. In 2016, Verizon became the primary sponsor of the WNBA Finals.

The Finals have been played at the conclusion of the regular season and postseason bracket every year since the league’s inception in 1997; the championship stage follows a 2-2-1 split format, giving the higher-seeded team a chance to host three games as opposed to just two.

The two finalists used to emerge from within their respective brackets in the Eastern and Western conferences.

However, a 2016 rule change made it so that eight teams qualify for the postseason based on their winning percentage in their 36 regular-season games regardless of conference, implementing a massive shift in the way sports, especially in America, determine postseason finalists.

A similar change has been speculated in other professional sports leagues such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football Associations (NFL), and NBA, with the last of these showing the most interest; the WNBA’s early change made them a pioneer, in this respect, and their model has been and will be studied by other sporting entities.

The WNBA season runs, in totality, from late Spring to early Fall, with a winner being crowned at the very end, right around when the men’s league starts up again.

Athletes are free to and commonly take the opportunity to play in other leagues overseas during the WNBA offseason, whether to refine their game or stay involved in their life’s passion.

The WNBA betting market has become especially lucrative as of late, whether that be due to the rise in support from other professional athletes, increased visibility on broadcasting platforms, or swells of rumors regarding expansion teams and drafts.

An expansion could be the determinant factor in the WNBA increasing its popularity further as many of the game’s top players at the college level often find themselves without work due to the limited amount of teams in the league— with popular cities such as Oakland and Portland being heavily involved in rumors, the WNBA would have a chance not only to house more exciting talent but also tap into new markets to drum up support.

To bet on WNBA, gambler need not learn any great specifics as the league almost mirrors the NBA; fans can wager on games, whether that be in the form of moneylines, spreads, player props, or any other from a litany of choices, or long-term outcomes, such as team wins, MVPs, and WNBA Championship winner.

The future of the WNBA is exciting both for fans and gamblers alike, which is why the league is finding itself in an increasingly better place— next up, how to capitalize on the WNBA’s betting offerings.

There have been several teams across the WNBA’s history that have emerged as true dynastic champions and threats for the title; the Houston Comets won the league’s first four championships but were forced to fold during the great recession in 2008.

The Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm have since tied the Comets’ record mark with four titles, while the Phoenix Mercury was also a popular face in the 2010s and early 2020s.

Placing a WNBA bet is a lot like it is in other sports; the gambler must first decide whether they want to bet on a game or a future outcome in a market known as “futures”; if they opt for a single game, there are plenty of different forms the bet can come in.

For example, the moneyline; the moneyline is a straight-up prediction on which team will win a certain game.

This bet does not account for any sort of external factors and only cares about the final result of the game, no excuses, and no exceptions.

WNBA spreads are a way of leveling the playing field between two opponents as they spot the underdog a certain amount of points, while the favorite deducted the same amount of points.

For example, pretend that the Phoenix Mercury is expected to easily beat the Indiana Fever in their upcoming game— oddsmakers will calculate how many points they expect the Mercury to win by and then attribute that to their “spread.”

Spreads will look like “Phoenix Mercury -7.5” and “Indiana Fever +7.5,” with the “-” indicating the favored team and the “+” highlighting the underdog.

In this example, if the Mercury wins by more than 7.5 points, then they cover the spread, but if they win by fewer than 7.5 points or lose outright, then they do not cover the spread. The same rule applies, just in reverse, to the Fever.

If a spread is a whole number, say three points, it is possible that the game ends in a three-point differential, and neither team wins.

In this case, the bet is voided, the deposit attributed to the wager is returned to the bettor, and everyone goes home with the same amount of money that they entered with.

Points totals are also a fan favorite in WNBA lines as they allow bettors to predict whether a game will go over or under a stated amount of points, with the same rules of voiding, if necessary, in play.

Prop bets represent a smaller betting market with a wide availability of “fun” bets that are secondary to the outcome.

This can include a player’s total for points scored, which team will win the tip-off, or if there will be a dunk in the game.

Props are great fun for newer and casual bettors but also a great resource for experienced veterans.

Finally, futures— futures can apply to a wide assortment of bets, including wins, losses, conference winners, playoff winners, championship winners, MVPs, Finals MVPs, and more.

These are a great opportunity for bettors to maximize profits, though this is accomplished by taking on greater risk.