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The Caitlin Clark Effect: Boosts WNBA Betting by 380% in May

Optimove Insights analyzed over 15 million bets placed in the regular WNBA season games in the month of May

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Why it Matters:

The Caitlin Clark Effect, as revealed by Optimove Insights’ analysis of May 2024 WNBA games, shows a significant 380% average increase in bets on games featuring standout player Caitlin Clark. This underscores the profound influence of star players on betting behavior and emphasizes the need for marketers to leverage individual player impact to optimize engagement strategies. 

The Big Picture:

Caitlin Clark is making waves, not just on the court but also in the world of sports betting. Recent data shows a remarkable increase in betting activity for WNBA games as well as our earlier report on Women’s March Madness, driven significantly by her performances.

WNBA Betting Surge 

In May 2024, games featuring Caitlin Clark and her team, the Indiana Fever, saw an average betting increase of 380% compared to a baseline game. Optimove Insights analyzed over 15 million bets placed during the WNBA regular season in May. The baseline game, Seattle Storm vs. Washington Mystics, had the fewest bets and was set at 100%. 

Key findings include: 

  • The highest increase in bets was 544% for the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game. 
  • Games without Caitlin Clark still saw a 162% increase over the baseline.

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Women’s NCAA March Madness

The effect of Caitlin Clark’s presence was even more pronounced during the Women’s NCAA March Madness. Optimove Insights analyzed over 4 million bets placed from March 29 to April 9, 2024. 

Key findings include: 

  • The Championship game showed a 620% increase in bets over the baseline. 
  • Games featuring Caitlin Clark of Iowa averaged a 540% increase in bets. 
  • Games without Clark had a 195% increase over the baseline. 

Conclusion 

The analysis by Optimove Insights reveals that individual star players like Caitlin Clark can significantly impact betting behavior. Her presence not only boosts fan engagement but also drives a substantial increase in betting activity. This underscores the importance of star power in shaping the dynamics of sports betting.  

For more insights on how to benefit, contact us.

About Optimove Insights   

Optimove Insights is the analytical and research arm of Optimove, dedicated to providing valuable industry insights and data-driven research to empower B2C businesses.   

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Rob Wyse

Rob Wyse is Senior Director of Communications at Optimove. As a communications consultant, he has been influential in changing public opinion and policy to drive market opportunity. Example issues he has worked on include climate change, healthcare reform, homeland security, cloud transformation, AI, and other timely issues.

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