If you’ve bet on a WNBA game, prop bet, or futures before, it’s a good chance you’ve perhaps unknowingly already interacted with the product of a Sportradar WNBA partnership. That will continue to be the case due to an extension of the collaboration between the two.
The new deal keeps Sportradar as the exclusive provider of official data for the WNBA in the near future. That means the variety and volume of markets available to WNBA bettors could grow.
Sportradar WNBA relationship stays exclusive
Earlier this week, the NBA and Sportradar announced their new relationship. The exclusive data provider tag for Sportradar includes the G League and the WNBA, beginning in 2023. The NBA now has a 3% stake in Sportradar, unofficially worth around $200 million.
Sportradar will also pay annual fees to the NBA. It’s uncertain how much, if any, of those fees the WNBA and its franchises will get. While the official value of the deal for the NBA has not been disclosed, David Purdum of ESPN reports it’s worth upward of $1 billion.
It’s also unclear whether the WNBA and its franchises will get any Sportradar equity. However, the fruits of the partnership could be visible for bettors as soon as the 2023 WNBA season.
What this could mean for WNBA bettors
According to a press release, Sportradar will “also establish a dedicated team to innovate and transform the fan experience.” That focuses on expanded distribution rights regarding the use of player tracking data.
WNBA fans got a taste of that in the 2021 Commissioner’s Cup title game. For example, data visualizations provided fans with statistics on things like players’ speed while running the floor, arc angle of shot attempts, and players’ shooting percentage from certain spots on the floor.
While bettors can not bet on such things right now, this expansion could make such wagers technically possible. The only considerations at that point will be sportsbooks’ interest and regulatory permissions.
It’s unclear to what extent Canadian and US sportsbooks will make such markets available on WNBA games. At least one, Bally Bet, has already expressed interest. That might be less of an issue than regulatory frameworks in the various jurisdictions, though.
Some regulatory bodies might interpret rules and statutes to ban such wagers. Thus, the availability of these markets in-game might vary wildly from one province or state to the next.
If there is enough interest from operators, though, those rules could be adjusted. Whether that will happen in advance of or well after Sportradar makes the product available is another question. What’s certain is that if and when such bets are available on WNBA games, Sportradar will make it happen.
