The 2022 WNBA regular season is here. For those who live in or travel to watch WNBA games in person, the subject of WNBA betting is pertinent. While the quality of basketball is high all over, the status of legal betting in the various WNBA markets varies greatly.
Some markets have a strong advantage over others when it comes to the array of options for safe sports betting on the WNBA. Essentially, those areas all fall in one of four categories for the ease of access to legal sportsbooks. We’ll take you through all four categories and explain which teams are in which area.
The starting five for WNBA betting
Five teams, almost half of the league, are part of this group which has ideal conditions for WNBA bettors. Those are the:
- Chicago Sky
- Connecticut Sun
- Indiana Fever
- New York Liberty
- Phoenix Mercury
The reasons they have ideal situations are due to ease of access and the number of betting options. We’ll look at the specifics arena by arena.
Wintrust Arena, home of the Chicago Sky
Illinois not only offers retail sportsbooks inside casinos, off-track-betting sites, and racetracks but also seven regulated online sportsbooks. Bettors of at least 21 years of age can register for their accounts and wager completely online from anywhere in the state.
Among the online options in the state of the defending WNBA champions to regularly post WNBA markets are:
Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut Sun
This might be the stadium in the smallest WNBA city but people attending Sun games do not want for options for legal sports betting. In addition to multiple brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in the state, there are three licensed online options. Besides DraftKings and FanDuel, Connecticutters also have access to PlaySugarHouse.
While there is a retail sportsbook mere feet away from Mohegan Sun Arena, that sportsbook does not take action on WNBA games as an integrity control. Fans can still use any of the three online sportsbooks while they are watching games.
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana Fever
See above but expand upon it. Indiana has licensed nearly 20 different online sportsbooks which include all the options available in Connecticut and Illinois (with the exception of SugarHouse) plus several you won’t find in either of those states. Those include theScore Bet and Unibet.
Like in all of these markets, you can register for all of them right on your phone and use them anywhere in the state. Indiana also offers in-person wagering inside the state’s several brick-and-mortar casinos.
Barclays Center, New York Liberty
Legal online sports betting in New York is the newest rage for Liberty fans. Currently, there are eight licensed options in the state. That menu features all the operators available in Illinois plus Resorts World Bet and WynnBet.
Bally Bet has a license in New York as well but has not yet gone live. That could happen sometime this summer. All eight current options are available anywhere in the state but if you like, you can also visit a commercial or tribal casino in New York to put down bets in person.
Footprint Center, Phoenix Mercury
For Mercury fans, there’s a FanDuel sportsbook right in the arena. Additionally, Arizona has licensed many online operators. That list includes all the well-known brands and some unique ones like Betfred.
The Mercury’s official sports betting partner, Bally Bet, just went live online in Arizona on Thursday. Arizona is also home to several retail sportsbooks at sports arenas and tribal casinos.
The next group almost compares but has a few regulatory differences which are significant enough to make the experience a little less exciting for bettors.
The WNBA betting reserves
This group has legal mobile wagering but the options aren’t as plentiful as for bettors attending games in one of the former five arenas. In one case, the legality is unique as well. We’re talking about the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics.
In Nevada, there are multiple legal online sportsbooks. Examples include BetMGM and Caesars. However, you have to register for an account with them at a corresponding casino in the state.
Once you’ve signed up, though, you’re good to use the apps anywhere in the state you like, including at the Michelob Ultra Arena during an Aces game. The situation is a bit different for fans attending a game at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
For bettors in the District of Columbia, there are three online sportsbook options. However, only one of them is legal to use anywhere in DC. That’s the DC Lottery‘s Gambet.
BetMGM and Caesars also have licenses to take bets online but only in certain parts of the District. For BetMGM, that’s within a two-block radius of Nationals Park. For Caesars, that’s within the same distance of Capital One Arena.
There are also retail sportsbooks at both of those stadiums. DC is also home to one retail sportsbook at a sports bar; Grand Central in Adams Morgan. While these options may not be ideal, they are better than the next class.
The WNBA betting training camp
For Seattle Storm fans, tribal casinos in Washington are your best friends. There are no legal online sportsbooks in Washington right now. The seven tribal casinos that offer in-person wagering are:
- Angel of the Winds Casino (Arlington)
- Emerald Casino (Tacoma)
- Muckleshoot Casino (Auburn)
- Northern Quest Casino (Spokane)
- Snoqualmie Casino (Snoqualmie)
- Spokane Tribe Casino (Airway Heights)
- Suquamish Clearwater Casino (Suquamish)
To legally bet online, Washingtonians have to leave their state. The closest option for legal online sports betting for them is Oregon. Having to leave the state is a common narrative for supporters of the rest of the league’s teams. That applies to more than just online wagering, though.
The WNBA betting cheering section
For bettors in the other three states with WNBA stadiums, there are currently no legal options. That goes for both online and retail wagering. To be clear, those teams are the:
- Dallas Wings
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is currently debating a sports betting legalization bill, so that might change for Lynx fans within the next year. Additionally, California residents will vote on two separate sports betting legalization referendums this fall.
In Texas, however, there are no active pushes to change the legal status quo. The closest options for supporters of these three teams right now are as follows:
- Lynx: Iowa offers legal online wagering plus South Dakota and Wisconsin have retail sportsbooks
- Sparks: Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon all have legal online options
- Wings: Arkansas and Louisiana are your best bets although New Mexico does offer retail wagering at tribal casinos
Just as WNBA teams have varying chances of winning a championship this year, WNBA bettors have varying levels of access in different markets. Hopefully, as time passes, more of the markets will join the starting lineup.
