A day after DraftKings announced a new partnership with the WNBA, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark snagged her second Rookie of the Month honor.
The league’s first-year phenom has already heightened the Fever’s profile to unprecedented heights and helped the franchise and the league set records this season in attendance, viewership, merchandise sales, and sports betting.
The move by DraftKings should only strengthen its standing in the Hoosier State, as the sportsbook leads all others in Indiana sports betting handle.
FanDuel also has a deal with WNBA
The deal should also help increase the league’s fanbase. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has acknowledged that sports wagering will play an integral role in the league’s future growth. The operator is now an official sports betting and daily fantasy partner of the WNBA.
Matt Kalish, president of DraftKings North America, expressed his excitement over the partnership, citing the league’s “tremendous growth“ and the company’s commitment to supporting the WNBA’s expansion efforts. The league is adding teams in San Francisco and Toronto.
This is not the first time that DraftKings has sealed a deal involving the WNBA. In 2015, the operator was a marquee sponsor of the New York Liberty for daily fantasy sports and had its logo on the team’s uniforms.
DraftKings rival FanDuel is also an official sports betting and daily fantasy partner of the league in a deal that was renewed in 2022.
Clark fuels basketball betting increase in Indiana
The deal grants DraftKings access to league and team intellectual property, as well as marketing and activation opportunities around major WNBA events. The company will leverage official WNBA data feeds to enhance fans’ gameplay experience on its platforms.
The partnership with the WNBA will help DraftKings Sportsbook Indiana keep its edge on the competition in the Hoosier State. The sportsbook entered the state via a partnership with Ameristar East Chicago. DraftKings leads the state in handle ahead of FanDuel Sportsbook Indiana, BetMGM Sportsbook Indiana and Caesars Sportsbook Indiana.
Bet365 Indiana and ESPN Bet Sportsbook Indiana bring up the rear in the handle rankings, with the latter garnering less than $10 million in June.
May was the first month of the WNBA season. During that month, wagers on basketball saw a 35% year-over-year increase in Indiana. According to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, that jump was largely due to Clark’s popularity. The trend continued the following month. In June, there was a 38% year-over-year increase in basketball bets.
Clark broke rookie assists record at All-Star Game
After the Indiana Fever struggled early in the season, the team found its footing in July. It earned impressive wins over the third-place team in the league, the Minnesota Lynx, and the WNBA’s best team, the New York Liberty.
With Clark at the helm, the Fever are selling out arenas from Connecticut to Seattle. Some season ticket-holders in other states are making huge profits from selling their seats to Fever games.
Die-hard fans in Indiana are getting their money’s worth. In July, Clark averaged 20.3 points, 12.5 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game while playing 38.2 minutes per contest.
This month, she became the only rookie in league history and the first in franchise history to earn a triple-double. She had a jaw-dropping 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds on July 6. She also set the WNBA single-game assists record with 19 on July 17 at Dallas in front of another sold-out crowd.
The rookie shined in the All-Star Game last weekend in Phoenix, a game the WNBA All-Stars beat the USA Olympic team, 117-109. Clark set the rookie assist record in an All-Star Game with 10, which helped another rookie sensation, Angel Reese, register a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds).
The league will now take a month-long break as Olympians head to Paris to play for their respective teams at the Summer Games. While her fans were disappointed that she didn’t get selected to the US Women’s National Team, Clark will get much-needed rest.
The Fever are in seventh place in the league standings with an 11-15 record. When play resumes, they will be in the race for a playoff spot, with the Chicago Sky (10-14) nipping at their heels.
