Caitlin Clark’s audacious logo three-pointers and record-breaking accomplishments have driven sports fans who previously would not walk across the street to watch women’s basketball to set their DVRs to record the Iowa Hawkeyes’ games.
Bettors have taken an interest, too, using some of their discretionary money on Clark and the Hawkeyes, the top seeds in the Albany Regional 2 of the NCAA Tournament.
Caesars Sportsbook reported the number of bets on women’s college basketball games this season was 190 percent higher than a year earlier with 153 percent more money wagered.
Photo: AFP
“We saw the momentum slowly build toward the end of the regular season last year and then into the tournament,” said Grant Tucker, who heads up college basketball trading for Caesars. “Obviously, Iowa had that great run all the way to the final. So as the tournament went along, the betting increased. Her superstardom grew.”
“It all tied in perfectly when you think of [name, image and likeness] and all the stuff going on. We really have never seen a college athlete like this, especially in the women’s game in any sport,” Tucker said.
Caesars and BetMGM plan to offer proposition bets around Clark, and her popularity has created a spillover effect for other women’s college basketball teams.
Caesars has gone from posting four or five women’s games on any given day to 12 to 15, Tucker said.
She also has affected futures bets, with Iowa going from 12-1 at Caesars to win the national championship to 6-1 because of the money from casual gamblers. The pros have not jumped in, preferring to stick with South Carolina, who are minus-135 favorites.
“The interest in women’s college basketball has definitely taken a big upturn in the last two seasons, and Iowa and Caitlin Clark is the reason,” said Sheldon Jacobson, who operates the site BracketOdd.
“She’s become a rock star among the women’s basketball players, and that’s great for the game. It’s great for the sport, and I hope it continues,” Jacobson said. “Certainly, she’ll be greatly missed when she finishes her career in just a few weeks.”
That leaves women’s college basketball at a little bit of a crossroads.
Clark will be a difficult act to follow, although USC freshman JuJu Watkins is showing she might have the game to do just that.
“It’s more than just play, it’s also personality,” Jacobson said. “It’s really the whole gestalt. [Clark] really brings something special to the game. I intentionally watched some of the games on TV when she was playing just because she was so interesting to watch. She brings something special to the game, and that’s great for the sport.”
Tucker said he expects some regression in interest when Clark heads to the WNBA after this season, but her departure would not completely stall the momentum for women’s college basketball.
“Her stardom is very unique,” Tucker said. “I don’t know if anybody can really be at the level of Caitlin Clark. I wouldn’t say it would go down to how it was four or five years ago, but I don’t know if this is really sustainable long term.”
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