On Friday night, the lives of 36 women will change forever. Thanks to WNBA Draft betting markets on BetMGM and William Hill, the bank accounts of savvy Nevada bettors could be changed for the better as well.
Both online sportsbooks offer action on several picks and prospects for the event, which begins at 7 p.m. ET on April 17 with live coverage on ESPN. This guide will help you do your research and bet wisely.
How to take advantage of WNBA Draft betting markets at NV online sportsbooks
While the WNBA Draft will take place as originally scheduled on Friday, the format has changed. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will announce each pick remotely.
Additionally, several prospects and team personnel will participate in the broadcast from their individual locations. The league hasn’t announced yet exactly who that will be outside of top prospect Sabrina Ionescu.
In order to place your bets at both/either sportsbook, create or log into your account on the app or website. Make a deposit and then browse the markets for your competitive edge.
So far, neither operator is offering any promotions unique to this event. That may change between now and the time of the event, however, so keep a close eye on your registered email account.
The lines may fluctuate based on intel that comes out of members of the media, prospects and teams as well. So far, all the teams have been pretty tight-lipped about their plans.
The team with the top pick might as well make it official, however. Analysts have considered that a foregone conclusion for months already.
Who has the top pick and why is it seemingly already a done deal?
Ionescu is a historic talent and arguably the most marketable rookie in WNBA history. She is the NCAA D1 all-time leader in triple-doubles (both men and women) and is the first D1 player, male or female, to accumulate 1,000 assists, 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
For those reasons, analysts almost guarantee that the New York Liberty will select her first overall. The odds reflect that, as William Hill hasn’t even posted a market on the top pick and BetMGM has her as the favorite in its market at -5000.
William Hill’s action, and more favorable markets at BetMGM, begin with the second overall pick. The two brands disagree on who the favorite is there.
William Hill has Ionescu’s former Oregon teammate, Satou Sabally, as its favorite to go second overall to the Dallas Wings at -160. BetMGM, on the other hand, expects Dallas to take Lauren Cox at -132.
There’s good reason to buy either prospect at No. 2 overall. Sabally forewent her final year of eligibility with the Ducks to enter the draft this year.
When she did so, she instantly became the second-best prospect in this draft class in the opinion of many. She also may have altered Cox’s fate.
Before Sabally’s entry, Cox seemed a lock for the Wings. As a 6’4” power forward, she fills a great need for Dallas and she’s also a local star, having grown up in Flower Mound, TX and won a national championship at Baylor.
For those reasons, the Wings may still select her at No. 2. It would be hard to pass on Sabally’s tremendous upside, however.
William Hill has Cox +120 to go second overall while BetMGM has Sabally with the same odds on its market for Dallas’ first pick of the night. Because either outcome has a good chance of probability, it might not be a bad idea to hedge your bets and put some money down on both prospects at both books.
The action doesn’t end there, however, as both books have lines on the third and fourth overall picks as well. The market for the fourth overall pick is especially intriguing.
So many possibilities at for the Atlanta Dream at No. 4 overall
For the third overall pick, sportsbooks expect the Indiana Fever to go with either Cox or Sabally, whichever prospect the Wings don’t take. The lines reflect that, so it could be a great strategy to just repeat the same moves from the markets on the second overall pick.
The fourth overall selection is much more of an open field. Most mock drafts have the Atlanta Dream selecting Chennedy Carter in this spot, but there’s sound logic behind other candidates.
Carter is the favorite at both BetMGM and Willam Hill at -182 and -175 respectively. It’s easy to make cases for two other prospects in the fields at both books, Megan Walker and Tyasha Harris.
Walker was the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and shot over 45% from distance, a great need for an Atlanta offense that struggled all over the court in 2019. Meanwhile, Harris is a FIBA Gold Medal winner and led the nation’s top-ranked team at the point.
Even more attractive are the lines on those two prospects. BetMGM has better action on Walker at +1100 while William Hill has the more lucrative line on Harris at +1600.
That’s where the action at BetMGM ends. William Hill goes deeper, however, with markets specific to six individual prospects.
William Hill’s draft position markets on six mid-first round prospects
William Hill posted six over/under markets on the draft positions of six prospects, two of which are Harris and Walker. The other four are:
- Te’a Cooper
- Crystal Dangerfield
- Ruthy Hebard
- Beatrice Mompremier
The over/under for all four of those prospects is 8.5. The only positive line as of Wednesday morning, however, was the under on Hebard.
That’s not a bad bet to take. Assuming no trades happen, Dallas selects again at No.s 5 and 7 and the Minnesota Lynx pick sixth overall. Either team could spring for Hebard.
The over/under on Harris sits at 6.5 with the same on Walker at 5.5. William Hill has a line of +200 on the over on Walker and +100 on the over on Harris.
Whether either will fall that far remains to be seen. If that happens, those who took this action on Friday night could be smiling just as big as the prospects when their names are called.
