Liberty open as '25 WNBA title favorites as books see record interest

The New York Liberty battled into overtime of the final game of the season to claim the franchise's first WNBA title on Sunday, and they've been installed as the favorites to repeat in 2025.

The Liberty finished first during the 2024 regular season and went on to win the title in five games over the Minnesota Lynx. New York has been installed as the +190 favorite for the 2025 title by DraftKings, followed by Minnesota at +350 along with the Las Vegas Aces, who were thwarted in their attempt to win a third consecutive title this season.

2025 WNBA TITLE ODDS*

New York Liberty (+190)

Minnesota Lynx (+350)

Las Vegas Aces (+350)

Connecticut Sun (+750)

Indiana Fever (+1300)

Seattle Storm (+1500)

Phoenix Mercury (+4500)

Atlanta Dream (+7000)

Chicago Sky (+7500)

Washington Mystics (+10000)

Los Angeles Spark (+12000)

Dallas Wings (+12000)

Golden State Valkyries (+20000)

*DraftKings

The Fever were eliminated in the first round of star rookie Caitlin Clark's first season, and opened at +1300 for the 2025 title. Fellow rookie Angel Reese had her season end early due to a wrist injury, and her Chicago Sky opened as +7500 longshots.

The longest odds in the league belong to the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who are preparing for the Dec. 6 expansion draft.

The Liberty also opened as the +200 favorites at BetMGM, where the line quickly moved to +175. The biggest early movement was by the Fever, whose odds shifted from +2500 to +1500 with 33.3 percent of all 2025 title tickets backing Indiana since the market opened after this year's finals.

It continued what the book said has been a consistent increase in betting interest in the WNBA along with women's sports in general.

"Women's basketball is blowing up, and people seem to be excited about women's sports in general," BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther said in a statement. "There was incredible momentum for the WNBA coming off a record-breaking women's college basketball tournament in terms of bets and viewership led by interest in Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

"BetMGM experienced exponential growth this WNBA season with a 113 percent increase in betting year-over-year, and we plan to keep the momentum going."

BetMGM also reported that the Liberty winning the Finals over the Lynx was a good result for the book, which plans to offer a "wider array of WNBA markets -- more player props, specials, futures, and award bets - and a greater focus on women's college basketball."

--Field Level Media