Lynx, Aces, and Liberty: Favorites for the WNBA title, according to bookmakers

Minnesota Lynx: Favorites, but with Careful Rivals in the WNBA Playoffs

The Minnesota Lynx enter the WNBA playoffs as the top favorites to win the championship. However, they will have to watch out for their rivals, especially the two teams that have recently dominated the league. According to bookmakers, Minnesota is the team to beat, with odds of +110 on ESPN BET. The Las Vegas Aces, who have had an impressive performance, are positioned with odds of +260, while the current champions, the New York Liberty, have +350. The rest of the teams are far behind, with the Atlanta Dream, located in third place, with odds of +1000.

This is the first time the Lynx have started as favorites since they won their last title in the Maya Moore era, in 2017. The last time they were considered favorites during the regular season was in 2018, the last year of Moore’s career.

The Las Vegas Aces have experienced a remarkable rise in the betting odds, fueled by their 16-game winning streak at the end of the regular season. Initially, the Aces had a +400 odds to win the championship, but in mid-August, after a slow start, the odds reached +3000. However, their excellent performance allowed them to surpass the Liberty. Las Vegas’ performance has also influenced A’ja Wilson’s chances of winning the MVP award, surpassing Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier. In early August, Collier was the favorite with odds of -1100, while Wilson had 100-1. At the close of the market, Wilson became the heavy favorite with -700, and Collier was left with +500. Betting houses have been attentive to the potential of Las Vegas, which has allowed them to properly manage bets, as well as those of the other two main teams.

We believe the winner will come from those three teams. In the playoff games, these teams will be the big favorites. In our opinion, we are in a good position with those three teams. The betting team has done a good job monitoring future bets throughout the year.

DraftKings Sportsbook Director, Johnny Avello

Betting houses also benefited from the public’s great interest in Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, who now have a 100-1 odds to win the championship, after Clark’s injury. Indiana will also have important absences for the playoffs. Despite this, ESPN BET reports that 27.1% of their bets and 31.2% of the total bets placed in the championship market support the Fever. Golden State Valkyries, who made history by reaching the playoffs in their first season as an expansion team, represent one of the biggest concerns for bookmakers. Although they have a 100-1 odds and face Minnesota in the first round, bettors have shown a great interest in the team’s story.

Outside of the top three, the Valkyries generated interest in their debut season, exceeding expectations. Although only 2% of the total bets are on Golden State, they are one of our biggest concerns given their odds in the futures market.

Senior Director of Sports Operations for North America at ESPN BET, Adrian Horton

In general, the 2025 WNBA season has been a success in terms of betting, demonstrating Clark’s impact, regardless of whether she can compete for the title this season.

Although Caitlin Clark missed most of the regular season due to an injury, that didn’t stop bettors from betting on the WNBA. We saw more action in the league this season than before Clark joined the league. With significant action on the Fever, the sportsbook feels comfortable with the Lynx, Aces, or Liberty winning the WNBA championship.

Senior Manager of Operations at BetMGM, Christian Cipollini