The Caitlin Clark effect is real, and it’s spectacular – at least if you’re an online sportsbook.

According to a report by Optimove Insights, betting on women’s games in the 2024 NCAA basketball tournament was up 540% over last year, and the credit goes directly to Clark.

This would seemingly indicate betting on WNBA games – the season tips off Tuesday night with four games, including Clark’s Indiana Fever on the road against the Connecticut Sun – is also set for a betting boost.

“As the WNBA season is about to tip off on May 14, it is doing so with a generational player,” said Rony Vexelman, the VP of marketing at Optimove. “The substantial boost in overall interest in women’s basketball catalyzed by Caitlin Clark is extraordinary. Her influence on boosting betting, TV viewership and more is already starting to drive a new women’s basketball economy in the trillions.” 

Between March 29 and April 9, Optimove Insights analyzed more than 19 million bets placed on the 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament, both men’s and women’s games. The idea was to see exactly the effect Clark would have.

Optimove Insights tracked the betting activity on women’s NCAA games from the Elite Eight stage through to the Championship game, using the Oregon State vs. South Carolina game as the baseline. The data found that games featuring Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes saw an average 540% increase in bets compared to the baseline.

Interestingly, however, despite the women’s championship game getting an average of 18.7 million viewers – more than the men’s 14.8 million – the men’s final attracted more than three times the amount of bets.