Valkyries Could Win WNBA Title Before California Legalizes Sports Betting

Written By Cheryl Coward on July 23, 2024
Jow Lacob's WNBA team could win WNBA title before CA makes sports betting legal

With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries to the WNBA, the number of top-tier professional sports teams Californians can’t legally bet on will soon surpass 20.

Last October, basketball fans in the region rejoiced when the league awarded a franchise to Joe Lacob, the billionaire owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The Valkyries begin play next summer.

It’s not farfetched to believe the Valkyries could win a WNBA title before sports betting becomes legal in the Golden State.

California fans will have to travel out of state to bet on Valkyries

California sports betting is still illegal in 2024 even though the nation’s biggest sports market keeps growing. The Bay Area has added two top-tier pro sports franchises since 2022. That was the last time sports betting was on the ballot.

In addition to the Valkyries, National Women’s Soccer League team Bay FC began its inaugural season at PayPal Park in San Jose this past spring with a sold-out opener and now averages 14,870 fans per home game.

Unfortunately, Californians who want to join the bandwagon of betting on women’s sports won’t be able to do so until 2026, at the earliest. Fans who want to place a legal wager on the Valkyries will have to travel to an away game in a state where sports betting is legal. The Las Vegas Aces are the closest WNBA team in a state that allows betting on sports.

Californians would have dozens of teams to wager on

Even though voters were turned off by the negative campaigning of sponsors of sports betting propositions in 2022, that doesn’t mean Californians don’t want legal sports wagering. Residents are going to Las Vegas to gamble in record numbers, according to a Morgan Stanley study. Visitors to the gambling mecca from the Golden State rose from 27% to 32% between 2022 and 2023.

The trend is unsurprising, as California is a sports fan’s paradise, with professional and college teams in championship contention yearly. Existing pro teams include:

  • Three NHL teams (Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks)
  • Five MLB teams (Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants)
  • Three NFL teams (Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers)
  • Four NBA teams (Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings) and one WNBA team (Los Angeles Sparks)
  • Four MLS teams and three NWSL teams
  • Dozens of lower-tier professional teams in baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and rugby

When sports betting becomes legal, and if betting on in-state college teams is allowed, fans would also be able to place wagers on teams at powerhouse athletic programs like UCLA, USC, and Stanford, not to mention the other 23 schools in the state that play at the NCAA Division I level. No state has more DI teams than California.

Valkyries goal is to win WNBA championship within five years

Lacob has high hopes for his new sports team. At a press conference announcing Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin in May, Lacob said he expects the team to capture a championship by 2030.

“Going forward, as you know, the goal of this franchise … is to win championships and, frankly, within the first five years. We’ve done it with our G League team, we did it with the Warriors, and, shoot, what the hell, let’s just announce that as a goal right here once again, put a little pressure on from Day 1, win a championship, if not more, within the first five years.

Nyanin, who arrived from the New York Liberty, was impressed with Lacob’s financial commitment to the team.

“The investment that has already been committed to building an incredible WNBA franchise is nothing short of amazing.”

Valkyries fans lined up around the corner for a block party at Chase Center in May. It featured an impressive slate of the Bay Area’s most famous artists, like Goapele and hip-hop legend E-40.

The team will play at the state-of-the-art Chase Center, the home of the Warriors, near downtown San Francisco. With WNBA popularity at its highest, including record-breaking viewership and a boom in betting on women’s sports, fans have already shown their financial enthusiasm for the Valkyries.

Season ticket deposits exceeded 12,000 at the end of May. The basketball capacity of Chase Center is 18,064.

Second time a charm for Lacob?

Lacob is credited with turning around the Warriors, which have won four NBA titles. Before he bought the Warriors in 2010, he owned a women’s basketball team. He purchased the ABL’s San Jose Lasers in 1996, two years before the league folded in 1998.

In 2017, Lacob told the Mercury News that he wanted to buy a team in the WNBA.

“They would like us to have a WNBA team. And I would like to have one, too. We just have a few tasks that we’re dealing with right now, building an arena. But I think, ultimately, we will have one here. … I think it’s inevitable. We would have done it earlier except there was a lot to do to turn this team (Warriors) around in the first few years. It’s something we could see in the future.”

For Lacob, the future is now. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for sports betting in California.

Photo by Cheryl Coward
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Cheryl Coward

Cheryl Coward is a contributor for PlayCA with a background in sports journalism. She started her career as a news reporter in Washington, DC. She’s a die-hard women’s basketball fanatic and founded the website Hoopfeed.com as a result of that passion. She has extensive experience covering gambling and sports betting in California, including coverage of the Prop 26 vs. Prop 27 election battle.

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