Bettors at one major sportsbook weren’t too sharp regarding wagering on the best NBA teams during the 2024-2025 campaign.
Key Takeaways
- BetMGM released data on the most-bet players and teams in both the NBA and NHL.
- Betting interest wasn’t a good indicator of the NBA’s best player this season.
- NHL bettors loved the Golden Knights and Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s record.
Just one of the top-5 most bet teams this season made it to the conference finals, according to data released by BetMGM on Thursday. The Oklahoma City Thunder, who clinched a spot in the NBA Finals with Wednesday’s series victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, received 5.31% of the tickets all season, fourth-most in the league.
Their 5.12% of the handle wagered also ranked fourth and over a one percentage point less than the Los Angeles Lakers, who received the most money at 6.19%. The LeBron James-led Western Conference team got the most betting interest of any team in the league with 5.84% of the bets placed, but they didn’t even make it out of the first round of the playoffs.
BetMGM said the Lakers were the only NBA team in the top five in tickets to record a positive ticket-to-handle ratio (1.06:1, seventh best).
The Indiana Pacers, one win away from winning the Eastern Conference Finals, ranked 16th in tickets for the season at 3.2%. Their handle was a little higher at 3.37%.
The Washington Wizards, who had the second-fewest wins (18) in the NBA during the regular season, were the least-bet team in the league with 1.33% of the tickets and 1.21% of the money. The Utah Jazz, who finished with a league-low 17 wins, took more money than five other NBA teams.
| NBA Team | Ticket Percentage | Handle Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | 5.84% | 6.19% |
| Boston Celtics | 5.80% | 5.60% |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5.58% | 4.88% |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 5.31% | 5.12% |
| Denver Nuggets | 5.12% | 4.87% |
MVP ranked fifth
Betting interest also wasn’t an indicator of the league’s best player. OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award, but he ranked fifth in BetMGM’s most-bet player list, finishing with 1.55% of the wagers. Nikola Jokic (1.90%), James (1.79%), Luka Doncic (1.63%), and Jayson Tatum (1.61%) all ranked ahead of the Thunder star in tickets.
All but Tatum received more handle than SGA (1.36%), as did Stephen Curry (1.4%). James and Curry finished outside the top five in MVP voting, with Doncic receiving no votes on ballots this year.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in the MVP behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic but landed outside the top six in both wagers and money for the season.
Another notable player, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, had a big year leading his team to the conference finals, but the guard was the 18th most-bet player, getting just 0.95% of the tickets and 0.85% of the handle.
Las Vegas love
BetMGM’s hockey bettors loved successful teams, especially the Vegas Golden Knights, during the 2024-2025 season. The team located just steps away from the Strip led the NHL with 5.7% of the tickets and 5.97% of the handle.
The online sportsbook reported that four of the six least-bet teams – the Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Islanders – barely combined for a higher handle than the Golden Knights. The Winnipeg Jets ranked second with 5.4% of the bets and 5.24% of the money.
With the hockey season getting close to being finalized, take a look at the most bet teams and players from this season 🏒 https://t.co/2XlbTSI9Mp
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) May 29, 2025
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars rounded out the top five in tickets, but the Colorado Avalanche finished ahead of all three with 5.1% of the handle. The L.A. Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning were the only two teams to reach 100 points on the season but finish outside BetMGM’s top 10 in tickets and handle.
The Florida Panthers, who clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, just ranked inside the top 10 with 3.9% of the tickets and 3.53% of the handle.
Backing Ovi
Unsurprisingly, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin led all players in tickets (1.91%) and handle (2.22%) as he chased Wayne Gretzky’s all-time career goals scored record. Ovechkin passed “The Great One” on April 6 and finished the season with 897 career goals.
Nathan MacKinnon finished right behind Ovi with 1.88% of the tickets of the handle. MacKinnon and Auston Matthews were the only other NHL players to reach 2% of the money on the year.
Leon Draisaitl tied Matthews for the third-most tickets (1.82%) and stood alone in third with a handle of 1.75%. Connor McDavid was ninth in bets (1.37%) but fourth in money wagered (1.64%).
