Why Some Professional Gamblers Love the WNBA

Tim York's WNBA fetish makes his wife jealous. "She sometimes asks me, 'What do you see in women playing basketball?'" says the 31-year-old Houstonian. "Sure, some of the girls are nice to look at while they're playing. But that's not why I do it." Unlike creepy voyeurs, or purists who like watching a below-the-rim game played at a reduced tempo, York's interest in women's basketball is purely financial. "I tell her all the time, 'There's money to be made in this sport.'"

A professional gambler and owner of the Las Vegas-based handicapping company Sharp Group, York is at the forefront of the women's sports-betting movement. As Women's National Basketball Assn. franchises prepare to start training camp this month, York's in the middle of his annual analysis of all the league's teams and players. In the three years that he's been betting on the WNBA, his preparation has paid off: York says he has made a considerable portion of his estimated $100,000 annual earnings from the league. It's quite a feat given that the WNBA comprises only 12 teams that play a 34-game schedule over a four-month regular season. When it comes to women's basketball, York says, "I consider myself to be one of the best in the business."