Legal MLB Betting
And here’s the pitch! While the NFL has the viewership numbers, America’s Pastime is still the apple pie of American sport. Not only is it a riveting game to play and watch, it’s also a statistician’s dream, which makes legal MLB betting extremely popular in the sports wagering community. With 30 teams of 25 players playing 162 games every season, baseball provides avid sports gamblers with hundreds of thousands of betting opportunities each year.
The majority of Americans who bet on Major League Baseball do so at legal online sportsbooks like Bovada, BetOnline, and several others. Because these Internet betting sites are located offshore and outside of US jurisdiction, it is 100% legal for US residents to use their services to wager and win real money on baseball. In fact, Americans use these websites to bet tens of billions of dollars on the MLB every single year!
Since there are hundreds of Internet betting shops out there, finding the right one might seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, it’s not, as the best sportsbooks for legal MLB betting are all prominent entities in the sports betting industry. Sites like Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, BetDSI, and BookMaker have all been around for ages, and each one of them has up-to-date lines, comprehensive funding options, and solid reputations for great customer service and prompt, reliable payouts. Sure, you can go with another online sportsbook if you want, but why strike out when you can hit a home run?
Legal MLB Betting At Bovada
Like America, Bovada just goes with baseball. As the country’s most popular sportsbook, Bovada has the most accessible betting boards and the most comprehensive odds you’ll find anywhere. Legal MLB betting at Bovada is a quick, easy experience, and new members can even get a $250 Sports Welcome Bonus to let them get ahead in the count. Even better, Bovada has never missed a single MLB payout, so you’ll always be safe (betting) at home with the best brand in the business. (Unfortunately, Bovada does not accept customers from DE, MD, NV, NY or NJ at this time.)
Legal MLB Betting At BetOnline
BetOnline serves millions of baseball fans each season. Available to residents of 49 states, legal MLB betting at BetOnline promises to be a top-notch experience whether you’re at home or on the go. As an added bonus, BetOnline also has the advantage of offering its customers the most different deposit and withdrawal options of any top sportsbook, including support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Signing up is always free, and new members can even get a 50% Welcome Bonus worth up to $2500!
Types Of MLB Bets
For the most part, the types of MLB bets mirror their other major sport counterparts. The most common wager variety in the game is the moneyline bet, which simply asks bettors to pick the winning team in a given game.
MLB Example Moneyline
- Team A -200
- Team B +150
In this example, Team A is favored, and bettors have to wager $200 in order to get a payout of $100. Team B is the underdog - a bet on $100 will yield $150 in profit.
Another common bet is the run line, which is exactly like a point spread in football and serves to handicap the perceived better team. (Note that in MLB betting, the run line spread is almost always going to -1.5 runs for the favorite.)
MLB Example Run Line
- Team A -1.5 -110
- Team B +1.5 -110
In this example, Team A would have to win by more than 1.5 runs - meaning two or more - in order to cover this spread and cash the bet. Team B could either win the game or lose by less than 1.5 runs - meaning one run - in order to cash the bet.
Over/unders (a.k.a. totals bets) are also frequently played. These bets combine both teams’ scoring into one number, and people bet whether it will be over or under that number.
MLB Example O/U Line
- Team A + Team B Over 9.5 -110
- Team A + Team B Under 9.5 -110
MLB bettors will also get five inning lines on most games (where the focus is generally restricted to starting pitching matchups) as well as various team and player props for every contest. Sportsbooks typically offer parlays on MLB games, and some even promote the so-called Grand Salami, a special MLB over/under on all the combined action of a given day of the season.
MLB Live Betting
In addition to the standard types of MLB bets, many sportsbooks offer MLB live betting, allowing bettors to wager on in-game events as they unfold during a given contest. With MLB live betting, you can put action on things like whether or not the next batter will get a hit, how many batters a pitcher will face in an inning, how many pitches a pitcher will throw in an inning, whether or not the next guy up will strike out, and so on. MLB live betting can add literally hundreds of wagers to a single baseball game, but to take full advantage, you’ve got to watch every pitch.
MLB Mobile Betting
MLB mobile betting is one of the big reasons why live betting has become so popular over the last few years. Thanks to an almost ever-present Internet connection for everyone everywhere, fans of Major League Baseball can wager on their favorite matchups no matter where in the country they happen to be. Watching Wednesday Night Baseball in the bar? Pull out your smartphone or tablet and put some money on the line!
Even though none of the top online sportsbooks currently have official iPhone or Android apps (due to Apple and Google corporate policies), each of them has taken the time to provide its members with a first-rate mobile web experience. MLB mobile betting is not only convenient, it’s also the safest and most secure way to wager online.
In the offseason, the only MLB wagers fans have access to are futures bets. These types of baseball bets typically allow bettors to put action on which teams they think will win their divisions, league pennants, and the World Series itself. Often, MLB futures will also include odds for league MVPs and Cy Young winners, though these latter two categories are usually more dominant on the betting boards once the regular season gets underway. Entering the 2024 MLB season, the odds look like this:
MLB 2024 World Series Odds
- Los Angeles Dodgers+375
- Atlanta Braves+700
- New York Yankees+800
- Houston Astros+1000
- Philadelphia Phillies+1100
- Texas Rangers+1100
- Toronto Blue Jays+1400
- Baltimore Orioles+1600
- Tampa Bay Rays+2000
- Seattle Mariners+2200
- Chicago Cubs+2400
- New York Mets+2400
- Minnesota Twins+2500
- San Francisco Giants+2800
- Boston Red Sox+3300
- San Diego Padres+3300
- St. Louis Cardinals+3300
- Arizona Diamondbacks+3500
- Cincinnati Reds+4000
- Milwaukee Brewers+4000
- Miami Marlins+5000
- Detroit Tigers+6000
- Cleveland Guardians+6500
- Pittsburgh Pirates+7500
- Kansas City Royals+8000
- Los Angeles Angels+8000
- Washington Nationals+10000
- Chicago White Sox+15000
- Colorado Rockies+20000
- Oakland Athletics+20000
Best Online Sportsbook Deposit Methods
Most legal Internet betting shops will accept a number of deposit options to fill up your MLB betting account. Of course, different sportsbook deposit options have different benefits and drawbacks. If you want to put in the largest amounts of money, you’ll need to use bank wire transfers, money orders, or personal checks. These methods take up to two weeks to clear, however. If speed is the main thing, you can opt to deposit via credit, debit, or cryptocurrency (i.e. Bitcoin).
Best Online Sportsbook Withdrawal Methods
You can request your sportsbook’s cashier to mail you a courier check, send you a money order, or submit your payout in the form of a wire transfer, but you’ll be waiting up to two weeks to collect your winnings no matter which of these you choose. If you want your winnings sooner, the best online sportsbook withdrawal methods will be cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. You’ll have your cash same-day, and using crypto for both deposit and withdrawal allows you to qualify for bonuses.