The MLB, with 30 teams each playing 162 games each season, is the longest of any of the major US sports leagues. Throw in the postseason playoffs plus the World Series and that’s a huge amount of baseball matches to bet on every year.
As the most famous baseball contest on the planet and one that features the biggest stars in the game, Major League Baseball is watched by an eye-popping number of Americans every week.
If you’re a baseball fan, chances are you already have a good knowledge of the game along with the MLB’s best teams and players. Furnish that grounding with an understanding of how gambling on baseball works, along with a few MLB betting tips, and you could turn your love of the sport into a profitable pastime.
Whether you’re a gut gambler who makes a few casual picks on a favorite team or a wannabe sharp who analyzes the stats and betting lines to make informed wagers, fans are blessed with some of the best sportsbooks in the country for betting on the MLB.
All of the best NY sportsbooks offer dozens of MLB betting markets. However, the approach of each book in setting odds, how they cover games, and their MLB promos and odds boosts differs. Choose the best sports betting site to suit how you pursue the MLB news, plus your preferred ways of taking in the action and the wager types you typically favor, then make your pick from the following:
On any given weekend you’ll find 50 or more odds boosts at Caesars and many of them are on MLB games. Caesars might offer you increased pricing on moneyline bets for individual games. Alternatively, they might bundle together fixtures for boosted parlay odds and offer a range of ‘fun’ props such as runs scored in an innings and individual player performances. Caesars’ MLB pricing is generally competitive across the board so uprated odds deliver a dose of extra value. The self-titled Emperor betting giant is one of the biggest MLB sportsbooks thanks to its glorious platforms and all-round sports coverage.
BetMGM might just be the definitive sportsbook for the MLB with its list of baseball betting options and an array of markets. BetMGM has a longstanding reputation as a top baseball betting site and their odds aren’t stingy either. On all the top MLB games you’ll find the usual moneylines, spreads and totals at BetMGM along with extensive props and specials markets. With top-notch app and desktop functionality, building bets is made easy at BetMGM and it is one of the longest-standing partners of the MLB making for depth to the entertainment giant’s baseball broadcasting and wagering options.
FanDuel does both the long and the short baseball betting game brilliantly. With strong futures markets and odds that are among the earliest releases of all sportsbooks, FanDuel is a go-to when wagering on who will win the MLB outright and which teams will make the playoffs. As one of North America’s premier daily fantasy sports providers, FanDuel’s baseball props betting is powered by its extensive stats databases. Popular props such as strikeouts, hits, runs and errors are a standout alongside home run hitters and RBIs. FanDuel’s super betting platforms make for a great choice whether you’re a weekly wagerer or season-long staker.
DraftKings’ StatsHub is easy to access from each game line and will give you a whole heap about each team’s recent performances and how their players have been shaping up. Want to know who the Yankees’ probable pitcher will be or the team’s batting average, how many home runs they’ve been hitting, and their number of strikeouts? DraftKings will tell you at a glance and even throw in ‘fun facts’ for good measure. DraftKings also supplies game preview and betting information for the official MLB website to give you a few baseball betting tips each week. All those stats also feed into DraftKings’ live betting for MLB games making for accurate and updated markets whenever matches are underway.
As the official uniform supplier to the MLB, you’d expect Fanatics to be one of the best sportsbooks for baseball betting. And the global sports giant doesn’t disappoint when it comes to MLB wagering. One of the standout MLB bet types at Fanatics is its ‘next play’ betting. This form of prop betting is sometimes referred to as ‘micro betting’ and is a growing segment for sportsbooks.
As one of the newer and faster betting apps, Fanatics is ideally suited for those who wish to place bets on imminent game events. Fanatics’ props betting offering is also strong enough to support this type of wager that typically involves small stakes. For an MLB game, you might choose to stake a dollar on a few individual at-bats or the number of runs in an innings. The minimum bet at Fanatics is just 10 cents so you would have to go real crazy to burn through your bankroll at levels like that.
Resorts World Bet doesn’t have as extensive a selection of MLB markets as it does for the NFL but if you regularly place baseball parlays and teasers then it’s worth checking out. As part of the wider Resorts World Genting rewards program, baseball bettors can earn points for every MLB teaser and parlay placed. For MLB fans who place wagers most weeks that can soon add up given the volume of games that are played in the league. Resorts World Bet’s parlays and teasers are pretty customizable too so you’re not limited to the usual combo bets that you might find at some sportsbooks.
For MLB fans in New York, ESPN BET is a great choice for betting thanks to its seamless integration with ESPN’s in-depth baseball coverage. Users benefit from live game-day insights, exclusive promotions for major matchups, and expert analysis from ESPN’s renowned baseball commentators. This combination of real-time updates, enhanced odds, and detailed player stats offers a complete betting experience, making it ideal for those who want to stay fully informed and entertained while betting on MLB games.
Still a relative newcomer in New York sports betting, BetRivers is a solid choice for assessing MLB futures odds. Bally’s ‘hold’ - that is the amount they retain for every dollar wagered - tends to be slightly lower than that of many of its competitors. So, if you’ll be betting big on who will win the MLB title you might just find higher odds at BetRivers than your regular sportsbook. On MLB game days, BetRivers will also offer you a smattering of quirky wagers not readily available elsewhere that might just bring a smile to your face come the end of regulation play.
Its betting arm is still one of the smaller portions of the larger Bally’s entertainment conglomerate but it’s well worth a second look when considering making points spread bets on the MLB. On spreads, BallyBet is often a little ahead of the other top NY sportsbooks in terms of pricing. Adding BallyBet to your line shopping list, therefore, makes sense when seeking the best odds for MLB spread wagers. Indeed, BallyBet is competitive for most MLB pregame markets so give them the once over and then some during the season.
There are a number of factors to consider when picking the best betting site for the MLB. When making a choice as to where to place your baseball bets, consider the following:
Each MLB betting site has different offers for new customers and ongoing promos once you've signed up. Consider how much you’ll make for your first deposit and the types of MLB bets that you typically make to match the best offers to suit. The more generous the book’s promos, the less exposure you’ll have over time and the best deals will mean you can go a little easier on funding your bankroll. Check out a range of sportsbooks to find those with the most appealing bonuses when you sign up and ongoing promos that regularly reward players.
Each sportsbook looks and feels very different. Some are stripped-back affairs that handle the basics well for ease of betting, for speed of making wagers and are well suited to new bettors. Others are loaded with more ‘bells and whistles’ such as stats services and live streaming which you might feel will enhance your baseball betting experience.
When it comes to it, sports betting is all about money. So, make sure the sportsbook you pick handles your chosen funding and withdrawal methods. Check for cash deposits at a retail counter, debit and credit cards or e-wallets depending on your preference. Also, check out the standard processing times at each betting site for the banking method you’ll use most often. After all, no one likes to wait too long to get in on the action or to receive their winnings.
From bonus bets to deposit matches, betting offers specifically focused on the MLB, and odds boosts, there’s plenty for baseball fans to get stuck into during the regular season and for the playoffs and World Series.
First bet offers usually work by awarding users with bonus funds if their first wager is a losing one. The value of the bonus bet gained is normally equivalent to the amount of the initial wager. Whether you’re backing a favorite team when the season is in full swing or going big with a Super Bowl bet, check out these first bet offers:
NY Sportsbook | First Bet MLB Offers |
Caesars | 🎁 First bet offer up to $1,000 for new customers. |
FanDuel | 🎁 Get $200 in bonus bets when you bet $5 |
BetMGM | 🎁 First bet offer up to $1,500 that can be used on the MLB. |
Deposit-match offers work exactly as they sound. The sportsbook will match the value of your first deposit with bonus funds or do so up to a certain percentage. All of the following promos will credit your account with credit that can be used on MLB bets:
NY Sportsbook | Deposit Match MLB Bonus |
DraftKings | 🎁 20% deposit bonus up to a maximum of $1,000 |
Bet Rivers | 🎁 Up to $250 in bonus bets matched to the value of a first deposit |
NY Sportsbook | Existing Customer MLB Bonus |
DraftKings | 🎁 MLB ‘Stepped Up Same Game Parlays’ - get a graded boost to MLB same parlays where the more legs you add, the bigger the potential extra winnings. |
FanDuel | 🎁 Receive bonus bets when you wager on the MLB schedule each week. |
WynnBet | 🎁 Place a four-leg NBA parlay from Thursday to Sunday and get a $10 bonus bet. |
BetMGM | 🎁 Place a wager on no run scored in the first inning of an MLB game and if there is, receive up to £20 in bonus bets. |
Each day during the MLB season there’s a good selection of games to bet on and several wager types. All of the top NY sportsbooks for baseball betting offer a large selection of lines and as the biggest data-driven sport in the USA, you’ll be able to inform your choices with a host of information.
Baseball is primarily a single-game betting sport with moneylines, points spreads and totals tending to dominate the MLB gambling markets. In each, bettors can back one of two sides on the lines available. There are other popular baseball bets on offer though that can either take weeks or months to settle right down to wagers on live action that conclude as fixtures play out and conclude.
In many ways, baseball is the ultimate moneyline betting sport. MLB fans new and old will understand the moneyline because of its simplicity - choosing which team will win - and because the odds tend to be of the ‘standard’ variety. You might also hear the moneyline referred to as a ‘straight up’ or an ‘outright’. Moneyline bets are always listed with their payouts indicated by a plus ‘+’ or minus ‘-’ figure which also indicates who the bookmaker thinks is the most likely winner. For example, if you see odds of the Yankees at -110 against the Mets at +110 it indicates the former are the favorites and the latter the underdogs.
The other dominant one-game bet type in baseball is the points spread bet. If you regularly wager on the NFL or any of the other top US sports, you’ll already be familiar with points spread lines and they function in a similar way to MLB bets. Where MLB points spreads differ though is that they’re often known as the ‘run line’. Run lines are almost always set at 1.5. The additional half a run is used to avoid the bet ending in a push or a tie. So, for example, if you want to bet that the Yankees will beat the Rockies by two hits or more, you would take them at -1.5 on the run line.
MLB futures bets are those wagers on something that will conclude some way off. Futures bets on the MLB are usually made on series outcomes or player awards. For example, you might want to wager on Edwin Diaz of the Yankees to win the NL Cy Young Award this season. Markets for this will be available every day of the season unless the sportsbook suspends betting on it because it becomes so obvious who is going to win. Futures odds change as the season progresses. Often the best value (that is the highest odds) will be found as far in advance as possible. The same is true if you’re betting on who will be the World Series winner.
Prop bets are fast, fun and a way to squeeze some additional action out of a match. MLB prop bets fall into three main categories - game, player and team. Baseball prop bets are among the most extensive of any sport with markets on almost every statistic available at the best NY sportsbooks. Game prop bets might be a wager on whether there will be an extra inning played tonight or will there be a run scored in the first innings? Team prop bets relate to the performance metrics of either team such as will the pitching staff of the Mets record more strikeouts than their opponents? Player prop bets could be whether Aaron Youngs will hit a home run tonight.
A parlay bet bundles a few picks together. The odds will rise in an MLB parlay the more selections you make but so does the risk of the bet crashing out. That’s because usually all of the ‘legs’ in a parlay have to hit for the bet to win. MLB parlays can be built with picks from two games or more or with individual wagers on the same number of listings from an individual fixture (known as a ‘same game parlay’. For example, if you’ve frisked the fixtures for a big MLB weekend and are sure a handful of favorites will win, betting them individually would likely return a meager payout. Combining those likely victors into a parlay would come with higher odds and a potential bonanza if you go big.
MLB live betting involves placing wagers on any portion of a game as it is being played. Almost all of the main bet types already discussed that relate to an individual fixture can be bet on live as well as pregame. The best NY sportsbooks for live betting will take wagers on in-play action and have a dedicated section with odds that can change by the minute.
Betting on who will be the World Series Winners is a staple for many American sports fans. You can place a futures bet on the eventual champions or wait until the October showdown to get right into the heart of the action on the biggest series of baseball games each year.
The race to make the playoffs can go right down to the wire in every MLB season. Some teams cement their place early but with wildcard places up for grabs, just who will gain the final spots ensures the playoff qualifier bet remains exciting. When considering bets on who will make the playoffs, consider which outfits have demonstrated a strong overall campaign, minimizing inconsistencies while displaying a better-equipped lineup for the long haul stretching over the final weeks.
The 30 teams that make up the MLB are split evenly into two leagues - the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). The NL and the AL are then further divided into three divisions - East, Central and West - each comprising five teams. Betting on who will win each of the divisions adds an extra layer of intrigue every season. If you’re browsing the odds for MLB division winners early in the season, consider divisional underdogs who will be available at long odds and often perform well over the long haul.
Unlike football or basketball, most money wagered on the MLB is on which team will win each game. The MLB is a long season so there are plentiful opportunities for betting on fixture winners.
Known as totals or over/under bets, betting on the number of points and home runs that a team will get on the scoreboard is significant in baseball as ultimately this determines the team that will win the game. When betting on the over/under though, you don’t entirely care which side will be victorious. The totals bet means that the sportsbook predicts the combined score and bettors choose to wager on whether it will be over or under that line. In baseball, a single run is worth one point and a home run is valued at four while a pitching win results in three.
Every year, one player in the American League and one in the National League receives the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award with an overall MVP gong at the conclusion of the season. The odds for MVP Awards are handicapped before the season begins. One player will be the consensus favorite when it comes to the MVP odds and progress is regularly tracked by experts, fans and sportsbooks alike. For example, in the fall of 2022, Aaron Judge of the NY Yankees was judged the best player in the American League by most metrics, playing for the side that topped the standings.
The big prize for all teams in the MLB each season is winning the World Series. Also known as the Fall Classic, the World Series is played in October each year - hence its name. Huge volumes of bets are placed on this best-of-seven contest between the winners of the American and National League. The bulk of wagers may be placed on the ultimate World Series champions but there are a host of other betting opportunities available including game winners and the margin of many fixtures they will emerge as the ultimate victors. You don’t need to wait for October to make your World Series betting calls as markets emerge throughout the year.
All sports betting odds are determined by a huge variety of factors and baseball is no different. This includes the latest statistics, historical numbers, individual game and player form, and professional analysis including that by the oddsmakers at individual sportsbooks.
Reading the MLB betting odds and lines is a key determinant in identifying potential winning wagers and in gaining value for healthy payouts. Baseball betting is a volume activity so small changes in odds can yield significant differences in the profits that can be achieved. That means comparing prices between sportsbooks on your chosen MLB bet can yield healthier returns.
Shopping the lines in baseball is a little more complicated than for other sports. That’s because understanding the odds in the MLB can more directly influence the type of bet you place. Baseball is a low-scoring sport - more so than football and basketball. Moving an MLB betting line by half a point is therefore much more significant than for the NFL or NBA. There is no clock in baseball so no wager is technically lost until the final out.
That said, the basics of reading baseball betting lines aren’t that complicated. In a nutshell, the moneyline is usually presented as a number higher than 100 that can be either positive or negative. A number that is -101 or less is given to the favorite team while the more negative the number is, the more the side is perceived as likely to win. If the NY Mets are rated as a -120 favorite, then the oddsmakers think them more probable winners than say the Yankees at -110 on the same weekend. The reverse is true of underdogs. The higher the positive number, the less favored a team is thought to win. The same principles apply to MLB run line bets as well other types such as totals.
MLB betting odds for individual games are usually released late in the day before or on the morning of the fixtures being played. Odds in baseball are generally tight because the oddsmakers and the betting public know who the starting pitchers will be in MLB games days in advance of game days. However, bettors need to be alert to MLB betting lines as the window for placing wagers may only be a maximum of 24 hours and as little as 12 hours. That differs markedly than, say, for NFL betting markets that generally open seven days in advance of fixtures being played.
MLB betting odds change for a number of reasons, as they do in almost every sport. Why the lines move is influenced by game factors but also how sportsbooks and their oddsmakers operate. Tracking MLB odds movement enables the savvy bettor to get a handle on how the bookmakers and their fellow gamblers feel about a game. Figuring out what the intel behind-the-line movement means can be the difference between a wager cashing or trashing.
Lineup changes, particularly starting pitcher scratches are a key determinant as to why MLB odds alter ahead of a game. The weather forecast, professional insight and statements by coaches can cause lines to move as do leaked strategic approaches and even what the travel conditions have been like in the buildup.
The other major reason for MLB odds changing is when one team or side of a runline or total is receiving the majority of wagers. When this occurs, oddsmakers will alter the odds in an effort to encourage more bettors to choose the other side of the betting market. They do this to offset their potential liability for every market offered by the book.
New York is a baseball-mad metropolis. The two biggest baseball teams in the Empire City are the Yankees and the Mets. Both play in the MLB and have long histories, intense rivalries with other teams and a fervent, uniquely characterized set of fans. The so-called Subway Series is the name given to games between the Yankees and the Mets.
The New York Yankees are the most successful baseball team in the world. Based in the Bronx, the Yankees have won 27 World Series championships and 40 AL pennants but their most recent successes in both came back in 2009. Since then, a period of mediocrity has ensued. The golden days are something of a distant memory with the retirement of legendary shortstop Derek Jeter having left enormous shoes still to be filled. Perhaps on reputation and hope alone though, Yankees fans remained ever optimistic until recently. With a collection of above-average and occasional fleeting stars, a lucky bounce into the playoffs remained always a possibility. That has changed in recent times though with the Yankees once more becoming one of the teams to beat and Aaron Judge the man to watch.
Calling Queens their home, the New York Mets are a member of the National League East division. The Mets have been around since 1962 but only have two World Series championships to their name with the first coming seven years after formation and the latest in 1986. Mets supporters are once again longing for glory though with a revamped team regularly spoken of as one that ‘oughta make the playoffs’. That said, high expectations are nothing new for those who throng to Flushing. Years of false starts must surely be about to bear fruit.
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Developing a successful MLB betting strategy means underpinning your wagers with an eye on analytics and research. The MLB is a long old season so that means keeping an eye on your bankroll so that it can fund sufficient regular, and dare we say it, smaller wins. That will inextricably mean shopping the lines for almost every wager to gain small percentage gains in the odds received. An extra few dollars or even cents earned by picking the best MLB prices will soon add up over the long haul.
Simple MLB betting tips include avoiding big favorites because public bias favoring the most famous teams means odds on them will tend to be on the less generous side. That tendency will always leave plus-money underdogs on the other side of games. They won’t always win but a careful, cool appraisal of such teams has a good chance of paying off throughout tens, perhaps even hundreds of games each year.
Other suggested strategies for betting on the MLB include avoiding parlays and teasers as these types of wagers tend to return fewer overall winning bets in volume terms compared with other leagues such as the NFL and NBA. Seasoned MLB gamblers will also study the minutiae, not just the fundamentals such as game and player data but right down to the weather (because when the wind blows, the score tends to be low) and who the umpire will be (because their individual records in strikeouts, walks, runs can seriously impact a game).
Keep up to date with the latest MLB news to help guide your betting decisions.
The Yankee Stadium is one of New York’s most iconic sporting landmarks. Opening in 2009, the ‘Bronx Ballpark’ is the fourth iteration of the arena in which the New York Yankees have taken to the diamond. The Yankee Stadium has a capacity of over 47,000 and when it’s full and rocking has one of the most raucous atmospheres in the whole of the MLB. Although the arena boasts all the features of modern sporting arenas, the entire surrounds and interior are a homage to the Yankees’ glorious past and the players who have become legends.
Hosting its first game in the same year as the new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field replaced the famed Shea Stadium that had hosted Mets games since 1964. The architects of Citi Field sure knew what they were doing when it came to designing a stadium particularly suited to the unique nuances of watching baseball with fantastic sight lines for watching the action and facilities to thrill fans young and old. The adjacent Mets Hall of Fame and Museum is huge and a delight for any visiting tourist wishing to immerse themselves in baseball, and specifically Mets, history while the atmosphere within is unique in North American sporting centers.
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New York is one of the best-served cities in the US for the sheer number and variety of sports bars within its boundaries - which is fitting for such a sports-mad place. If you haven’t the time to take in a baseball game live at either the Yankee Stadium or Citi Field, be sure to have a beer and a bite to eat at one of these venues while you’re in town and there’s action being played.
📍 Yankee Tavern - Bronx
72 E 161 St, The Bronx, NY 10451
+1 718-292-6130
This sports bar and restaurant has been serving Yankees fans since the 1920s is a classic bar and grill with multiple screens on which to watch a game. With a dozen beers on tap and a sizable food menu, the Yankee Tavern offers an authentic taste of Bronx life in a space once a favorite of Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, and Babe Ruth who played for the team and is open 10 am to 10 pm daily.
📍 McFadden’s Citi Field - Flushing
36-2 126th St, Flushing, NY 11368
Technically part of Citi Field, McFadden’s is a must for anyone wishing to mingle with and savor the bonhomie of Mets fans. With 50+ HD TVs showing live baseball games, this spacious sports bar delivers as near to a Mets stadium experience as it’s possible to get without tickets. McFadden’s only opens on game days but raises its shutters three hours in advance and stays that way until late.
To bet on an MLB game you’ll need to open an account with a legal sportsbook. The process will involve some identification checks but once approved, making a wager is as simple as depositing funds and choosing which bet to place.
Specifically in baseball and so MLB betting ‘taking the action’ means betting on a team to win regardless of who stands on the mound as starting pitcher. The alternative is to take the ‘listed’ wager where you choose both pitchers and if they don’t start then the bet will be canceled.
First-half match betting refers to wagers that cover the start of a game until the end of the 5th innings - that is half of the regulation time in play. Sportsbooks offer a range of first-half bets including who will be winning plus points spread and totals.
MLB rules prohibit players from betting on baseball and gambling illegally on any sport. MLB players can bet on other sports providing they use a legal, licensed operator.
MLB players are not permitted to bet on MLB games whether using a legal bookmaker or otherwise. Betting informally between players is also not allowed.
Yes. Betting on who will be named the MLB’s MVP (most valuable player) award is one of the most popular season-long wagers. MVP voting is conducted during the postseason but the winner is not announced until after the World Series concludes.
Like all sports that have in-play betting markets, MLB live betting involves placing wagers on a game once it is underway. In live MLB betting, odds are updated in real-time as the action unfolds.
