How baseball works
The US’s Major League Baseball (MLB) is by far the world’s biggest baseball league and makes up the majority of baseball markets you’ll find at the best betting sites. The MLB is split into two leagues – the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) -each comprising of 15 teams. Each league is also split into three divisions – East, Central and West. The MLB features only one Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays.
The MLB regular season runs from April to October, with each team playing 162 games during that time. While this means there several months in which there are no games, teams usually play games five to seven days per week during the season, so it really is action-packed and offers plenty of betting opportunities.
Starting this season, a new scheduling format has taken been implemented. The number of divisional games for each team has reduced to 52. Each team will play against the teams in their own division 13 times each across four series. Teams then play six games against six of their conference opponents outside of their division, and seven games against four other conference teams. The biggest change is the number of games each team plays against teams outside of their own conference. The total number has jumped from 20 to 46 matchups, so that each team plays four games against a designated rival from the other conference, and then plays every other team outside of their conference twice. This results in every team playing against each over during the course of the regular season.
There are six playoff spaces up for grabs in each league. Teams can qualify for these by either winning their division, or as a wild card. The wild cards are the teams with the three best records among the teams that don’t win the divisions in each league. Tie-breakers are sometimes played to determine the playoff teams.
The 12 best teams then battle it out in the playoffs to determine who will be MLB champion. There are four rounds of games series, culminating in the World Series, which sees the NL and AL champions face off in a best-of-seven series to determine which team wins the season.
The New York Yankees are the most successful MLB team, having won 27 World Series. However, the team hasn't won a World Series title since 2009.
Tips for betting on baseball
Like the NFL and NBA, MLB uses a draft system in which the worst team each year gets the first pick of the top high school, college and amateur baseball players. This helps keep the competition even and prevents one team from dominating – the last 5 world series have all been won by different teams. While this provides great entertainment, it can make it tricky to pick an outright winner, so you’ll need to do your research before betting on baseball online.
Baseball statistics are the most useful of resources. You can use both team and player stats to get a better idea of how matches might play out. For example, as well as looking at the head to head record and recent team form, you can check out number of runs, batting average and strike out rate, to name just a few helpful stats. The official MLB stats page provides a wealth of information you can use to inform your online baseball betting. As well as using stats, keeping up to date with the latest baseball news and watching baseball games will build up your knowledge of the game.
While there are also plenty of baseball betting tips online, we’d recommend building up your own knowledge first. You can then use baseball tips to complement this, but you should never blindly put your money on predictions you find online.
Bet on a variety of baseball markets
The top online sports betting sites offer a wide range of markets for baseball bettors. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular basketball bets.
- Match winner
Known as a money line bet in the US, here you’re simply wagering on a team to win a particular game.
- Outright
Outright bets are where you back a team to win a particular competition or tournament. In MLB betting, you can place outright wagers on division winners, league winners and World Series winners.
- Handicap
Also referred to as the run line, handicap bets in baseball are based on the number of runs each team scores. So if you back a team with -1.5 handicap, they’d have to win by at least two clear runs. Likewise, you can back an underdog on a +1.5
handicap, you’ll win your bet as long as they don’t lose by more than one point.
- Over/under
In baseball, over/under bets are based on how many runs each team gets. For example, you could bet on the Boston Red Sox to get over 9.5 runs, or under 8.5.
- Winning margin
This is similar to a handicap, but requires a more precise prediction, which means these bets have higher odds. For example, you can bet on a team to win by exactly three runs.
- To hit a home run
Back a player if you fancy them to hit a home run. Some online sportsbooks offer markets such as first and last player to hit a home run.
- Baseball proposition bets
Some of the top bookies offer a wide range of baseball prop bets. Examples include the highest scoring innings, the score after any particular innings, and the amount of runs scored in particular innings, but you can find prop bets on just about
anything.
- Accumulator
Due to the high volume of matches during the MLB season, baseball is perfect for accumulator betting. Just remember to make your selections wisely, making use of the cash out feature to
limit your losses, if it’s available to you.
- Live betting
Live in-play betting lets you set your stakes as you watch baseball matches unfold. Live baseball betting can offer up some attractive odds as games ebb and flow, so make sure you watch closely and keep an eye on how the odds change.
Baseball Betting Bonuses and Promotions
Grab a bonus to use on baseball betting
Sports betting bonuses aren’t restricted to football or horse racing markets – plenty of top bookies also let you use your welcome offer to wager on baseball. Free bets are the most common sports betting welcome bonus, but some bookies offer matched deposit deals and money back offers. You can easily compare the best welcome bonuses on our list, along with the key terms to help you narrow down your options.
Bonuses aren’t just for new bettors – the top baseball and MLB betting sites on our list feature a variety of regular promotions. This means existing customers can get their hands on some bonus rewards and other handy perks, such as free bets, enhanced odds and special event-based promotions. The best UK sportsbooks also have VIP and loyalty schemes, meaning you can get something back for your betting over the long term.
Consider the terms of each betting bonus before you sign up. Wagering requirements, minimum odds, win limits and time restrictions all affect the value of a bonus deal.
Place your baseball bets anytime, anywhere
Want to pitch your bets while on the go? You can bet on baseball games whenever, wherever when you choose one of our recommended baseball betting sites. This is because all the sites on our list have mobile-friendly websites, meaning you can sign up, claim your bonus and place your baseball bets via your smartphone web browser.
If you’re after the complete mobile betting experience, we recommend downloading a mobile betting app for iPhone or Android. Mobile betting apps make for a smoother, more convenient mobile betting experience as you can access your favourite baseball markets in a few simple taps. What’s more, you can activate push notifications to alert you to the latest bonuses and promotions, so you’ll never miss out on a great deal.
Best choice baseball betting app
Time to find the perfect baseball betting site for you
Ready to take a swing at baseball betting yourself? Use our carefully selected list to compare the best baseball betting sites for 2024 and pick out your favourite. If you want to know more about the bonuses, markets and features on offer, our expert reviews contain the all important information. Compare, sign up and bet on baseball today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All the sites on our list are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, which means they’re held to high standards when it comes to player protection, security and fairness. This means you can bet on baseball games online in confidence when you use our recommended sportsbooks.
Yes. While the options are pretty limited, some of the top betting sites offer markets on Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league, which runs concurrently with the MLB. This means even more baseball betting opportunities! Unlike with American football and basketball, you can’t usually bet on college baseball at UK baseball bookmakers.
No. As you have no control over the events, there’s no baseball betting strategy that can guarantee a win. The best way to make sensible baseball bets is to build up your own knowledge, keep an eye on the stats, only ever using tips to back up your existing understanding of the game.
Yes. The sportsbooks on our list offer a range of payment methods, including PayPal, meaning you can make secure, fast deposits and withdrawals with your PayPal account. The best bookies also accept other e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill -check out our expert sportsbook reviews to see the accepted banking options available at each site.
Sure. Most of the best new betting sites offer comprehensive market coverage, meaning you can bet on baseball games at the latest bookies. We review the newest UK sportsbooks as well as established names when creating our carefully selected list, so you can easily compare the best betting sites on the market.
No. While betting odds are similar at most bookies, there are often slight discrepancies in the betting odds. This is particularly true when it comes to live baseball betting. Make sure you shop around to find the best baseball betting odds before you set your stakes.
