The World Series is the marquee betting event in the baseball season each year.
The two teams left standing compete in the most watched baseball games of the season, and when all eyes are on a major sporting event that means it’s primetime for betting.
If you’re in a state where online sports betting is legal, and are interested in betting the World Series but don’t know how, today is your lucky day. We’ve put together this helpful guide to betting on the World Series.
Benefits of Betting on the World Series Online
It used to be that you’d need to travel to Las Vegas and set up shop at one of the strip’s sportsbooks to place legal wagers on the World Series. But that all changed after online sports betting was made legal in 2018. Now, you can wager on baseball and the World Series from the comfort of your own home thanks to online sportsbooks and apps.
Aside from the convenience of betting from home, online sportsbooks give bettors promos and boosts that retail sportsbooks don’t, especially for marquee events like the World Series. If you’re a new signup of an online sportsbook you might be able to take advantage of a promotion like a bet-and-get, where sportsbooks give bettors a certain amount of site credit in exchange for a small wager, like $1-$5, and a small deposit, like $10.
Plus, when the World Series rolls around, online sportsbooks boost odds on props and other wagers to differentiate themselves from their competition. That means a prop bet, like a Trea Turner home run, might be boosted from +700 to +1000, or the Los Angeles Dodgers run-line odds might be boosted from -110 to +100, which boosts profit by $0.09 per $1 wagered.
Retail, or in-person, sportsbooks do not give bettors bet-and-get promos or odds boost at all.
Best World Series Betting Sites
BetMGM Sportsbook
The self-proclaimed king of sportsbooks is one of my favorites, especially for World Series betting. BetMGM Sportsbook offers boosted props, like anytime home runs, strikeouts and for a single team to surpass a certain runs threshold in one game. Plus, BetMGM gives helpful trends and even a live-streaming option for bettors to make the most informed decisions.
Plus, BetMGM is regularly among the first sportsbooks to begin operation when a new state legalizes sports betting, and it offers a ton of free site credit, usually $200, without a deposit requirement to new users who sign up before the state’s official launch.
Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook has become one of the most popular options for betting in the United States since it burst on the scene last fall. Caesars is one of the most recognizable names in casino betting and is one of the most widely available online sportsbooks in the nation.
Caesars offers elite odds and a plethora of prop and curated parlays for World Series betting. Plus, every wager comes with Caesars Rewards, the sportsbook’s VIP program, where points can be accrued and later cashed in for perks like hotel and dining credits, free bets, sports tickets and more.
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook is the most widely available sportsbook in the United States and is an excellent option for baseball and World Series betting. DraftKings offers sensational promos, like boosted futures odds — meaning it will offer more lucrative odds for bettors wishing to wager on the team that will win the championship — as well as betting promotions like making any wager +100.
With a user-friendly interface and an official partnership with Major League Baseball, DraftKings is one of the top options for World Series betting.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel is America’s favorite online sportsbook, and it’s not hard to see why. FanDuel Sportsbook gives exceptional odds and is constantly revolutionizing the way sports are bet on. FanDuel was the first to empower bettors to create same-game parlays, when it invented the practice in 2018, and those wagers are perfect for single-game nights like the World Series.
Plus, FanDuel has an official partnership with MLB and is continuing to make baseball betting more convenient for sports gamblers everywhere. Whether it’s allowing users to deposit with Venmo or inviting bettors to create their own Same-Game Parlay+, which empowers bettors to combine multiple markets from multiple games in one wager, FanDuel is changing the game for the better.
BetRivers Sportsbook
BetRivers is the best betting option for new and novice sports bettors because it offers a helpful glossary of terms designed at cutting through some of the intimidation that new bettors have. Plus, BetRivers provides helpful trends and tips for every game so bettors can make the most informed decisions possible.
But BetRivers Sportsbook’s best asset is its new-user bonus, a 100 percent first-deposit bonus up to $250, that doubles your playable funds without forcing you the bettor to break the bank. Between that offer and its great odds, BetRivers is a stellar option for betting on all sports but especially the World Series.
PointsBet Sportsbook
The PointsBet Sportsbook is changing the way sports are bet on thanks to its custom PointsBetting style of wager that rewards bettors for being extra right and punishes them for being wrong. For instance, if you wager on Justin Verlander to surpass 7.5 strikeouts in a PointsBet-style wager, and he only has two because he left the game in the second inning, PointsBet will take more of your money since you weren’t correct. If he finishes the game with 10 Ks, then the sportsbook will give you extra funds for being right.
If that type of betting sounds too intense for your style, fear not. PointsBet has a fixed-odds or traditional-style of betting that bettors may participate in too, and the sportsbook has no shortage of baseball props and same-game parlay options for all of your betting needs.
Betway Sportsbook
If you watch sports on TV, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the Betway Sportsbook since it advertises on just about every sporting event on TV. But Betway is an exceptional option if you’re in a state where it operates, giving bettors great odds and a strong array of boosted-odds bets known as Betway Boosts that makes betting on the site more profitable.
How To Pick the Best World Series Betting Sites
We like the sites listed above. But you’ll want to pick one that is conducive to your playing style. Here are some ways to narrow it down further.
Welcome Bonus
You’ll want to pick a welcome bonus that is conducive to your playing style. If you’re trying to win big then a second-chance bet that reimburses as a second wager is your best bet. If you don’t have much money and are trying to just play, a bet-and-get is the best offer for you. If you’re somewhere in between and want extra playable funds, find a first-deposit match that will essentially double your playable funds without needing to put out more money.
Boosts
Boosts are one of the few ways where sportsbooks can differentiate themselves, since odds and spreads are fairly standard across the sports-betting landscape. Sportsbooks will make the odds more lucrative for wagers such as props and curated parlays, and they change for each World Series game.
Odds
Most odds are fairly standard, but some sportsbooks offer better odds than others. The best odds produce the best payouts. Sometimes it’s that simple.
Customer Service
If there is an issue, you’ll want to get it resolved quickly. Find a sportsbook that has multiple methods of settling discrepancies, like live-chatting and 24/7 support, instead of simply resolving the issues via email or a FAQ page.
User Interface
You’ll want a sportsbook that lets you log in quickly, like Caesars which enables bettors to create a four-digit PIN that expedites the log-in process, in order to place those time-sensitive live bets.
You’ll want to avoid sportsbooks that crash when trying to log in and ones that are not constantly down due to site maintenance.
Best World Series Bets You Can Make
There are great wagers to place for each World Series game. However, here are some of my personal favorite.
- Props: I love betting MLB player props, especially strikeout props, during World Series games, especially in a game between ace starters. Since strikeouts are more prevalent than ever in baseball, the superstar starters are extremely likely to hit the over.
- Parlays: Every sportsbook will curate a same-game parlay, or invite you as a bettor to customize your own for the World Series. Betting on one team to win and over a teased-down over/under, like 6.5, is a great way to get plus-money odds. Or you can dream up your own SGP that includes an outcome, a teased-up or down over/under and a prop to max out your parlay.
- Moneylines: World Series sweeps are rare, and keeping that in mind, and monitoring series trends is a great way to get value, since sportsbooks offer odds based on the pitching matchup and betting behavior and not necessarily about how a playoff series usually goes.
Live Betting on the World Series
Live betting is a great way to get more profitable odds on the World Series. You can live bet a team to come back at plus-money odds or live bet on the over/under — or even the run line — and cash in when that wager hits.
Again, monitor the game trends and be ready to strike whenever inspiration hits. You need to have quick reflexes when trying to bet live in any sport, but especially baseball given how quickly things can change via a walk, defensive miscue or home run.
Betting Site Offers to Keep in Mind
Each sportsbooks has its own new-signup offer to keep in mind. Here is a look at the most prominent ones.
No Deposit Bonus/Free Bet
No-deposit bonuses are great because they give new users valuable site credit just for signing up. Sportsbooks FanDuel and BetMGM typically offer no-deposit bonuses to users in states that are about to launch online sports betting, but otherwise these offers usually reserved for the casino domain.
Some sportsbooks will give bettors free bets simply for placing a high volume of wagers on the site but not all.
First-Deposit Bonus
A first-deposit bonus is my personal favorite sportsbook bonus since it essentially doubles your playable funds without needing to break the bank. Bettors will need to play through the bonus funds, usually between one and five times, before they are able to withdraw the bonus funds. But if your goal is to keep your money in and have fun playing, it’s a terrific bonus.
Second-Chance Bet
Risk-free bets, also sometimes referred as bet insurance, are the most popular new-user offers from sportsbooks. There typically is two types of second-chance bets, one that reimburses in site credit if it fails or one that gives the user a second bet equal to the first amount.
The best second-chance bets are the ones that reimburse via site credit, since again those lengthen your ability to play on the site but also because you won’t be out hundreds of dollars in just two wagers.
Bet & Get
Bet-and-gets are a budding in popularity since bettors receive a large amount of site credit, up to $200, in exchange for a small deposit, usually about $10, and a small wager of $1-$5.
In a bet and get, sportsbooks will usually give the site credit in the form of free bets — like 10 $20 bets of 5 bets of $40. But once those bets are settled, the funds are yours to either keep playing or withdraw.
Where Can I Legally Bet on the World Series Online?
There are six states that host MLB teams where online sports betting is allowed, plus Washington, D.C. which is home of the Washington Nationals. Here’s a full list of the states where online sports gambling is legal, and you can wager on the World Series:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Why You Should Avoid Illegal Betting Sites
There was a time where offshore betting sites were the only way to place wagers. Bettors would deal with the hassle of shoddy customer service, crooked odds and spread numbers and relatively limited markets.
But those days are long gone. If you’re in a state where regulated online sports betting is legal there’s no reason to ever go back to the illegal books. Legal sportsbooks have a robust network of customer-service options, plus offer new-signup offers like the ones listed above.
Betting with a legal online sportsbook is the same as wagering in a sportsbook only from the comfort of your own home. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of all the perks legal sportsbooks have to offer?
Choose More Than One World Series Betting Site
You can’t shop for odds and aren’t able to find boosted props or parlays unless you have an account and funds in multiple sportsbooks. I always have money in more than one sportsbook, even if I prefer one over the other, just in case there’s a boosted prop or promo or if I’m in a state where my preferred sportsbook doesn’t operate.
Since every online sportsbook offers a new-signup offer, it also makes sense to take advantage of each before re-depositing in another sportsbook.
Keeping funds in more than one account is just smart practice, especially for World Series bets, since each sportsbook will not only boost odds but provide valuable site credit centered around the championship-round series.
