The Major League Baseball season has reached its midpoint, which means it’s time to handicap the playoff races and award some much-deserved credit where it’s due. And what a glorious half-season it’s been thus far! From the World Series heroes of 2018 to the regular-season champs of last year, the 2018 MLB season is full of excitement and anticipation. If you’re looking for a sport to get involved in this coming winter, then you must check out Major League Baseball! But perhaps the most exciting development in recent years has been the rise of the betting public. In the past, gambling on baseball was mostly done legally and privately, but today, the lines of demarcation have blurred as more and more people are taking the plunge and placing bets on the games.
Why Are People Betting On Baseball?
One of the most exciting aspects of the 2018 MLB season so far has been the wide array of wagers available to place on the games. For decades, sports books and the legal gaming industry have co-existed in relative harmony, but the emergence of online wagering has changed all that. Now anyone can place a wager on a game, regardless of whether they have an account at a nearby bookie or they’re just looking to take a risk on a whim. And that’s exactly what’s made Major League Baseball the most popular sport to bet on this year — the accessibility of the game combined with the large number of betting options gives you ample opportunity to find a game you like, regardless of the time of day or location.
MLB Playoff Futures
Along with the rest of the baseball world, we’ve been patiently waiting for the 2018 MLB season to begin in earnest. For weeks, we were treated to a steady stream of hype surrounding the 2018 World Series, which featured the New York Yankees taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a battle for supremacy in the American League. The first game of the series was played on October 25, and ever since then, the interest in the World Series has been palpable. It’s not hard to see why — the betting public is looking for value in the World Series this year, and you can get odds as low as 3.5 (-110) with the favored team winning the series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the clear favorites to emerge as the 2018 World Series champions, but the 2018 World Series has been anything but a sure thing. After dropping the first two games of the series at home, the team came back to rout the Kansas City Royals in game three and take a stranglehold on the title. Since the start of the 2018 season, Dodger fans and bettors alike have been licking their chops at the opportunity to back the team in the World Series. As of this writing, bets are available at major US bookmakers offering odds of +175 on the Dodgers to win the series.
But the Royals have been more than competitive, winning the first two games of the series at home and taking the series lead. With just six games left to play in the 2018 World Series, it’s anyone’s guess as to which team will be hoisting the World Series trophy on October 30. What we do know is that there will be plenty of action surrounding the game — the betting public is extremely interested in this year’s World Series, and the line for game three was recently set at +240, which is quite a bit higher than the 3.5 (-110) odds the bookmakers offered before the series got underway. So much for underdogs right?
The 2018 World Series has been an absolute thrill to follow, and it’s clear that the betting public agrees — they’ve been laying huge wagers on the game, which means more money for us bookies! All that’s left is for us to wait patiently for game three, which will no doubt be even more exciting than the rest of the series combined. And for those of you looking to get involved in the upcoming games, be sure to check out the links below — they’ll get you there quickly and securely, and with minimum fuss. You can place your wagers in the meantime and wait for the big payout if your team makes it all the way to the World Series!
MLB Regular Season Futures
But the excitement doesn’t stop there — the 2018 MLB season has been full of surprises thus far, and one of the biggest was the Pittsburgh Pirates making a comeback from last year’s awful season to once again contend for the playoffs. The team was a complete unknown quantity going into the season, but the betting public has flocked to back the team, with odds as low as +275 offered at some bookies for the Pirates to turn things around. Sure enough, the team mounted a stunning comeback (they won ten straight games after falling behind 0-2!) and forced a seven-game playoff against the St. Louis Cardinals. The series went the full seven games, and in the end, the Cardinals emerged as the 2018 MLB regular season champions. But just as the Pirates were poised to make a major upset, the 2018 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers came to the rescue, knocking off the defending champions in six games to claim their third title in five years. The Cardinals were heavy favorites to win the World Series (odds as low as +600 at some bookmakers), but the Dodgers were the perfect underdog story, and they capitalized on that storyline, winning big in the process. So much for the ‘better’ team always winning it all, right?
Which Team Is Hot?
As much as we like to think that history repeats itself, it’s important to recognize that not all ‘underdog’ teams turn out to be winners — sometimes, the favorites win the day. In the case of the 2018 World Series, the New York Yankees were heavy favorites to take home the prestigious title, after not only knocking off the Houston Astros in the regular season, but also going undefeated (14-0) in the playoffs. The Houston Astros were the cream of the crop in the American League, having eliminated all comers along the way en route to the World Series — they even took down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the divisional series. And while the Dodgers did win the next two games at home, the Yankees came back from a 3-1 deficit to clinch the series win and the ultimate championship. It was an incredible comeback, and it’s not hard to see why the betting public has taken a liking to the team — the Bronx Bombers are a threat to win every game they play, and the odds are always in their favor.
Longest Winning Streak
We’ve been talking a lot about the 2018 World Series this past week, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been other interesting developments throughout the year. For instance, the Kansas City Royals had a nine-game winning streak come to an end last week, which was actually the longest winning streak in Major League Baseball this year — the Chicago White Sox had held the previous record with an eight-game winning streak, so the Royals’ achievement was notable. But the most exciting part of that streak was that it was snapped by the San Francisco Giants, who entered the game a perfect 14-0 — the first team to do so in years! One would have expected the Giants to be heavy favorites to win the World Series (they had the best regular season record in baseball this year), but even with their perfect record, the betting public has had a bit of a soft spot for the champs this year, with odds as low as +400 offered in a few cases. So much for the world’s best team right? The champs would eventually lose five in a row, but it was still a very exciting time for baseball fans — the suspense of whether or not the perfect season would continue was enough to make it so!
Even though the 2018 MLB season is half-over, it’s never too early to start thinking about the fun bets that we can make for the rest of the season. We’ve got our pick for the World Series champion (the New York Yankees, duh) and our pick for the regular season champion (the Los Angeles Dodgers, also duh), but in all honesty, it’s hard to know what will happen at this point — anything can happen, including major upsets! So instead of focusing on who we think is going to win, let’s just enjoy the ride and make some money alongside the rest of the baseball world.