Where Can I Bet on MLB Games Legally?

Sports betting is now legal in several US states with more and more being added all the time. With that being said, where can you bet on MLB games legally? Well, it depends on the current laws in your home state. Keep reading to find out if betting on Major League Baseball is a viable activity for you.

Where Can I Bet on MLB Online?

Online sports betting is the golden egg of the sports wagering world. A state might legalize sports wagering, but if they don’t allow online or mobile betting then they are cutting themselves off from the massive potential revenue generated there by bettors who don’t have time to place bets at the cage.

In many US states that have legalized one of the major talking points is that legalizing online wagering will be an effective way to crack down on the use of illegal offshore sportsbooks that have been illegally drawing millions of dollars in revenue a year out of the country. This means that if legal online sports betting isn’t available in your state yet then it might soon be,

At this moment online sports betting is available in one form or another in the following states, Nevada, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, and Delaware, although there are currently no operators available in Delaware at this moment. If you’re looking for the best baseball betting sites for legal MLB betting then this is the page for you.

Keep checking back here to see if the situation in your state has changed.

Can You Do Baseball Betting With an Offshore Sportsbook?

Offshore sportsbooks are not just unsafe to handle your money, they are illegal in most US States. These offshore sports betting sites prey on sports wagering who did not take the time to find out whether or not the online betting sportsbook they signed up for is legit and they can pay for it with their winnings or legal recourse.

This page will show you the legal sportsbooks available in your state.

What If My State Doesn’t Allow Baseball Betting?

More and more states are legalizing sportsbooks every year but some state governments are resistant to the idea. If you live in one of these unlucky states then unfortunately you will have to bide your time or enjoy sports betting while you are visiting any neighboring states that enjoy legal sports betting.

Alternatively, daily fantasy sports, which is not considered betting, is legal in many US states and may be a good alternative for you.

How to Do Legal Baseball Betting?

Placing MLB bets is easy once you’ve signed up with a legal sportsbook. As long as sports betting is legal in your state then all you have to do to get started is pick the sportsbook with the best sign up bonus and learn the tips and tricks of betting on MLB.

Keep in mind when choosing a  sportsbook that oftentimes the moneyline and other odds will be nearly identical across platforms. You can certainly download several legal sportsbooks and keep an eye on whether some offer better odds or not but it is unlikely.

How to Bet on MLB Online in New Jersey

New Jersey has, since the repeal of PASPA, become the state in the lead of sports betting in the United States. New Jersey may be missing out on having a major league baseball team to call their own, but they enjoy cheering on the nearby Yankees who are the most popular team in the state.

Is Baseball Betting Online Legal in Colorado

Mobile sports betting in Colorado is a relatively new activity having been legalized in May 2020. Ironically CO is also home to home of the youngest MLB teams in the National League, the Colorado Rockies. If you’re looking to hit a home run on your live betting then check out these 100% legal sportsbooks in CO. Don’t want your bets to be strikeouts? Check out our guides on how to bet on the MLB to learn more.

Is Baseball Betting Legal in Illinois

Nothing says American baseball dynasty like the name Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is home to some of the oldest names in baseball, the Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Cubs making Illinois great for sports bettors looking to engage with their home teams. The White Sox having some interesting history when it comes to baseball betting for their famous fixing of the 1919 World Series. They then had an 88 season dry spell leading many fellow teams in the American League coming to the conclusion that they were cursed. But the spell was broken in 2005 when the team once again snatched the World Series, and this time it wasn’t a fixed game.

The Chicago Cubs are the oldest franchise in the National League having been established as an independent pro team in 1870 bringing them into the realm of some of the oldest teams in the nation along with others like the Boston Red Sox who formed several years later in 1876. The Red Sox would go on to be called the Boston Braves and eventually became the Atlanta Braves. The Current Boston Red Sox team was formed in 1901.

IL baseball enthusiasts wanting to enter the new betting market need access to the best betting apps available to them this MLB season. Check the table below to view all the best legal online sportsbooks in Illinois.

Is Baseball Betting Online Legal in West Virginia

Like other US States, West Virginia is not as lucky as Illinois when it comes to Major League Baseball. Although West Virginian bettors can participate in online sports betting they do not have a team to call their own. Instead, the most popular team in WV is the National League’s Pittsburgh Pirates whose baseball games sell the most tickets to residents of WV, as well as the Miami Marlins.

Residents of WV looking to place baseball bets have it good when it comes to their choice of online sportsbook oddsmakers with many of the major betting apps being available to them.

Is Baseball Betting Online Legal in Indiana

Continuing on the list of states that don’t have their own Major League Baseball team, online bettors in Indiana don’t have a home-field team as an option for their first online sports bet. Underdog states that don’t have their own teams still have a favorite and Indiana is no different from the Chicago Cubs enjoying the largest fan base in IN.

Indiana may not have the same legacy of American Major League Baseball teams as states such as Illinois and New York have, but they do have access to some of the best online sportsbooks in the Nations including DraftKings.

Is Baseball Betting Online Legal in Pennsylvania

Sports bettors in PA have a rich tradition of enjoying MLB games with two of the oldest teams in the country being in the state the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies. Check out these legal online sportsbooks available in PA.

How to Bet on MLB Online in Iowa

Like the other US States Iowa is new to sports wagering with the Iowa State Senate approving legal sports betting in May 2019. Baseball betting fans in the Hawkeye State don’t have their own Major League Baseball team to wager on, but the Chicago Cubs are the most popular team in the state.

Centrally located in the American heartland Iowa has access to some of the biggest sportsbooks out there.

How to Bet on MLB Online in Nevada

No one does betting like Nevada where Las Vegas is king. Even in the modern fast-passed world of online bookmakers the sagebrush state still finds its way to offer a competitive array of online sportsbooks available to Americans.

How to Bet on MLB Online in Tennessee

Like the other US States Tennessee is new to sports wagering Baseball is America’s pasttime and Tennessee is no exception where the Atlanta Braves are the most popular team.

Tennessee has some great options when it comes to picking your sportsbook of choice, check out the list that we have compiled for you below.

How to Bet on MLB Online in Michigan

Sports betting is legal in Michigan. As of March 2020. That means that you can bet on Major League Baseball while you are within the boundaries of the Great Lake State.

Michigan may be new to sports betting but there are some great sportsbooks to choose from when it comes to placing bets. There is also a strong tradition of baseball in a state where the oldest baseball team traces its founding back to 1894 when the Tigers were founded.

Types of Baseball Betting

• Run line/point spread betting. When you bet on one team to win a single-game by a certain number of runs. This makes run line betting a great type of bet for the regular season and post season. Our daily MLB best bets page covers the best run line picks every day.
• Moneyline betting. Moneyline bets are a straight up and down wager on which team will win the game. No worries about what the final score will end up being, just the outcomes of the games is what is important in moneyline betting. MLB betting lines can change at a moments notice due to thousands of factors as big as the starting pitcher spraining his wrist before a game or as little as to whether the game is home or away so its good to keep an eye on the evolving moneyline in order to take full advantage of any fleeting underdog odds.
• Over under betting. This one is kind of like point spread betting but with a twist. In over under betting, you are predicting the outcome of the match, but not who will be winning or losing. Over under betting is one of the most common forms of betting and can be found on all sportsbooks.
• Prop bets. Prop (proposition) betting is the most varied type of betting available in MLB and the different kinds of bets offered can change wildly between different online bookmakers. A prop bet is a bet where you bet on the likelihood of an event happening or not. A prop bet or player prop might be whether or not you think a game will go into overtime or which team will hit a homerun first. The options are limitless when it comes to MLB prop bets.
• Futures bets. A bet placed far into the future. An example can be, who will win next year’s world series or who will be this years MVP. MLB futures are fun and can be a way to place bets in the offseason. A good example of this is other leagues would be the famous NFL draft that takes place every year, or the MLB Cy Young award or even who might the matchups be for this year’s playoffs.
• Parlay betting. An MLB parlay bet is a single bet that combines two or more individual bets into a single one. The payouts are larger because you will have to win all bets within the parlay to win anything. Think of the famous Kentucky Derby trifecta bet, that is basically a parlay because you are betting on who will win first, second and third place. If you don’t get them all correct then you get nothing.
• Live betting or real time betting. The description is in the name. A real time bet is one that is placed while a game is taking place. Not all sportsbooks allow for real time betting but the ones that do have a constant stream of changing odds to reflect what is going on in the game.
• NRFI betting. NRFI stands for ‘no-run first inning’ and an NRFI bet is exactly what it sounds like. When you place an NRFI wager you are betting on zero runs being scored in the first inning. These bets have quickly grown in popularity among baseball fans and add a unique element to MLB betting. Find our best NRFI bets today here.

Major League Baseball Legal Sports Betting FAQ

How do I bet on MLB games?

The first step is to make sure you’re in a state that allows legal sports betting. You can find that information here on this page. After that, you need to find a sportsbook that is right for you and sign up to start placing your bets.

Will Legal Betting on the MLB be available soon in my state?

If there aren’t legal sports betting in your state right now the odds that it will be legalized in the near future are pretty good. Across the United States, more and more states are legalizing sports betting since they know that if there is no legal option to do so that people will turn to illegal offshore sportsbooks instead. Check out our state pages to find out if/when it will be legal in your state.

Why is betting on the MLB illegal?

The short answer here is that it is not totally illegal. Some states have regulated sports betting and others have yet to do so. Check back here often to find out whether your state is legalizing.

How is betting on MLB online different than normal betting?

It used to be that sports wagerers were forced to travel to a sports betting cage in order to place bets but the rise of cell phones has led to a demand in mobile betting apps meaning that wagerers can now bet wherever they go.

What is the best way to bet on the MLB?

Finding a good mobile sportsbook to sign up for and download is the best way to get started. Online sportsbooks are the best way to bet on any sport given the ease of use and the types of betting options they afford. One can do any types of bets with a mobile sportsbook including moneyline bets, over/under, run line betting, prop bets, futures bets, and live betting. Oddsmakers are competing against each other for your sign up and so they offer as many types of baseball bets as possible in order to get your signup. This page has the info you need to find out if you can legally do so in your state.

What are the best sportsbooks for betting on baseball games?

With the MLB being America’s pastime all major sportsbooks are sure to cover it on their platforms. With that being said some sportsbooks that excel at betting on the MLB on their apps such as Draftkings Bookmakers.

How do you choose an underdog in MLB betting?

Betting on the underdog can give out massive rewards since the odds are not in their favor. Every risk has a reward and with underdogs the greater the risk the greater the reward. WSN has made a guide on how and when you should bet on the underdog in a sport to help you come out on top as much as possible.