How to Bet on MLB in California

With a long 162-game schedule, there’s no shortage of MLB odds to bet on from Spring Training to the World Series. Even more so in California, with five teams represented in Major League Baseball.

While online sports betting isn’t currently legal in California, there’s hope things will change soon and many big-name sportsbooks have put in bids for potential licenses.

When online sports betting in California launches, here’s what to expect at legal CA online sportsbooks for MLB game lines, World Series odds and more.

Best MLB betting sites in California

Expect all the big players to join the market in California when the day finally arrives. Here’s a snapshot of some of the top betting apps in California (when legalized) and the types of MLB bets they offer.

BetMGM Sportsbook

BetMGM is an excellent sportsbook for MLB betting. The BetMGM Sportsbook app offers a user-friendly interface and several options aside from standard moneylines and totals. Spring training games are usually limited to moneyline and futures bets, but there will be various options for every game when the regular season gets underway.

Features:

• Run lines, moneylines, over/unders for every game
• Live betting
• Home run, strikeout, runs props for team & individual players
• Final score odd/even
• Potential for extra innings
• Futures bets (World Series, MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award)
• First five innings result
• Same game parlays

Caesars Sportsbook

Another staple for Las Vegas odds, Caesars has established itself as one of the premier sportsbooks on the market. The Caesars betting app offers a wide selection of betting options for the MLB and usually has excellent welcome bonuses for new players.

Features:

• Run lines, moneylines, totals
• Team and Award Futures (win totals, division winner, MVP, Cy Young Award)
• Team props (Total HRs, runs scored, etc.)
• Player props (strikeouts, home runs, hits etc.)
• Live betting during games
• First five inning result
• Stolen base props
• Same game parlays

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings made its name in daily fantasy sports, so naturally it knows a thing or two about prop betting. You can expect a wide variety of MLB player props and team props on the DraftKings California Sportsbook app, to go along with the standard bets for each MLB game.

Features:

• Moneylines, run lines, over/under per game
• Award futures
• First five inning result
• First three-inning result
• Over under for hits, RBI, SB
• Home run props
• Strikeout props
• Same game parlay
• Live betting

FanDuel Sportsbook

Like DraftKings, FanDuel is another DFS site that’s also a sportsbook. You’ll get a lot of excellent player prop bets here and a wide variety of live bets. The FanDuel online sportsbook app has the most extensive user base in the United States and offers competitive odds for almost every sport.

Features:

• Run lines, moneylines, totals
• Futures (Awards, World Series, division winners, playoff appearance)
• Live betting
• Over-under HR, RBI, SB
• First five inning result
• First three inning result
• Strikeouts per game prop
• Live betting
• Same game parlay

How to bet on MLB online in California

Sportsbooks have made it incredibly easy to sign up for a free account. That means when online sports betting does arrive in California, getting signed up and started will be a quick and simple process.

Keep in mind that many of the books also offer some pretty attractive welcome sports bonuses. Each sportsbook will have a slightly different process to register an account, but you’ll have no problem signing up for the sportsbook of your choice if you follow the instructions below. From there, it will be a snap to start scoping out your first MLB bets.

• Head to a site such as DraftKings, FanDuel, etc.
• If you notice a promo for new users, click on the link.
• From there, click on the “Sign Up” option (or something similar).
• Enter your email address and create a password.
• Fill in other personal details as prompted (name, address, DOB).
• Answer a few security questions, if asked to do so.
• Remember also to enter a bonus code if you have one (some sites require that to receive the welcome offer, some don’t).
• Click on the “Create Account” button (or something similar), and you’re done.

Each site will have a list of all sports available for wagering. Just click on the MLB icon, and the app will display all of the available bets and games. When you click on a particular game, you can see all the bets offered for that game, including player and team props.

Remember that you don’t have to limit yourself to just one site. It’s a good idea to shop around and take advantage of different bonuses to suit your fancy. The betting lines and odds will also differ slightly between sites, so do your homework before you place your bets.

Best MLB odds boosts and promos

Aside from the intriguing welcome bonuses most sportsbooks offer, you can also expect a variety of odds boost offers and promos for different sports, including MLB. Here’s a look at a few of the offers that have been available for baseball in recent history.

DraftKings MLB bet $1 to win $100

DraftKings will sometimes allow you to place a small bet to win a larger-than-normal payout. The most notable example is a $1 bet on any moneyline game for the chance at a 100-1 payout.

FanDuel MLB cycle bonus

FanDuel has offered a free cycle bonus in the past with a prize pool of $20,000. A cycle is when a player hits a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. This promo usually runs for a limited time, and bettors can pick their favorite players.

BetMGM bonus bet

BetMGM frequently offers bonus bets for MLB games of up to $1000. They also often offer this option throughout the year for other sports.

Caesars super boosts

One of the best features of Caesars sportsbook is that during the MLB season, they will designate one game per day as a super boost game. It’s usually a favorite that would normally have odds in the range of -150, but they boost the odds to +100 for the game.

Always read the rules and regulations for each promo you enter. It’s important to know whether you will have to roll your bet over to receive your winnings or whether it will pay out in installments, etc.

MLB Live Odds

When California sportsbooks are live, here’s where you’ll find odds for every MLB game. For the latest California MLB team and player props, check our dedicated pages here:

• Today’s Dodgers odds
• Today’s Giants odds
• Today’s A’s odds
• Today’s Angels odds
• Today’s Padres odds

How to read MLB odds

Reading MLB betting lines and odds is straightforward. The main difference from reading other sports’ betting lines is that what is usually called a point spread is here called a run line. Here are the standard three bets explained.

Moneyline

A moneyline bet is when you pick the winner of the game. The MLB moneyline odds will change drastically depending on whether your team is a favorite or an underdog. If you took the San Diego Padres to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, the former would have to win the game outright, including extra innings.

Run line

Run line bets necessitate a team winning by a certain amount, such as -1.5 runs. If you were to take the Los Angeles Dodgers with -2.5 odds against the Cincinnati Reds, the Dodgers would have to win the game by three runs for your bet to win.

Total

This is when you bet over or under the anticipated total that the sportsbook has decided. For example, if the total for the San Francisco Giants/Oakland A’s game was 7.5, you’d decide if the combined runs will be eight or more, or seven or fewer.

What are “First Five Inning” or “F5” bets?

Unique to baseball, First Five Inning bets are when you predict the game’s outcome only for the first five innings. This can be an attractive and lucrative bet if you do your homework.

For instance, say a team has its ace pitcher on the mound. You are confident that he will be lights out for the first five innings but are worried about the team’s bullpen later in the game. In this case, you might want to bet on the team to lead the game after five innings.

MLB props and futures

Here’s a list of the main MLB prop bets and futures you can expect from most sportsbooks.

MLB live betting

In game betting on the MLB is another term for live betting. The variety of in game bets will differ between sportsbooks, so take a look around when the season gets underway. The beauty of in game betting is that you can follow the game and ride your gut and a team’s momentum. Here are some of the most common live bets.

• First team to a specific number of runs
• A hit on the next at-bat
• Winning margin live bet
• Outcome of the next at-bat (single, double, etc.)
• Run scored in next half-inning
• Pitches in next half-inning (over/under)
• Strikeouts in next half-inning (over/under)

What makes MLB betting special?

One of the best things about baseball betting is the high volume of games. Therefore, you’ll find a ton of betting options from spring to late fall. That said, it’s the props and live bets that really make MLB betting unique.

Betting on the first five innings can give savvy bettors an edge, and some sites even offer bets on the first three innings. Another great feature of MLB prop betting is the player vs. player bet. The sportsbook will pit a star player from each team against each other, and you will choose who will have the better stats throughout the game.

And if you like betting on special events during a season, it’s hard to get more fun than betting on the MLB Home Run Derby.

MLB baseball betting rules

While the rules for MLB odds are usually pretty standard across sportsbooks, there can be subtle differences. This can be particularly true when it comes to prop bets.

Some sites might state that a player must actually play in the game for a bet to count, whereas others will count the bet even if the player is scratched at the last minute. As always, it’s a good idea to read the sport-specific rules for each site.