Best MLB Betting Sites

Ohio’s two MLB teams — the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians — have won a total of seven World Series and numerous pennants and division titles.

If you’re a fan of either team, or you just like watching baseball and want to mix things up by laying down a few bets, legal online sports betting in Ohio means you can make MLB bets on any game.

Below see how MLB betting works, popular MLB bets, the best online betting sites for MLB odds, a few rookie baseball betting mistakes to avoid and more.

Best MLB Betting Sites in Ohio

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How to bet on MLB online in Ohio

If you wish to start MLB betting online in Ohio, you’ll first need to create an account on one of the official sportsbooks that have received approval to operate in the state. Here’s how to do it:

1. Head to the homepage of an online sportsbook in Ohio, ideally one where you like the look of the odds.
2. Create an account by filling out a registration form with some personal details.
3. After your account is active, find the cashier page to make your first deposit.
4. Claim any welcome bonuses, for instance bonus cash or bonus bets.
5. Find MLB on the list of available sports and start betting.

Top sportsbook apps for MLB betting in Ohio

Caesars Sportsbook App for MLB Betting

Caesars Sportsbook Ohio has among the most competitive MLB lines and it uses official league data to settle bets. Plus, it has run MLB promos in the past including:

• Various MLB odds boosts
• Four $10 bonus bets for any bet of $50 or more on a 2022 World Series winner

Caesars Sportsbook also has a multi-year agreement with Major League Baseball as an Authorized Gaming Operator of the league. But it has also gone local with its MLB deals, becoming the Official Sports Betting Partner of both the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox, and building the Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field as an official corporate partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That means they could make a big splash in Ohio next season with the Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, or both.

BetMGM Sportsbook App for NHL Betting

MGM Resorts International was the first Official Gaming Partner of MLB and the exclusive Official Sports Betting Partner of MLB back in 2020. It now shares that title with others.

The partnership lets BetMGM use league data and logos and run promotions on MLB media platforms. The BetMGM brand is now splattered across these platforms, including MLB Network and MLB.com. The sportsbook also has some individual MLB club marketing deals, which could bode well for the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds next season.

MLB odds markets at the BetMGM Ohio app include all the standards:

• Daily MLB runlines, moneylines and totals
• MLB props
• MLB futures
• MLB parlays

MLB promos at BetMGM have long included MLB Parlay Insurance and BetMGM’s Sports Betting Guide has a ton of MLB betting content.

BetRivers App for MLB Betting

You won’t find the MLB logo splashed all over BetRivers as you do at many sportsbooks. However, all the major MLB betting odds are still there. Multiple betting options and promotions on the BetRivers Ohio app include:

• MLB moneylines, runlines and totals
• MLB props & futures
• MLB parlays
• BetRivers’ 20% MLB Profit Boost Tuesdays

BetRivers hasn’t exactly gone the official sports betting partner route for baseball. But it’s still a solid destination for MLB betting. It’s only a deal with the Cleveland Guardians or Cincinnati Reds from taking things a step further in Ohio next season.

DraftKings Sportsbook App for MLB Betting

DraftKings Sportsbook expanded its MLB deal last year to become an Official Sports Betting Partner.

It now also boasts MLB streaming integration, which means you can watch the live MLB games you bet on within the DraftKings app.

The DraftKings brand is visible everywhere baseball is, and on top of the most MLB betting options available anywhere the DraftKings Ohio sportsbook app will run free-to-play pools and regular MLB betting promos, including giving away 100-1 odds on $1 bets for certain matchups.

FanDuel Sportsbook App for MLB Betting

FanDuel Sportsbook is an Authorized Gaming Operator of MLB. That gets it access to official MLB data and logos. Plus, FanDuel offers many in-play MLB betting options, because it’s so popular on the platform.

The lines are competitive and promos have included a $5 Dinger Tuesday offering home run bonuses. Like it is everywhere, the FanDuel Ohio app will be a market leader for MLB betting in Ohio as a result.

How MLB betting works

Before each game, sportsbooks will determine baseball betting odds based on each team’s current form, roster, starting pitcher, injuries and other factors. The MLB odds reflect the teams’ chances of winning the game while also determining the potential payout for correctly picking an outcome.

For example, let’s say that the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing the Cincinnati Reds, and DraftKings sportsbook in Ohio has posted the following odds:

• Pittsburgh Pirates: +170
• Cincinnati Reds: -200

The side with negative odds is the favorite to win the game, and the side with the positive number is the underdog. Naturally, betting on the favorite will require a larger wager for a similar potential payout.

Since the odds on the Cincinnati Reds are -200, you would need to bet $200 to earn a $100 profit on a correct bet. Betting on the Pirates at odds of +170, meanwhile, could net you a $170 profit on a $100 bet. While the numbers are set relative to $100, you can wager more or less if you wish, with the payouts adjusting accordingly.

You can place all your MLB bets as soon as the lines appear and before any game starts, but online sportsbooks will also have live betting. That allows you to bet during the game, as well. Of course, expect that the odds during the game will change depending on the current score and inning, etc.

Apart from picking the winner of a single game, you can also bet on MLB futures, like the winner of the next World Series. Some of the most popular futures like that one are available nearly year-round, long before any two teams reach the final. For example, you could put money on the Reds or Guardians to win the World Series before or during the season.

Also, note that the odds for a given game might be different depending on the MLB betting site. Each sportsbook has its own oddsmakers, who sometimes might be in slight disagreement.

What’s more, the odds will depend on how much money is coming in on each side. If one side has more action, the sportsbook will change the odds to attract bettors to the other side. Since Ohio teams could attract more action at Ohio online sportsbooks, expect their odds to occasionally be different from those at Vegas sportsbooks.

MLB moneylines, run lines and over/unders

Moneyline, run line and over/under wagers are the core of the game-to-game MLB betting markets. Here’s how each one works:

MLB moneyline bets

The moneyline bet is the simplest to understand, not just in baseball but in any sport. When you bet the moneyline, the goal is just to pick the winner of a given game. The score or the margin of victory doesn’t matter.

As explained above, each of the two teams will have odds that suggest how much money you can win relative to your stake. The odds will be anywhere from -/+100 to -/+900 or more, depending on the matchup.

MLB run line bets

The run line is the baseball betting version of the point spread. This essentially works to even up two uneven teams, with a sportsbook giving the underdog a certain number of runs.

However, unlike point spreads, where the numbers will differ depending on the opponents, the run line is almost always -1.5 on the favorite and +1.5 on the underdog. In other words, the goal is to pick whether the underdog will win or lose within a run or if the favorite will win by two or more runs.

MLB over/under bets

Also called totals bets, baseball’s over/under odds refer to the combined number of runs both teams will score in a game. For example, if the FanDuel Sportsbook app in Ohio places the over/under line at 8.5, you can bet whether the total number of runs will be nine or more or eight or fewer.

In some instances, the sportsbook might not use the half-point and instead offer a line with a whole number, like 9.0 for example. The premise of the bet stays the same, but if the total number of runs is precisely nine, the bet will be a push, and you’ll get your stake back.

Props and futures for MLB games

Most beginning MLB bettors will stick to the three main types of bets from above. However, there is plenty more when it comes to available MLB bets.

Seasoned bettors and those who like experimenting will find plenty of action in the form of MLB proposition bets. The following are examples that you could find at top Ohio sports betting sites:

• A variety of player accomplishments: whether a specific player will homer, the number of strikeouts for a starting pitcher, etc.
• First five innings (betting on which team will be ahead after 5)
• Winning margin
• Total hits
• Correct final score
• Highest-scoring inning
• Extra innings (yes/no)
• Individual innings (first inning winner, first inning runs, three innings total, etc.)

Before and during the regular season, bettors can wager on season-long accomplishments through the futures market. You can bet on the Cincinnati Reds or find odds on the Cleveland Guardians to win the World Series or their respective leagues or divisions.

You can also find futures for individual player awards and pick who wins either league’s MVP. You can also bet on the home run crown, the batting crown or bet on the Cy Young Award winner, for instance.

How does MLB live betting work?

MLB games can last for a few hours and go through several big swings, which makes them ideal for in-game betting. With live, or in-game, MLB betting, you can place most of the same bets as you would before (at shifting odds) as well as new bets.

For example, sportsbooks often have race bets where the goal is to pick which team will get to a certain number of runs first. You can also take bets on the current inning, like who will win the eighth inning or whether there will be a tie.

Keeping up with the pace of live MLB betting is easiest through a sportsbook app. By using an app, you’ll always be just a few taps from making a bet, regardless of where you are.

Betting on the MLB playoffs and World Series

The MLB season consists of 30 teams competing in two leagues that each contains three divisions. The three division winners from each league progress directly to the best-of-five Division Series. Two wild card teams from each league will also compete in a play-in game to also progress to the Division Series.

The winners of the wild card games play the top-seeded teams, while the other matchup is between the second and third seeds. Division Series winners move to the best-of-seven League Championship Series and the winners of those match up against each other in the best-of-seven World Series.

As explained above with MLB futures, you can bet on the World Series winner and all other series winners during or before the playoffs. You may also find some specific playoff-driven bets, like which two exact teams will meet in the World Series or what will be the series of elimination for a given team.

Common mistakes in MLB betting

Here are some common MLB rookie betting mistakes to try to avoid when placing your first MLB wagers.

Rarely betting on underdogs

MLB can be unpredictable, and the difference between high- and low-ranked teams is usually smaller than other sports. A team that misses the playoffs can still win 40% to 50% of its games, while top teams rarely win over 70% of theirs.

This means that the underdogs can accrue quite a few wins throughout a season, which can be very beneficial considering that they’ll always have favorable online sports betting odds.

Betting against streaks

A typical baseball season is prone to streaks. Teams play almost daily, and winning or losing streaks can last for a while. Rookie bettors commonly assume that if a generally bad team wins a couple of games in a row, it will lose its next matchup. But, in reality, even the worst teams can go on a weeklong run and be successful against some of the favorites in the process.

Ignoring home/away records

In MLB, you can find teams that play well in specific stadiums. Most commonly, this can mean that they have an excellent record at home and perform not so great on the road. If you do some investigative work and find trends on how a team performs in a given setup, you may find some betting value.

Sportsbook rules for MLB betting

Sportsbooks have specific rules regarding MLB games that you should be familiar with before you start betting. These rules usually relate to rain delays, postponing games and changes in starting pitchers.

For pitchers, the sportsbook might give you the option of nullifying your bet in case of a change. For example, you can choose for your bet to count only if both listed pitchers start, only if the pitcher for the team you wagered on starts, or only if the listed pitcher for the opposing team starts. Of course, you can also choose for your bet to count regardless of changes to the starting pitchers.

Sportsbooks might void bets for postponed or delayed games due to bad weather or similar setbacks unless the game continues in a timeframe determined by the sportsbook. The rules regarding suspended games can differ depending on the MLB sportsbook, so you should always go through a betting site’s rules to know when your bet has action.

MLB betting partnerships in Ohio

With legal sports betting coming to Ohio, many of the state’s pro sports teams started seeking partnership deals with top sportsbook brands.

One such partnership took place in June of 2021, when the Cincinnati Reds signed a deal with WynnBET, making the sportsbook an official sports betting partner for 2021 and giving it access to use the team’s signage across its digital products. What’s more, fans will be able to win team memorabilia and tickets for Reds games through various betting promotions.