No Major League Baseball team from Kentucky will win the World Series this season, but that’s only because … there is no MLB team from Kentucky. The closest thing to a Kentucky MLB team is the Cincinnati Reds, who play just across the Ohio-Kentucky state line.
That said, people in Kentucky can get in on the World Series betting action this season via Kentucky MLB betting sites. Here’s a look at the latest World Series odds, how to bet on the Fall Classic in Kentucky, and all the reasons to bet on the World Series and other MLB futures markets.
2024 Latest World Series betting lines
Understanding World Series betting
Kentucky sports betting sites will first post odds on every MLB team winning next season’s World Series in the offseason. Then, they adjust these odds throughout the year based on big free agent signings and trades, injuries, spring training, and regular season performance.
Betting in this futures market is all about picking a team you think will win the World Series. When you place a bet on that team, you lock in the odds as they are currently posted. That means winning bets will get paid at the odds as they were on the board when you placed the bet, no matter how much they change the rest of the way.
The odds are almost always longer on every team, including the perceived favorites to win the World Series, the earlier you place a bet. In other words, you stand to win more money betting on World Series futures in the offseason or spring training than you do late in the season when the true favorites emerge.
For example, the Houston Astros were at +900 to win the World Series during the spring of 2022. However, their odds to win the World Series dropped to +380 late in the season once Houston had secured its place in the postseason. After winning the 2022 World Series, Houston was at +650 to win again this season as spring training began. However, these World Series betting odds will shrink again significantly if the Astros appear to be contenders again late in the season.
Once the American League and National League Championship Series are over and the World Series matchup is set, you’ll be able to bet on one of the two teams to win it. However, you will be forced to bet at significantly reduced odds compared to spring training or even the start of the postseason.
You can also bet on standard MLB game odds, including moneylines, run lines, and totals, for each game in the World Series. Plus, there will be various prop bets on the stats and performances of every player and team in the World Series.
World Series moneylines
World Series moneylines are standard MLB game lines available for every World Series game. This one asks you to pick straight-up game winners. All bets are booked at the currently posted odds for each game. If the team you bet on wins, you win. There will almost always be a favorite and an underdog.
At Bet365 Kentucky Sportsbook, for example, you were able to bet on the Atlanta Braves +115 or Houston Astros -120 in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series. Bet $100 on the underdog Braves, and if they win, you’ll earn a total of $215. In the meantime, a $120 bet on the favored Astros will return $220 if they win.
World Series run lines
World Series run lines are another standard MLB game line available for every World Series game. This one asks you to pick winners with a spread (or run line) factored into the final score.
MLB run lines are set at 1.5 runs, but alternatives are available with different odds. There will be a favorite you have to lay the runs on and an underdog where you can take the runs. Ultimately, bets on the favorite win only when the favorite wins by more than the run line. However, bets on the underdog pay off when the underdog wins outright or loses by less than the run line.
At DraftKings Sportsbook Kentucky, for example, you were able to bet on the Atlanta Braves +1.5 (-115) or the Houston Astros -1.5 (+110) in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series. Bet $115 on the Braves and if they win outright or lose by just a single run, you’ll earn a total of $215. In the meantime, a $100 bet on the Astros will return $210 if they win by two runs or more.
World Series totals
World Series totals are another standard MLB game line available for every World Series game. This one asks you to pick whether the total runs scored in the game will be over or under a specific line set by sportsbooks. Totals normally offer close to even-money odds on both sides.
At Caesars KY Sportsbook, for example, you could bet O/U 5.5 (-110) for Game 1 of the 2023 World Series. Bet $110 on the over and you’ll collect a total of $210 if the teams combine to score six or more runs. Bet $110 on the under and you’ll collect a total of $210 if the teams combine to score five or fewer runs.
World Series 5-Inning lines
Sportsbooks will quite often make a 5-Inning line available for MLB games, including World Series games. This is basically a moneyline bet on the performance of the starting pitchers, as starters last an average of five innings in a typical game. You’re picking which team will be in the lead after the first five innings, presumably with the starters still in. The odds generally reflect the quality of each starter.
World Series team and player props
You can go beyond standard game lines and World Series futures with team and player props surrounding each World Series game and the series as a whole. Here’s where you place bets on team and player performance and the stats they put up. That might mean betting on things like total RBIs or home runs by a player or team in a single game or the entire World Series. Plus, you can place similar bets on strikeouts recorded by each pitcher or team.
The World Series MVP market is one of the most popular World Series prop markets available. This is where you pick players to win World Series MVP honors at odds that fluctuate throughout the series. Of course, you lock in the odds when you place a bet. Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was named 2022 World Series MVP after being a +2500 longshot to win the award ahead of the series.
Vegas World Series odds
Las Vegas sportsbooks set the standard for World Series game lines and futures. The truth is most sportsbooks across the country just copy the Vegas lines.
If more money comes in on one side of any World Series line, the sportsbook that took the bets will move that line to try to even out the betting. That way, they can earn the small profit built into odds without worrying about which side wins.
That’s when you’ll find a sportsbook has a different line on a World Series bet than the Vegas line. Otherwise, the World Series Vegas odds and lines are pretty much the same that you can bet on in Kentucky or anywhere else in the United States.
The biggest World Series bet
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale placed the biggest legal bet on the World Series in history last season when he bet somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million on the Houston Astros to win the title. For years, the Houston-based furniture shop owner has been placing big bets like this, running furniture sales promos around the wagers.
McIngvale places a bet on a particular team to win the World Series or the Super Bowl, then offers to give refunds to anyone who shops at the store if he wins. Ultimately, his losses will be covered by the profits the store earns running the promo, and his winnings cover the refunds.
The size of these promos and his bets keep growing, and they have turned McIngvale into the country’s biggest sports bettor. In fact, when the Astros won the 2022 World Series, he won around $75 million, the biggest win ever reported in legal sports betting history.
Sports bettors can also increase their potential winnings by utilizing the benefits of enhanced odds and promotional offers from Kentucky sportsbooks, accessible through our dedicated page ‘Best Kentucky Sportsbook Promos in 2024.’
More MLB futures odds
The World Series futures market is the most popular MLB futures market around. However, it isn’t the only MLB futures market around. Here’s a look at some other wagers you can make at Kentucky MLB betting sites:
- Division Winners
- American/National League Pennant Winners
- MLB Award Winners (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year)
- Team Win Totals (Regular Season)
- Postseason Berth
See more:
