MLB World Series 2024 Betting

Date IconLast Updated: 

Also known in the United States as “The Fall Classic,” Major League Baseball’s World Series is the culmination of a 162-game season and month-long playoff.

Bell Icon
Affiliate Disclosure: At Gambling.com, we want to ensure that players are matched with the right casino and sportsbook offers for them. For this reason, some of the recommended site links are affiliate links. More
  1. Our Top Pick

World Series Odds 2021*

TeamFractionalUS Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers9/2+450
New York Yankees11/2+550
Tampa Bay Rays10/1+1000
Atlanta Braves11/1+1100

*Odds up to date as of November 2020


Betting on the World Series

Also known in the United States as “The Fall Classic,” Major League Baseball’s World Series is the culmination of a 162-game season and month-long playoff. When it comes to baseball betting, there are plenty of opportunities both before and during the World Series, as bookmakers will takes wagers on who will win the title, individual games, run totals and a host of prop bets.

Road to the World Series

Major League Baseball consists of 30 teams playing in two leagues, the American League and the National League, with each league divided into three divisions of five teams apiece. In each league, the three division winners all qualify for the postseason as well as the two non-division winners (called wild cards) that have the best records. Playoff seeding within each league is determined by best overall record among the division winners.

The first World Series was played in 1903 and featured the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates. The best-of-7 series takes place in mid-to-late October and features the champion of the American League and National League.

Before 2003, home-field advantage in the World Series rotated between the two leagues. But from 2003-2016, the winner of the summer All-Star Game got the advantage. From 2017 on, the team with the best overall record during the season receives home-field advantage.

iOS App
Yes
Android App
Yes
Mobile Live Streaming Tooltip Is there live streaming of sporting events?
Yes
18+. Min deposit €10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least €10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days and expires after 14 days • Bonus valid on selected Casino games only • Bonus wins capped at €500, excluding Jackpot wins • You must wager Bonus amount x40 – this requirement varies by game T&Cs apply.
iOS App
Yes
Android App
Yes
Mobile Live Streaming Tooltip Is there live streaming of sporting events?
Yes
18+. Available to new customers only. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.
iOS App
Yes
Android App
Yes
Mobile Live Streaming Tooltip Is there live streaming of sporting events?
Yes
18+. T&C's apply

Betting on the World Series Odds

Betting on the World Series is similar to betting MLB during the regular season. Bettors can pick one team to win the series, bet on individual games and wager on interesting prop bets.

MLB money lines are based on positive and negative figures and indicate how much money a better must wager to win $100 or how much a $100 bet would win. Negative numbers indicate how much you must bet to win $100. For example, if Boston has a money line of -190 it means you must bet $190 to win $100.

Positive numbers indicate how much you'd win from a $100 bet. So if Arizona has a money line of +140, it would mean a win of $140 on a $100 bet. To work out how much you'd win on a different bet amount, you just have to scale the figure up or down proportionally.

Betting the totals involves betting how many runs will be scored in a single game by both teams involved combined. If the over/under market for this game is set at 8.0, you would be betting on whether or not the teams would score more or fewer than 8.0 runs combined.

World Series Predictions and Betting Tips

Bettors often look both to historic trends as well as individual matchups to determine their baseball betting strategy. One thing to consider is whether a team had an easier time in the series prior and is therefore well-rested.

If a team wins its previous series quickly, it can “set its pitching rotation” and have its best pitchers ready to go in Games 1-3. But if a team plays seven games to win its previous series, its third- or fourth-best starter might have to face the other team’s best pitcher.

Bettors looking at individual game wagering can also see how pitchers have historically fared against the opponent and how that pitcher has trended during the playoffs. The best team in the regular season doesn’t always win the World Series. In fact, from 2008-17 only three teams that finished with the best record won the championship.

Bettors sometimes favour wild-card teams, in part because they played meaningful games all the way until the end of the season. Twice from 2008-2017 wild-card teams have won the title.

Favourites and underdogs have been fairly evenly split in winning World Series titles in recent years, but here’s a trend to make note of: In the three Game 7s played from 2014-17, the home team lost every time.

Established 2012
Sports with Antepost Betting
Cash Out Tooltip Can you cash out of bets before an event has finished?
34
Yes
Special Bets
Antepost Multis?
Yes
Yes
18+. T&C's apply
Established 2005
Sports with Antepost Betting
Cash Out Tooltip Can you cash out of bets before an event has finished?
28
Yes
Special Bets
Antepost Multis?
Yes
Yes
18+. T&C's apply.
Established 2003
Sports with Antepost Betting
Cash Out Tooltip Can you cash out of bets before an event has finished?
24
Yes
Special Bets
Antepost Multis?
Yes
Yes
18+ New Players only. Bonus Code: PLAY10. Gamble responsibly. www.begambleaware.org

Tips for World Series Prop Bets

Just like in most major championships, there are a lot of prop bets available for those looking to have some fun.

Perhaps the most popular prop best is wagering on which player will win the World Series Most Valuable Player award. Position players tend to get lower odds than pitchers for MVP because they appear more often. From 2004-2017, only two pitchers have won the award. The odds are longer for a reason.

Some of the more exotic prop bets in the past have included which manager gets ejected first, whether a player flips his bat after hitting a home run, who gets hit by a pitch first and how many total players get beaned in the World Series.

Bettors can also wager on Series-long prop bets, such as total hits or home runs by individual players or teams, player-vs.-player wagers over the course of a series, and single-game prop bets. The choices are plentiful.


Recent World Series Winners & Odds

YearWinning TeamWinner’s OddsSeriesLosing Team
2020LA Dodgers7/24-2Tampa Bay Rays
2019Washington Nationals19/104-0Houston Astros
2018Boston Red Sox20/314-1Los Angeles Dodgers
2017Houston Astros3/24-3Los Angeles Dodgers
2016Chicago Cubs10/194-3Cleveland Indians
2015Kansas City Royals25/264-1New York Mets
2014San Francisco Giants1/14-3Kansas City Royals
2013Boston Red Sox5/74-2St. Louis Cardinals
2012San Francisco Giants31/204-0Detroit Tigers
2011St. Louis Cardinals27/204-3Texas Rangers
2010San Francisco Giants5/44-1Texas Rangers
2009New York Yankees1/24-2Philadelphia Phillies
2008Philadelphia Phillies23/204-1Tampa Bay Rays