An Overview of Baseball Games
Baseball is one of the oldest sports and a major source of attraction for sports betting fans around the world. A baseball game involves two teams, each with 9 players. During the game, players take turns playing offense and defense. Playing offense involves batting and baserunning while playing defense involves pitching and fielding.
Scoring Runs in a Baseball Game
The game begins when a member of the fielding team (a pitcher) throws a ball. A player on the batting (offensive) team is then supposed to hit the ball with a bat. The batting team has to hit the ball into the playing field, and its players have to run around 4 bases to score runs.
At the same time, the defensive (fielding) team tries to prevent batters from becoming runners. Furthermore, the fielding team aims to prevent runners’ advance around the 4 bases. Once a player gets around the 4 bases before being tagged out, another batter steps in.
Score Many Runs to Win the Game
Overall, the objective of a baseball game is to score as many runs as possible to win the game. The game lasts for 9 innings, and the number of runs is calculated to find out which team has more runs. So, the number of runs scored by the end of the game will determine the winning team.
Best Baseball Betting Sites in NJ
The first step to an exciting baseball betting experience is to choose the best sports betting sites. If you live in the state of New Jersey, it’s important to choose from approved online sportsbooks. You also need to make sure that the selected betting site has additional benefits like bonuses.
As a fan of baseball, I often bet on baseball games, and I’ve learned what’s best for MLB punters. In addition to that, I have a license to promote legal online gambling sites in NJ. As your betting guide, I have already researched top baseball betting websites in NJ and listed them here. So, check them out if you want to bet on baseball games now.
The Key Features of the Best Baseball Betting Sites
To prepare a comprehensive betting guide, I always consider the key features that make a betting site worth your time. Of course, each betting site has some exclusive offerings, but some factors cut across all gambling sites. With that in mind, you must check for gaming licenses, security, customer service, payment methods, and betting options. I’ll provide a brief explanation of each in the following sections.
Top NJ Betting Websites Have Gaming Licenses
Online gambling became legal in Garden State in 2013, and online casinos and sportsbooks have to meet two major requirements. First of all, they must obtain a gaming license and work under the supervision of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). The second requirement is to partner with a licensed land-based casino operator. If a betting site that purports to cater to NJ players does not meet these requirements, I wouldn’t recommend it.
NJ gambling law also states the requirements punters must meet to be eligible for online gambling. To play at licensed betting websites and casinos in NJ, you must be 21 years or older. The second requirement is that you must gamble inside the state lines.
Security and Privacy
To open an online gambling account, the site operator will ask for your information. This includes your name, email address, phone number, and banking information. You want to be sure that the gambling site will protect this information and your internet traffic while betting.
All legal NJ betting sites use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and Transport Layer Security (TLS). Both technologies work hand-in-hand to secure internet connections and encrypt your data. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access your information. Also, the best NJ betting site operators have a friendly privacy policy, which states how they intend to use your details.
Great Customer Support
The way the customer support team treats you will have a huge impact on how you perceive the betting site. I mean, if there is no one to respond to your queries, chances are you’ll look elsewhere. Luckily, NJ has some of the best betting sites in terms of customer service quality.
Top betting platforms in NJ communicate with customers via live chat. This is my favorite communication channel because it facilitates instant responses. Emails and phone calls have also proven to be effective methods to get in touch with support. Generally, the best baseball betting site operators are always ready to help you when you need assistance.
Safe Banking Methods
To bet on baseball for real money, you would need a payment method. That is, the betting site must allow you to deposit funds and withdraw your winnings. Some payment methods will only allow you to deposit or withdraw. Others can be used as both deposit and withdrawal methods.
The best betting sites in NJ only use safe and reliable banking methods that are available statewide. They accept different types of e-wallets, bank wire transfers, debit cards, credit cards, and online banking options. You’ll find widely-accepted options like PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and ACH/e-checks. NJ punters can also deposit cash at the casino cage.
Plenty of Betting Options
Betting on MLB baseball presents lots of opportunities, whether you are a new or experienced sports punter. Many games take place throughout the season, giving you numerous chances to bet on your favorite team or game. With that said, the best baseball betting sites in NJ cover every team and game to meet every MLB gambler’s needs. Let’s look at the major game options.
Major League Baseball – Seasons and Tournaments
Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization with a total of 30 teams: 29 teams in the U.S and 1 team in Canada. There are 15 teams in the American League (AL) and 15 teams in the National League (NL). In each season, teams play 162 games, and 5 teams in each league proceed to a 4-round post-season tournament.
World Series Annual Championship
The post-season tournament culminates in the World Series. First played in 1903, the World Series is the MLB annual championship series. It’s a best-of-seven playoff between the winners of the American League and the National League.
A serious MLB betting site will consider all of the aforementioned game options when setting MLB lines. They must include every game in each season, post-season games, as well as World Series games. Luckily, top-rated NJ sports betting sites have every MLB betting option you would need to bet on.
How to Bet on Baseball in New Jersey
Just like other sports like NFL and NBA sports, baseball betting offers lots of bet options. I mean, punters can choose from money line bets, totals, over/under, point spreads, parlays, prop bets, and futures. However, point spreads in MLB betting are known as run line bets. What’s more, MLB bettors can bet on the first five innings.
How to Read MLB Odds
Before I explain the various bets in MLB betting, allow me to give a simple explanation of MLB odds. The odds or baseball lines set by oddsmakers play a crucial role in determining the size of your win.
During my search, I’ve noted that sportsbooks can offer different odds on the same game. So, you need to understand how odds work to choose NJ online sportsbooks with the best odds.
Underdog and Favorite Team Odds
Oddsmakers set baseball odds with the underdog and favorite team in mind. An underdog is a team that’s most likely to lose the game. In contrast, the favorite is the team believed to have better chances of winning the match. Oddsmakers use a positive (+) sign for underdog team odds, and a negative (-) sign favorite team odds.
I’ll use a match between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees as an example. Let’s assume that the odds are set as shown below.
- Boston Red Sox +150
- New York Yankees -200
In this case, the Boston Red Sox is the underdog while the New York Yankees is the favorite team. Simply put, you can expect to win more money if you bet on the Boston Red Sox to win the game. If you bet $100 on Boston, you’ll win $150 plus your bet amount. Therefore, the payout would be $250.
On the other hand, the payout would be small if you wagered on New York Yankees. Assuming that you wagered $100 on NY Yankees to win the game, you’d win $50 plus your wager. In this case, the payout would be $150. As you can see, you would need to wager more to land a big win when betting on the favorite team.
Baseball Money Line Bets
The simplest bet to place on a baseball, football, or basketball game is a money line bet. When there is a baseball match, your instincts tell you that a particular team will win. In this case, you can bet on the team you think is likely to win the game. This is called a money line bet, and the selected team must win for you to be safe.
Money Line Odds Explained
You are probably looking at the previous example and wondering how the odds are calculated. Well, if a money line is a positive (+) number, the odds denote the amount you would win on a $100 bet. If the odds were +200, you would win $200 on a $100 bet. So, the betting side would pay you $300.
A negative (-) money line denotes the amount you would have to bet to win $100. So, if the odds were -200 you would have to wager $200 to win $100. Based on this principle, a $100 bet would result in a $50 win, and the payout would be $150.
Run Line MLB Bets
NJ baseball betting sites also offer run line bets in addition to money line bets. As I explained earlier, the winner of a baseball game is the team with the highest number of runs. For that reason, oddsmakers can set run line odds based on the number of runs scored. To easily understand run line bets, think of them as the MLB’s version of NFL point spreads.
Run line wagers can be a better option, as you will bet on a favorite team to win by a spread, usually 1.5 runs. With a 1.5 run line, punters place a bet on the favored team to win by at least 2 runs. Also, a 1.5 run line allows you to bet on the underdog to lose the game by 1 run or win.
Why Bet on the Number of Runs Scored?
So, why would someone consider a run line bet over a money line bet? Well, betting the run line can be attractive if you would like an increased payout on the favorite team. Generally, run line bets offer more reasonable odds, thus enticing bettors to risk their money for a bigger prize.
First Five Innings Bets on NJ Baseball
NJ baseball betting enthusiasts can also place bets on the first five innings. These bets are similar to money line bets, except you’re only wagering on the first 5 innings of a game. The best thing about F5 bets is that bettors only need to handicap the starting pitchers.
Obviously, the odds are likely to be less favorable when wagering F5 innings, unlike full-game betting. This is because there are few factors for the betting site and punters to consider when evaluating odds. But F5 innings bets are safe because of the smaller number of variables needed to assess the likely outcomes.
Betting on Baseball Totals
Totals (over/under) bets are common in the world of sports betting, including NJ MLB betting. Your job as a punter is to concentrate on the total number of runs. Then you have to predict whether the combined runs will be more or less than a number set by the oddsmaker.
When placing a money line bet, the selected team must win for you to get the prize. But things are different when placing over or under wagers. That is, you can win your bet regardless of which team wins the game.
To set odds for over/under bets, oddsmakers keep various factors in mind. These include where the game will be played (ballpark), team strengths and weaknesses, as well as the potential weather.
Baseball Prop Bets
Prop bets allow bettors to place wagers on specific events that happen while a baseball game is in progress. You can bet on particular instances relating to a player or team without thinking about the outcome of the game.
A good example of a proposition bet would be betting on the number of bases a particular player will steal. You could also wager on the number of home runs a specific player will have. Or, you could bet on the number of strikeouts a certain pitcher will have. In general, the list of possible prop bets in MLB betting is long.
Parlays in Baseball
When betting on baseball, you can choose to combine different types of bets. For example, you may combine a money line bet with a bet on total runs. I am a fan of parlays because they allow bettors to create a more lucrative betting slip. The only problem is that you lose everything if one bet fails.
In-Play Betting on Baseball Games
One fascinating thing about top NJ sports betting sites is that they allow you to place in-play bets. But you must be very cautious because live betting is all about timing. If you get it right, you’ll enjoy better odds than the ones offered before the action began. And the better the odds, the bigger the prize to be won.
Baseball Bonuses in New Jersey
I like NJ betting sites because, besides offering attractive odds, they award nice bonuses. An enticing welcome bonus appeals to new bettors and motivates them to sign up. Let’s see the different types of bonuses offered at NJ online sportsbooks.
Signup Bonus
NJ casino sites and sportsbooks welcome new punters with a welcome package. Sometimes you’ll be asked to deposit, but you can still get a signup bonus without a deposit. Your first deposit bonus could be a match bonus expressed as a percentage.
The best gambling sites in NJ have a 100% match (or more) up to a specified limit. For example, a sportsbook may give new punters a 100% first deposit bonus up to $1,000. This means that the sportsbook will double your first deposit up to a maximum of 1,000 dollars.
Risk-Free Bets
Risk-free bets at NJ betting sites are often awarded as cash bonus offers. Let’s pretend that the selected sportsbook offers a risk-free bet up to $500. Here, you’ll get your money back up to 500 bucks if you lose your first bet. Since this is a first-bet offer, it only targets new punters.
Free Bets
A free bet is another form of cash bonus given to both new and existing bettors. It’s usually a small amount such as $10 or $20 depending on the chosen sportsbook. If you are a new player, you may get a $10 free bet if you deposit $20.
For existing bettors, the sportsbook may award a $10 free bet for placing wagers totaling $40 daily. Keep in mind that free bets may be used in any market or selected markets.
Profit and Parlay Boosts
Many NJ baseball betting websites are willing to reward existing bettors with boosted wins. For instance, you may have all of your winnings increased with a 20% profit boost. In the case of parlay boosts, the rate of your cash boost will depend on the number of legs you choose. It’s up to you to decide what to add to your parlay to get the highest possible boost.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, the New Jersey sports wagering industry has a lot of incredible offerings in store. If you live in NJ and you want to bet on baseball, go for it. Make sure to capitalize on every opportunity to enjoy everything MLB betting has to offer. And remember to shop around because some betting sites will offer better baseball odds than others.
To get started, don’t hesitate to choose from the legal baseball betting sites I have recommended on this page. As soon as you sign up, you’ll find the coolest bonus offers. Hopefully, they will give you the best baseball odds.
Thanks for allowing me to be your baseball betting guide today. I wish you good luck. And as always, remember to gamble responsibly.
FAQ
Is Betting on Baseball Illegal?
It’s legal to bet on online sports in NJ including baseball, thanks to a law that was passed in 2013.
Where Can I Bet on Baseball?
Legal gambling sites are the best baseball betting sites in New Jersey. They are regulated by the Division of Gaming Enforcement to ensure integrity, fairness, and honesty. I have recommended the best baseball betting sites in this betting guide.
What Does a +200 Money Line Mean?
A positive (+) money line shows the amount you would win after placing a $100 bet. So, a money line of +200 means that you need to wager $100 to win $200.
How Do You Make a Baseball Model for Betting?
Building a reliable baseball betting model requires research and strategy. You can create one if you know your probability theory and understand how to manipulate data on a spreadsheet. It’s also crucial to research baseball teams and players.
