With the continued spread of legal sports betting in the United States, new bettors are picking up the hobby at a rapid rate. From there, they can bet on a variety of sports, including Major League Baseball. The bets, the numbers, and the lingo of sports betting can be overwhelming to some, especially if they’re new to all of it. The knowledge level is growing, though, as traditional media entities cover sports betting more and more.
With increased expertise and discussion about sports betting, it is good to know the rules sportsbooks follow when special circumstances come up. Even experienced bettors may have questions about some of the fine print. In this guide, we will take you through the basic rules to know when betting on MLB games. We’ll also cover how sportsbooks may rule on specific situations that may arise.
Betting rules particular to MLB
Every sportsbook will have its own rules page. While a lot of the policies are similar across the board, there is certainly room for books to set their own guidelines. Be sure you familiarize yourself with the specific baseball betting rules when you sign up at a new FL sportsbook. Below are some of the situations that can dictate whether baseball bets have action.
Date changes for MLB games
Many prominent sportsbooks in the US will rule no action in the event a game takes place on a different date, which usually happens due to weather. The date of a game sometimes plays into a bettor’s strategy, so everybody generally receives a refund in this scenario.
MLB venue changes
If the listed venue changes, sportsbooks such as the BetMGM and Caesars will not have action on those wagers, while the DraftKings betting app handles this situation a little differently. At DraftKings, as long as the home team remains designated as the home team, all bets will stand. If the official designation lists the home team as the road team or vice-versa, the bets will have no action.
Shortened games (weather)
Weather impacts betting on baseball games more than just about any other sport because of how many games take place, most of which are outside. While rain can bring the action to a halt at almost any time, occasionally snow may do the same early or late in the year. If the game does not last the full number of innings as scheduled, however, some of the bets will still have action.
For a moneyline wager, many sportsbooks will honor bets as long as the game is official, which is five innings or 4.5 innings if the home team is leading. For bets like baseball run totals and run lines, a full nine-inning game usually is necessary, or 8.5 innings if the home team is ahead.
Shortened seasons
In the event of a shorter-than-normal season, many futures bets will still have action. For bets on division winner, league winner and World Series winner bets, for instance, as long as a team ends up winning in the end, sportsbooks generally will honor those bets regardless of how long the season is.
Sportsbooks may vary a bit when it comes to bets on MLB season win totals. On DraftKings, a team must complete at least 98% of its scheduled regular-season games for bets to have action, as long as the remaining games would not have an impact on the result.
Suspended games
Sometimes a baseball game may end up suspended to finish another day. On DraftKings, all bets will stand as long as the game resumes within 36 hours of the original start time. If not, the sportsbook will void all bets unless a wager had a final result prior to the game’s suspension. These specifics might vary depending on what sportsbook you are using.
Pitcher rules
MLB betting is distinct in that a large portion of the wagering strategy depends on who the starting pitchers are. This means that the value of a team can change from day to day. Because of this, sometimes a sportsbook might specify that both scheduled pitchers must start the game for bets to have action.
Rules for different MLB bet types
Run line
Similar to the point spread in sports like football or basketball, the run line gives the favored team a certain number of runs (usually 1.5) that it must win by. Meanwhile, if the underdog wins or loses by fewer runs than the run line is set at, bets on that side would win.
Moneyline
With moneyline betting, bettors are simply wagering on who will win the game. Of course, some teams are better than others, so the underdog will pay out higher for a correct wager than a winning bet on the favorite due to the sportsbook odds.
Over/under
These bets, which you may also see called totals, are wagers on the total combined score of a game. You can bet on whether the actual total runs will be higher or lower than the projected total from the sportsbook.
Live betting
With live betting, you can place wagers as the game is going on with odds that can move quickly based on the latest events on the field. Many of the same rules will apply to live betting as the ones we had mentioned earlier.
Extra innings
Extra innings are a part of the game when it comes to almost all baseball bets (including live betting). Just like those who are fortunate to win a run total bet that hits because of extra innings, those who took the under in that same spot are the unlucky ones.
Parlay rules
A parlay requires multiple outcomes to come true in order for the overall bet to win. This can be difficult to do, and many bettors will completely avoid these bets. The potential payouts, however, can be substantial, which is why they are so attractive.
As far as parlay rules are concerned, it’s possible for one leg to be no action due to weather or some other circumstance. In that case, the sportsbook eliminates that specific leg from the parlay, but the others still stand. If you made a parlay with four legs, for example, it would turn into a three-leg parlay.
Game prop rules
For game props, sportsbooks will generally require the full scheduled number of innings to be played unless the outcome of the wager does not depend on a full game. If the game falls short of the scheduled number of innings, many wagers would be no action, with bettors getting refunds.
Player prop rules
With the amount of data available during a baseball season, player props can be a fun activity. If you place a prop bet on a particular pitcher, for instance, that player must throw at least one pitch. For a bet on a position player, that player must have at least one plate appearance for the bet to have action. Just like game props, sportsbooks will generally require the full number of innings unless it would not impact the final result.
More MLB sportsbook rules explained
Procedures for returns/pushes
A push is a fairly common occurrence for a number of bets every day throughout the regular season, whether it is the run total or any of the many props. If this happens, or if a sportsbook deems a particular wager to be no action, bettors would receive a refund for the amount that they wagered.
What happens when sportsbooks make mistakes?
If you ever notice the sportsbook has made a mistake with your betting account, it’s important to reach out to customer service for an explanation.
Sometimes a sportsbook will make a mistake, and it has the right to void wagers for a variety of reasons, including just a technical issue. Mistakes generally are easy to identify, and sportsbooks will not honor bets that they accepted in error.
What are correlated plays, and why can’t you make them?
A correlated play consists of multiple wagers where one outcome is highly likely to determine the outcome of another bet. Examples would be parlaying the run line underdog along with the under or combining the run line favorite with the over. Sportsbooks continue to crack down on these sorts of plays to minimize their risk.
Minimum/maximum bets
The minimum and maximum amount that you can bet will vary from sportsbook to sportsbook and bet to bet. For example, the amount you can place on a single game might be different from a futures bet like a season win total. Be sure to check your sportsbook for the exact numbers.
Can I use bonuses to bet on MLB?
Florida sportsbook bonuses can benefit new and experienced bettors alike. With sportsbooks like Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook Florida, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, and others going after as many customers as they can, bettors can expect a variety of promotions competing for their attention. Sportsbooks are willing to offer benefits to attract new users because they understand this industry is geared toward them succeeding in the long run, and they’re willing to take a short-term hit.
Some of the promotions can be too good to be true, which is why checking out the fine print for bonuses is a must before jumping in. Many of the promotions available will require a certain playthrough requirement where you must wager a certain amount of money to ever be able to withdraw the funds you received via the bonus.
While many of the promos are worth a look, they can be worthless if you are not willing to satisfy the requirements to actually profit from them. It’s up to you to decide whether you deem anything on a sportsbook’s promotions page worth going for.
Can sportsbooks refuse bets?
Though this is a rarity, sportsbooks may turn away bets for a number of reasons. For example, a bettor might try to wager an amount of money that’s higher than the maximum or lower than the minimum for that particular bet. A sportsbook error would also lead to the refusal of a wager as mentioned earlier. If sportsbooks deem a certain bettor to be doing something improper, this also may be cause for refusal.
What recourse do you have for disputes over bets, payouts, balances, etc.?
With regulated Florida sports betting, this is highly unlikely to ever become an issue. Previously, many bettors only had access to offshore sportsbook websites or a bookie — both practices that are unregulated and could lead to dangerous situations for bettors. A bookie or offshore sportsbook does not need to play by the rules, and there could be no consequences to not paying out winning wagers. Now that more and more states are regulating sports betting, sportsbooks would face criminal consequences for illegal activities, which would be a devastating blow to any sportsbook, especially in such a competitive industry.