Indiana Sportsbooks Ready For The New MLB Season With Futures Odds

With the new baseball season right around the corner, one sportsbook is already offering futures odds for every MLB tean.

Although football is the top dog for sports betting in the United States, the NFL season is over.

In addition to NCAA Basketball and the NBA, baseball is one more option to help fill the void that football leaves for some bettors.

Most MLB teams will start their spring training in just a few weeks. The start of the 2020 season will follow just a month later.

2020 will be the first full MLB season since Indiana sports betting got underway.

Indiana doesn’t have a major league team of its own. Despite that, franchises from Illinois and Ohio have plenty of fans in Indiana.

Odds for the Reds, Cubs, and White Sox

Indiana’s had a love affair with the Cincinnati Reds since the days of the Big Red Machine. Unfortunately the team’s fan base in the Hoosier State, the Reds haven’t had a winning season since 2013.

This year’s preseason odds reflect that recent history. Here’s how the Reds are looking, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Regular season win total: 83.5
• Odds to win NL Central: +280
• Odds to win National League: +1,100
• Odds to win World Series: +2,800

The NL Central doesn’t have a standout team predicted to win the division. The Reds have the third-best odds to come out on top. The Cardinals and the Cubs are tied as the favorites.

Chicago’s North Side team has had its fair share of struggles since winning the World Series in 2016. Although the Cubs are no longer seen as a contender, the team still has plenty of fans throughout Indiana.

Here are some of their odds for the upcoming season.

• Regular season win total: 86.5
• Odds to win NL Central: + 225
• Odds to win National League: + 1,000
• Odds to win World Series: +2,200

The White Sox are another franchise with fans in Indiana. Although they’re probably the least popular out of the trio, Chicago’s South Side team has a chance to end up being the best out of the three.

Since the team’s 2005 World Series win, the White Sox have only made the playoffs once. However, the team is hoping that 11-year postseason drought will be coming to an end this season.

Here’s how DraftKings has the White Sox slated heading into the season.

• Regular season win total: 83.5
• Odds to win AL Central: +300
• Odds to win American League: +1,700
• Odds to win World Series: +3,500

MLB betting could draw extra business for Indiana

Indiana’s neighbors don’t have sports betting up and running yet. That could draw baseball fans from surrounding states to Indiana.

Three of the four states bordering Indiana have a professional baseball team. Between Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan there are five different MLB franchises.

At least for now, fans in the home states of those teams don’t have a legal way to place a wager on them. For fans living near the state line, that could be an easy problem to fix. It only takes a quick trip over the border to utilize any of Indiana’s online sportsbooks.

The situation is great for the Hoosier State, but it won’t last forever.

Michigan and Illinois have already legalized sports betting, but haven’t been able to come to market yet.

Kentucky is a bit further behind in the process but is still on its way to legalized sports betting. Ohio is in a similar position.

Until its neighbors are able to get the ball rolling, Indiana will enjoy the extra boost to its handle. With future bets coming in on several sports, including professional baseball, the state is in a solid spot.