Opening of baseball season offers variety of wagers
By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun
There’s no rest for sports books this time of the year, as the major events keep piling up. A day before the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament on April 4 is Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, creating action from early morning to late night at betting windows. To get a sense of the upcoming baseball season from a gambling perspective, here’s a glance at the three most popular ways to wager in the preseason.
The Chicago Cubs sit alone at the top of betting boards in odds to win the World Series, including at a price of 9-to-2 at the Westgate Superbook. That standing should make fans cringe as much as celebrate.
If anything, the betting market anointing Chicago the favorite may hint at its 108-year championship drought extending.
Only one preseason Las Vegas favorite in the past 15 years, the 2009 New York Yankees, has lived up to expectations with a title. The six champions that followed the Yankees all came into the season somewhere from 20-to-1 to 30-to-1.