Online MLS Betting
Betting on MLS soccer has never been easier thanks to advances in online betting. With so many legal sportsbooks in New Jersey and plenty of good sports betting apps, you can easily get some money down on the games to add some excitement. If you’re new to it all, let’s run you through understanding MLS soccer betting lines and how to bet the games.
MLS Betting Lines
Three-Way Moneylines
One of the most common soccer betting lines is the three-way line. Let’s use an example to understand what they look like:
Los Angeles Galaxy -120 | Draw +150 | Toronto FC +300
The first thing you’ll want to notice with these MLS betting lines is the plus or minus sign. If there’s a plus sign, the amount that follows is how much you’ll win if you bet $100. If it’s a minus sign, that’s the amount you’d bet to win $100.
Totals
The total is merely the combined score of the two teams in the game. The MLS soccer betting oddsmakers will post a line like 2.5 and then you have to predict whether it will be a high-scoring game or not. In this case, over would mean the teams combined for three or more goals while under would mean they combined for two or less.
Spread Betting
The spread is a margin of victory MLS betting line, which is a different way to bet on soccer lines. Let’s take a look at this example:
Los Angeles -1.5 | Toronto +1.5
In this case, if you bet on Toronto, they can lose by a goal or win outright, and you’d win your bet. On the other hand, if you bet Los Angeles, they have to win by two or more for you to win.
How to Choose the Best MLS Betting Sites
Sign-Up Bonus
One of the best parts of opening a new sportsbook account is that you’ll earn a deposit bonus. Sportsbooks like Unibet NJ are always working hard to win new customers and they reward new players with different types of incentives. Those incentives aren’t only for your first deposit, though, as they’ll often have promos for different events and seasons, and might even give you a bonus when it’s time to reload your account.
Variety Of Lines
There is a difference in the variety of MLS (and soccer) lines posted at different sportsbooks, so take a look and see what’s available. If you’re looking for moneylines and totals, almost every sportsbook will have that. If you’re someone who is looking for live betting, player props and lots of futures (odds to win the MLS Cup, awards, regular season win totals), make sure you check around and see which book will cater to your needs.
Shop Around
The truth is that it’s best to have multiple sportsbook accounts. There’s no added cost to you as you can open as many accounts as you want at as many shops, but there are great benefits.
The reason you want to have multiple accounts is because different sportsbooks have different prices. If the Los Angeles Galaxy are favored one day, they might be one price at one sportsbook and a cheaper price at another. By betting the better line, you’ll earn more money for the win.
MLS Betting Site Reviews
Nowadays, there are many options for sports bettors in New Jersey, so which should you go with?
TopNJCasinos spends time every licensed sportsbook available, doing a thorough review. That includes trying out the betting product, testing the payouts and using the mobile apps. We do that because we’re players too, so when we recommend a safe, licensed book for you to use, its one that we actually would use as players too.
How to Bet on MLS Games
Before you start betting on MLS games, you’ll need to open an account with a licensed sportsbook in New Jersey. We’ve got a list of recommendations based on our extensive reviews, so choose from one of those. Once you’ve signed up and have made an initial deposit, now you have funds to play with.
Surf over to the soccer betting section of the sportsbook where you’ll find the MLS lines. Once you have the matchups in front of you, click on the side you want to bet, enter the amount and then confirm your bet. Once you’ve confirmed, you can review to double-check that everything looks right.
MLS Betting Tips
Team Form
One of the first things you’ll want to take note of is how a team is playing heading into the matchup. If the team has won a few games in a row, they’re playing with confidence and chemistry. That’s a side you want to back. If a team is going through a slump and the coach is calling out the players, that’s the type of team that’s better to bet against.
Rosters, Injuries & International Duties
It’s important to keep track who is in the starting lineup for the matchup. Sometimes players are rested to give young backups an opportunity, sometimes injuries are a factor and there are occasions where a player is off on international duty. Keep an eye on the rosters to see who is in the lineup.
Crunch The Numbers
You can dive into the numbers as deep as you’d like but start with the basic statistics: evaluate how a team performs at home versus on the road, their history against the team in this matchup and observe the against-the-spread stats. If you want to delve deeper, advanced stats like Expected Goals is useful to look at is it a measure of quality chances a team is creating.
What are the Best MLS Bets?
- Moneyline | This allows you to bet on the outright winner of the game.
- Draw | This bet allows you to predict a draw between the sides.
- Spread | This is sometimes referred to as the Asian Handicap. This allows you to bet a team against a spread such -0.5, -1 or -1.5.
- Over-Under | This is number set by the oddsmaker for the combined score of the two teams. You predict whether it will go over or under that number.
- Futures Bets | These are bets that are determined further down the road. That can include things like betting on which team will win a division, which team will win the conference and which will win the MLS Cup.
- Regular Season Win Total | This is a type of futures bet where you predict whether a team will go over or under with wins on a projected regular season win total.
- Player Props | These types of bets allow you to bet on the performance of different players. That might include goals scored, assists in a game or awards at the end of the year.
Where Can I Bet on MLS Legally?
If you’re looking to bet on MLS soccer in New Jersey, your best bet is to do it at one of the licensed sportsbooks in the state. Offshore sportsbooks are illegal in New Jersey.
If you’re looking for the right place to open an account and deposit, TopNJCasinos.com has a full list of books that we’ve reviewed and recommend. They’re safe brands that welcome you with a deposit bonus and have a wide assortment of MLS lines to bet on.
Author
A successful handicapper with more than a decade in the sports and gambling industry, Adam enjoys writing about (and playing) poker.
