MLS Betting in Pennsylvania: How to Bet on Soccer
Soccer, or football as it's known in other countries, is one of the world's most popular and beloved sports. Its origins date back over 2,000 years ago. There are many leagues and federations for teams to compete within to prove their talent globally.
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Major League Soccer (MLS) has been around since 1996. It showcases the highest level of men's soccer in the United States and Canada. Twenty-six teams are sanctioned to play in the league under the United States Soccer Federation. Due to soccer's sheer popularity and global interest, online sportsbooks pay particular attention to hosting betting markets to cover matches.
In 2019 the state of Pennsylvania's betting regulations changed. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gained a license for online sports betting, which allowed PA residents and visitors to wager on worldwide sporting events. PA is home to many major league sports teams, including the soccer team Philadelphia Union. Many of the online sportsbooks now available in Pennsylvania cover online betting for PA teams.
Before you get stuck in placing a bet on soccer, you must understand the types of bets you can place and the markets you can wager on. By having a full understanding, you will increase your potential to win ten folds.
Read on to find out more about betting on soccer in the state of Pennsylvania.
The Best MLS Betting Sites in Pennsylvania
Moving quickly to fill the market, SugarHouse sportsbook was the first online sports betting option for PA residents. It was closely followed by DraftKings, who was up and running in time for the NFL's 2019 season. New online sportsbooks are being developed to cater to the PA market. The latest is Caesars Online Sportsbook, which launched in March 2020.
FOX Bet
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Below we have compiled a list of the top three rated Sportsbooks for PA and detailed why they are considered the best.
- DraftKings Sportsbook - Offers a sign-up bonus of up to $1,025. $25 is free with a no deposit requirement.
- FOXBET - Welcomes its new members with a $1,000 deposit bonus. The sportsbook is available through Android and IOS.
- FanDual Sportsbook PA - Offers a $500 risk-free bet. Players can receive up to this amount in a refund if you lose your first bet. FanDuel is also available as an app.
Latest MLS Odds
The odds for the MLS 2020 Cup currently sit in favor of Los Angeles FC at +340 to bring home the title. They are yet to win since entering the MLS in 2018 but proudly defeated their rivals to gain the Supports’ Shield last year.
Toronto FC then follows behind with +750 and New York City FC not far off at +850. The Seattle Sounders and PAs Philadelphia Union have some catching up to do sitting at +1100 and +1500.
Types of MLS Bets
There is a myriad of betting options for people to get involved with. Nowadays, they are much more sophisticated than choosing the winning team. Many options are now available for you to predict and wager against. Below are eight of the most common MLS bets you will find at online sportsbooks.
Point Spread Betting
A point spread bet means to bet on a team to win or lose. However, with this type of wager, you also must predict by how many goals. For example, you could wager Philadelphia Union will win by 2 goals.
Asian Handicap
An Asian Handicap refers to the handicapping of teams depending on their form. It is a form of spread betting, and for a punter to win, a stronger team, for example, must win by more goals to win the bet. The Asian handicap eliminates the possibility of a draw, leaving you with a 50% chance of winning either way.
The Money Line
A money line bet is the most straightforward form of bet you can place. Betting on the money line is simply choosing the winner. When placing a money line bet it's best to consider the odds to determine who is favorable and who is an underdog. Many people play money line bets on their favorite team to win out of loyalty and support.
Draw-no-bet
A draw-no-bet is a safe option. It eliminates the option for a draw and allows your stake to be returned if a draw outcome is reached.
Parlay Bet
A parlay bet is when you combine multiple bets across different games of the same category on one betting card/slip. You will be able to place a parlay on between 2- 10 bets usually. The more wagers you place, the worse the odds, but the higher the payouts.
Teasers
A teaser bet is similar to a parley. Placing a teaser bet allows you to bet on straight bets such as point spreads or totals and then 'tease' the lines in your favor depending on the points. Again as with the parley, the more teaser bets you combine, the more your odds will reduce.
MLS Future Bets
Future bets allow you to place wagers on events happening in the future. For example, you can study the MLS odds for the Cup and place a future bet on who the winner will be. The odds at the time of placing the bet stand not when the event gets closer or is underway. Many online sportsbooks offer editing options or swaps so that you can (at a price) change your wager if the odds change.
Proposition Bets
A proposition bet (props) is a wager on any occurrence or lack thereof during a match. The occurrences mainly have nothing to do with the final outcome of the game. There are three types of props bets long term, short term, or player specific. A long term props bet you could make, for example, is how many corners a team kicks in a game. A short term props bet could be how long the national anthem plays.
Most Popular MLS Bets in Pennsylvania
As previously mentioned, Pennsylvania is home to many major sports teams; there are 7 in total. Due to this, PA sportsbooks have ensured that they include a diverse selection of bets to appeal to everyone's wagering preferences and budgets.
The most popular bets in PA include:
- Money Line
- Point spread
- Totals (over/under) - a bet to predict if the total number of points scored is over or under the line predicted by sportsbooks. Over = a higher amount. Under = a lower amount.
- Parlay
- Props
- Futures
Basic MLS Betting Tips
The first and foremost crucial aspect of MLS betting is to understand the money line. Soccer is different from many other sports as a draw outcome is possible, decreasing your chances at a straight win or lose success.
Once you know what you are looking for on a sportsbooks pay line, it's easy to understand the risk vs. reward. For example, to win $100 when a team's money line sits at -110 means that you need to wager $110, making you $10 out of pocket. Therefore you need to be above the pay line to get a return. On the other hand, a +210 pay line means that for a successful $100 wager, you would win $210.
There are two prime times you should place your MLS bets. Typically odds are released one week before standard matches. Giving you enough time to research injuries and the team form so far. The basis for odds involves public favorites. Therefore, the first window of opportunity is as soon as the lines open before the odds are adjusted depending on public opinion.
The second window is one hour before the match kicks off when clubs post the teams starting lineups and formations to the public. Odds are often boosted when sportsbooks take into consideration who is playing. They will also open up more player specific props.
Live MLS Betting - Where to bet Live on MLS
In-play live betting options at online sportsbooks are limited for PA residents.
DraftKings Sportsbook is by far the most comprehensive option for sports betting in PA. It offers punters live betting with a variety of unique ways to bet. The site boasts real-time speed, so you are never behind on the action.
FanDuel and FOXBET also offer live betting options for the PA crowd, but much work is needed to improve both sportsbooks' live lobbies. For example, FanDuel is less popular due to its expensive betting lines.
It seems that the PA live betting market is just opening up. Many major online gambling platforms are wanting to take advantage of this new audience. William Hill is rumored to be making movements into the state.
For those of you that want a better quality experience than what you can get in PA. A hop, skip, and a jump is required over state lines. 888sports is legal for residents and visitors to Delaware and offers members a superior experience in its in-play live sports lobby.
Player Props
Props bets are becoming more and more popular. As previously mentioned, there are a variety of props bets for punters to partake in, and the markets keep growing. Many sportsbooks independently choose their own to offer. They can include absolutely anything to do with the game. Some are more serious than others and can become available to wager on during live play.
Goalscorer markets
The goalscorer market refers to betting on which player will score. You can also take this further by deciding how many goals they will score and the time that they will achieve it in.
Player to get booked
Another popular props bet is wagering on players to get booked. Again you can take the simple choice of who further by adding in what half it will happen in.
Player to get assist
You can also wager on specific players to assist goals. How many assists they will get in total and if they will assist in the first or second half.
History of MLS in Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Union soccer team is based in Chester, Pennsylvania. It is the state's only soccer team competing in MLS. The team plays under the leagues Eastern Conference and began their MLS journey in 2010 as an expansion club.
In 2019 the team came 3rd in the conference and 5th in the overall reaching the semifinals.
