How Does MLS Betting Work?

Major League Soccer is the elite soccer division in the US. Formed after the successful Soccer World Cup in 1994, it finally gave the United States the quality competition that soccer deserved.

Since then, the country has competed in several major tournaments while MLS has gone from strength to strength. It’s an important part of our betting platform here at Unibet. If you want to know some more, please continue.

Just starting out with MLS betting? No problem - here are two questions to get the soccer ball rolling.

• What are MLS Odds and how do they work?
• What are the different MLS bets you can place online?

What are MLS betting odds and how do they work

Starting in order, let’s talk about those odds in the MLS. They are here to tell us two things:

• The probability of an event such as one team winning a game in the MLS.
• The payout you will receive if your bet wins

The following bet underlines what we’re talking about.

In the game between LA Galaxy and FC Dallas, there are three sets of soccer odds. In soccer we have three possible outcomes so you can bet on the draw, or a win for either team.

Galaxy have a minus sign in front of their odds. This tells us that they are the favorites. The other two options start with a +prefix. These are the underdogs.

That’s probability taken care of: According to this bet, LA Galaxy have a higher chance of winning this game.

Remember that odds also tell us how much we will be paid? The answer is right there in those figures. Here’s how it works.

• At -124, a bet of $124 returns $100 if LA Galaxy win
• At +265, winning bets of $100 pay $265 if the game is drawn
• At +325 bets of $100 pay out at $325 if FC Dallas win

You don’t have to stake those sums - they are just there for illustration.

Probability and payouts. That’s what odds are there for and that Galaxy v Dallas bet underlines both factors.

Public betting the MLS

Who decides who should be favorite? If you’d followed Major League Soccer in the lead up to this game then you’d be aware that Galaxy had started strongly. They were fourth in the Western Conference. They also have home advantage.

The betting public certainly know this and early support in the bets will come down in favor of Los Angeles. More bets go with Galaxy and the favorites, together with the underdogs, are established.

It’s then over to our odds setters to confirm the final numbers.

If you’ve ever heard of the phrase ‘betting with the public’ there it is in action.

What MLS Bets are Available?

This was the second question: What bets are available for MLS games?

#1: Moneylines in the MLS

You’ve already seen the match result. This is known as the full time bet and it may also be called a Moneyline. Here’s another example from the same MLS weekend:

In the game between New York City and Columbus Crew, NYCFC are the favorites. The draw comes next while the Crew are the underdog.

Full time bets are available for every MLS game. Away from the match result, there are lots of other options. In soccer games in the MLS you’ll mostly come across these 3 way moneylines but you can also bet on 2 way moneylines if you want.

#2: Total Goals bets in MLS Betting

Total goals bets appear in most sports. In soccer, it’s all about the goals and that’s what we’re focusing on here.

This bet is from the same game between New York City and Columbus Crew. the goal line defaults to 2.5 and we have options to go Over or Under.

A bet on Over 2.5 pays at -137 if there are three goals or more. If you take the Under 2.5 bet, it will pay at +102 if there are two goals or fewer.

You can change those Goal lines when you’re betting on MLS games on Unibet. That big green circle at the bottom of the image is a slider. Move it around and you can alter the bets.

Let’s say you’ve studied the teams and think this will be a high scoring game. In that scenario, it could be worth using the slider and setting the line at 3.5. Odds of +195 are now in play if there are four goals or more.

If there are three goals or fewer, winning bets pay at -278.

The slider gives you a little control to set your own preferences.

#3: Both Teams to Score bets in MLS Betting

The title makes this self explanatory. Will both teams score in this game or not? Here’s another example from MLS.

There’s no slider this time because there are just two options. In this game, a winning bet will pay at -132 if both teams find the net in 90 minutes. If either, or both, fail to score, the odds are +102.

Both Teams to Score may be abbreviated to BTTS. It’s a simple equation and it’s a popular bet.

#4: MLS Props

Prop is short for proposition. It’s a term that covers a huge set of bets. It often means an event within a game that doesn’t necessarily affect the final outcome.

Props are split into two categories. Team props and player props are listed below the main bets that we’ve shown above.

Team Props Might Include.

• Correct Score
• Team to Score in Both Halves - yes or no
• Team to Win to Nil - yes or no
• Winning Margin

The list of player props can include

• First Goal Scorer• Last Goal Scorer
• Player to Score in 90 Minutes
• Player to be Sent off

MLS Props are interesting because they can really test your analytical skills. The bigger the game, the more props are in place.

#5: Parlays in the MLS

Here we go with the jargon again! Don’t worry. This is also easy to explain.

A Parlay is simply a multiple bet. The minimum number of selections is two and you can take as many picks as you want. The thing to remember is that all of those picks must win. The more selections you make, the higher the chances of at least one of them letting you down.

When it comes to MLS betting parlays come in two forms. The first is a single-game parlay where the bets come from within one match.

Here’s what we mean:

This is a regular season MLS game between DC United and New York City FC. We’re betting on the draw, Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score.

As your betslip opens, the odds are calculated. When you type in a stake, the potential payout shows. Does it look good? OK, just click on the yellow button to place the bet.

The second type of Parlay is placed across two or more games. Here’s a 3-leg MLS parlay from the same game week.

In our three games, we’re looking for New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo all to win. Once again, the odds are shown and the potential payout reflects our chosen stake.

Nothing happens until you press the big yellow button. This gives you time to assess your selections and make sure you’re happy. If it’s all good, click away.

#6: MLS Futures Betting

It’s time to look ahead. A Futures bet is a long term option that plays out across a season. There are many examples in soccer and you can bet on futures in MLS.

Here’s one example:

This is a futures bet on the MLS Top Goalscorer for 2022. At the time this image was taken, the season was around 10 games old. The leading scorers at that point were at the top of the bet.

If you were to click on the Show More button, other players will be revealed.

That’s just one example of a Futures bet. Other possibilities for Major League Soccer might include:

• MLS Cup Winners • Conference Winners
• Best Performing Team in Texas
•Best in Canada
• Best in California

When you land on the MLS page, there is a Futures tab. Click on this and you’ll find out what’s available.

MLS Betting tips and strategies

We’ve given you a rundown of the different bets in the MLS but we don’t want to leave you hanging. Before you go out into the world, here are some tips that might help you along the way.

#Tip 1: Consider the Public Standpoint

The public have told you who the favorites are. Do you believe them? Have they lost the plot? Remember that probability is involved here: The wider betting public perceive that one team is stronger than their opponents. Based on that elementary knowledge, the favorite and the underdog are established.

When it comes to MLS betting keep in mind that favorites will tend to win more regularly. Underdogs will have a more moderate level of success. You could just blindly bet with the public. Some of our customers will adopt this strategy by why not look a little deeper.

#Tip 2: The Value of Research

Serious bettors give their time to research. Whether you’re betting on the match result, total goals or anything else, we suggest you follow their example.

Betting on the full time result requires study into:

• Form
• Head-to-Head Results between the two teams
• The value of home advantage
• Injuries and suspensions.

For Total Goals and Both Teams to Score betting we suggest you look at :

• Goals tallies (for and against) over the previous six games.
• Head to Head goals totals. Has this been a high scoring fixture in the past?

For Goal Scorer betting you can consider:

• Player’s current form.
• Scoring record against these opponents

For every type of bet, there is a ton of research you can do. Unibet provide some stats and there are other sources of information. When you know where to look, the task shouldn’t take up too much time.

#Tip 3: Choose your Bets Wisely in the MLS

Does that sound a bit too obvious? Ok, what we mean is that you should think carefully about what type of bets interest you. The best starting point for any of our customers is dropping a bet on some MLS moneylines.

Calling the results may not be easy but the question is simple. Will either team win or will there be a draw?

With experience, you can start to look at other bets. Total Goals and Both Teams to Score are also simple to understand. The same applies to props. They just require a little more analysis in different areas.

Now we come onto parlays. Parlay betting in the MLS can enhance the odds as we saw from those two examples. That makes things more interesting but remember the balance. If one or more selections lose, the whole bet fails.

Parlays have higher odds but they carry greater exposure. Please don’t forget that when you get involved.

#Tip 4: Keep an eye out for those MLS betting promos!

In a competitive industry, we know that our customers demand competitive prices. We are crazy about our odds and are happy that they are strong across the board. If you want a little more value, don’t forget to check out our offers and promotions.

Unibet quote a welcome package and there are ongoing deals to consider too. Remember to opt in and keep checking back to the site. You don’t want to miss them.