The Houston Astros head into the postseason as the consensus favorites to win the World Series.
The Astros are around +200 to win the World Series at sportsbooks around the nation. The Los Angeles Dodgers are not far behind at +250, followed by the New York Yankees at +400.
Caesars Sportsbook has the Dodgers as the favorites, and at DraftKings sportsbooks, the majority of which are located on the East Coast, more money has bet on Yankees to win the World Series than has been bet on any other team.
The biggest reported bets at William Hill sportsbooks, though, are on the Astros. William Hill reported taking a $30,000 on the Astros +650 on April 21, and a $25,000 bet on Houston on May 13.
Even with the big bets on the Astros, multiple sportsbooks said Houston remains one of their best-case scenarios.
“The Dodgers and Astros are actually are best scenarios,” Tony DiTommaso, risk manager for Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology, told ESPN. “I’ll take it.”
The Astros and Dodgers met in the 2017 World Series, with Houston prevailing in a thrilling seven-game series.
“We would like the Astros to win it,” MGM sportsbook director Jeff Stoneback said. “We’re in a good position on them, and really, we should be OK as long as the Brewers or Twins don’t make it in there.”
At the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Atlanta Braves are (+1000), St. Louis Cardinals (+1200) and Twins (+1200) are next. The Nationals are +1600, followed by the Oakland A’s (+2500), Brewers (+3000) and Tampa Bay Rays (+3000).
The wild-card games begin Tuesday, with the Nationals hosting the Brewers in the National League. The A’s host the Rays on Wednesday in the American League wild-card game.