We’re in the home stretch of the 2021 College World Series, and you can bet on the action at every online sportsbook in Illinois. But beware: Options are scarce.
Illinois’ six online books offer individual game odds, but there are no futures prices or props available. People can bet on the run line, moneyline, and over/under, but that’s it.
There also aren’t currently aren’t any College World Series promos at IL sportsbooks. Either operators don’t feel comfortable enough with the sport to offer more lines, or they don’t anticipate much interest from the betting public. It could be a combination of both.
At any rate, Vanderbilt, NC State, Mississippi State, and Texas are the four teams left standing. The Commodores are facing the Wolfpack in the semifinals, while the Bulldogs will take on the Longhorns.
The best-of-three final series begins on Monday. Depending on how Friday’s games go, there might be Saturday matchups as well.
If Mississippi State and/or NC State win on Friday, they advance to the final series. If they lose, they will play Saturday. That’s because Vanderbilt and Texas have each already lost a game.
Below we have Friday odds, game times, and an overall look at baseball betting in Illinois.
2021 College World Series odds
Vanderbilt faces NC State at 1 p.m. CT, while Texas faces Mississippi State at 6 p.m. CT.
Note that these were the moneyline odds as of Friday morning, and are not reflective of live odds. Also, BetRivers and Barstool have the same odds as DraftKings, as all use Kambi as the oddsmaker.
Vanderbilt vs. NC State
- DraftKings: Vanderbilt -190, NC State +155
- FanDuel: Vanderbilt -200, NC State +160
- PointsBet: Vanderbilt -195, NC State +144
Even though the Commodores are on the brink of elimination, they are heavy favorites on Friday.
Why? A main reason is that Kumar Rocker, a likely top 10 MLB Draft pick, is getting the start. Rocker has 162 strikeouts in 111.2 innings this year.
Texas vs. Mississippi State
- DraftKings: Texas -134, Mississippi State +110
- PointsBet: Texas -140, Mississippi State +105
FanDuel does not currently have lines for the nightcap.
So yes, the Friday favorites are the teams on the verge of elimination. That’s one reason why it might be hard to have futures odds right now.
As it stands, one would have to think that Vanderbilt is considered the favorite to win it all in Omaha.
How popular is baseball betting in Illinois?
Baseball betting appears to be in vogue for Illinoisans. They bet $121 million on America’s pastime in April.
That’s part of the reason why IL registered a respectable $537.2 million in handle for the month, making it the No. 2 sports betting state in the US. With the Cubs and White Sox both having good seasons, Illinois may be better equipped to handle the “off” sports betting months than some other states.
Of course, we still don’t have May data yet. That should tell us more about Illinois’ wagering behavior. But the early returns suggest that bettors in the Land of Lincoln love their baseball.
It will also be interesting to see how June numbers shake out, as perhaps College World Series betting can juice the baseball wagering numbers even further.
Then again, as we’ve mentioned, options are limited at IL sportsbooks. So perhaps not.
Can you bet on other baseball leagues in Illinois?
Yes, though not many books offer markets on leagues besides the MLB and NCAA.
In some states, such as Michigan, minor league betting will soon be available.
That is not the case in Illinois, however. Most of the operators only offer lines on MLB and NCAA, though FanDuel and PointsBet have odds for Japanese baseball (known as Nippon Professional Baseball) and the KBO League.
