Major League Baseball betting is set to return but the Korean Baseball Organization season has done its way to tide baseball fans over with great on-field action since May. This is the highest level of pro baseball in South Korea and fans in the US have become familiar with it in big league fashion.
ESPN inked a deal to provide broadcast coverage of the games six days a week, and you can find the Korean feed of the telecasts to stream on Twitch. Major online sportsbooks in the US are on board and offer multiple odds markets for KBO betting. Fans who have been starved for baseball DFS action will be pleased as well as all of the contest types you know and love are back in play.
KBO is a 10-team league that began play on May 5. We have all the bases covered for KBO betting. Let’s get to it.
As mentioned, online sportsbooks in several states have brushed up on KBO odds and will be taking action on every KBO game plus props and futures. Here are the top betting apps where you can get in on the game.
Use DraftKings Sportsbook online in: NJ, CO, PA, WV, IN, IA, TN, NH and IL
The DFS titan DraftKings is all in with sports betting as well. That has translated into a slick platform that’s easy to use and chock full of bells and whistles, excellent promotions and virtually everything else you would expect from DraftKings.
KBO markets on DraftKings include moneyline, run line, spreads, totals and futures.
Use FanDuel Sportsbook online in: NJ, CO, PA, WV, NV, IL, IA, TN and IN
FanDuel is now leaning on the same principles that drove it to the top of the DFS world while becoming a market leader in sports betting. A user-friendly platform and stellar customer service are among the hallmarks you have to look forward to.
KBO futures and game lines will be posted or updated daily.
Sportsbook apps literally put the sportsbook in your pocket. When it comes to live sports betting, where it pays to bet quickly as odds shift, apps are a must to stay on top of the action as it develops.
Getting started with betting on our recommended apps is super simple. Click through on our exclusive links to create an account, and then follow the steps on that page to download the app for your device once registration is complete.
From start to finish, you’re looking at just a couple of minutes of your time. Once complete, you’ll be able to bet on KBO online as well as on the go via your phone or tablet.
The legal sports betting environment across the US continues to develop. There are some states that have been up and running for nearly two years, others that are newer to the game, and some still working on legislation.
The rapid developments are thanks to a judgment by the Supreme Court of the United States from May 2018 that effectively put the legality question in the hands of the individual states.
Fast forward to today, and business is booming in legal and regulated sports betting markets. Here’s a look at the current list of states where you can legally and safely place your bets on KBO and other markets.
State | Online / Mobile | Retail |
---|---|---|
New Jersey Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Pennsylvania Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Colorado Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Indiana Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Iowa Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
West Virginia Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
New Hampshire Sports Betting | Yes | No |
Illinois Sports Betting | Yes | Yes |
Tennessee Sports Betting | Yes | No |
You’ll be able to place all of the standard baseball bets on KBO. Here’s a quick run-through.
A moneyline wager is a simple and straightforward bet in which you are simply choosing the winner of the contest. Favorites are designated with negative odds, while the odds are positive on the underdog side.
For this wager, you have to factor in the run line, which is generally set at 1.5 for baseball. To cover, the favorite must win by an amount greater than 1.5. The underdog can cover by keeping the margin under 1.5 or by winning the game outright.
You can also take your chances on the total number of runs scored in the game. Oddsmakers will set the bar, and bettors then decide if they think the total will go over or under that number.
There’s also a futures betting market for KBO odds revolving around the winner of the next league championship. Here’s what the odds board currently looks like for the league’s 10 teams at DraftKings.
Team | DraftKings SportsBook | FanDuel Sportsbook |
---|---|---|
NC Dinos | +175 | +175 |
Kiwoom Heroes | +360 | +320 |
Doosan Bears | +650 | +600 |
LG Twins | +650 | +700 |
KIA Tigers | +1000 | +1100 |
Lotte Giants | +1000 | +1300 |
KT Wiz Suwon | +1600 | +1700 |
Samsung Lions | +2200 | +2400 |
SK Wyverns | +3800 | +3700 |
Hanwha Eagles | +5500 | +5500 |
Overall, you’ll find that KBO is similar to MLB. However, there are some distinct differences that you need to be aware of. Here are the biggest points to keep in mind.
As the last points on the list indicate, KBO games have a festive atmosphere in which the entertainment quotient is high. It’s pretty tough to see that as anything but a positive.
The playoff structure for the KBO is unique. The first part of the equation is really clear cut: the team with the best record at the end of the regular season automatically advances to the Championship Series.
The next four teams in the standings also qualify for the postseason. The playoffs begin with a wild card round in which the fourth-place team squares off with the team that came in fifth.
It’s a best-of-three series, but the fourth seed enters with a 1-0 advantage. That means it only has to win one game to advance, while the fifth seed would need to win two in a row to make it to the next round.
The winner of that series moves on to face the third-place team in a best-of-five series. The victor from that pairing moves on to square off with the second-place team in another best-of-five series.
The team that wins moves on to face the first-place team for the title in a best-of-seven series.
One other note on the KBO playoffs: ties remain in effect for the postseason, but with another wrinkle. Games that remain tied after 15 innings of play are called and replayed in their entirety.
Signing up to play is quick. Click through on our exclusive links, enter a few details, complete the registration process, and you’ll be all set. Here are the links to claim our exclusive free play bonuses:
All of the popular DFS game types are being offered, including guaranteed prize pool tournaments, head-to-heads, DoubleUps, and 50/50s. Here’s what you need to know.
DraftKings and FanDuel typically offer a different spin on DFS games, and it’s no different with KBO. Here are the roster requirements for the two platforms.
As the two DFS titans do with MLB DFS, it’s a different approach for scoring on KBO DFS games.
Scoring Event | DraftKings SportsBook | FanDuel Sportsbook |
---|---|---|
Single | +3 | +3 |
Double | +5 | +6 |
Triple | +8 | +9 |
Home Run | +10 | +12 |
Run Batted In | +2 | +3.5 |
Run | +2 | +3.2 |
Base on Balls | +2 | +3 |
Hit By Pitch | +2 | +3 |
Stolen Base | +5 | +6 |
Inning Pitched | +2.25 | +3 |
Strikeout | +2 | +3 |
Win | +4 | +6 |
Earned Run Allowed | -2 | -3 |
Hit Against | -0.6 | 0 |
Base on Balls Against | -0.6 | 0 |
Hit Batsman | -0.6 | 0 |
Complete Game | +2.5 | 0 |
Complete Game Shutout | +2.5 | 0 |
No Hitter | 5 | 0 |
Out | 0 | +1 |
Quality Start | 0 | +4 |
The two platforms are pretty close overall on offensive points, but there are some minor differences to watch out for. As for pitching, FanDuel leans toward keeping it simple, while DraftKings takes a slightly more advanced approach.
The fact that people can bet and play DFS on KBO games is going to lead to a surge in interest, and there’s some icing on the cake to make it even better.
ESPN will be providing live broadcast coverage of the games. Here are the details on the early season schedule.
Replays of the games will also be shown during normal broadcast hours. As for streaming, KBO games can be found on Twitch.tv, but please note that feeds are in Korean.
Before diving right in and placing wagers on KBO, it’s a good idea to gain some familiarity with the teams in the league. We’ve got you covered on that front as well. Here’s a quick look at all 10 squads and what you need to know.
The defending champs and current favorites in the futures market, the Bears are led on offense by 2018 league MVP Jae-Hwan Kim.
The Eagles have been among the also-rans of KBO for some time, but the club is known for having a passionate fan base regardless.
Former NL Manager of the Year Matt Williams is now in charge of the Tigers, a team that its fans love and opponents are not fond of.
The Heroes are known for playing a relatively aggressive style. The franchise is still looking for its first league crown.
One of the newer teams in the KBO, having debuted in 2013, the KT Wiz has high hopes for 20-year-old outfielder Baek-ho Kang emerging as the face of the franchise.
The Twins share a stadium with Doosan, so there’s a natural rivalry there that’s even more intense in the wake of the Bears winning the title last season.
The Giants finished in last place in 2019, and the franchise hasn’t won a league crown since 1992. In other words, there’s nowhere to go but up.
The Dinos have only been around since 2013 as well, but the club has managed to make it to the playoffs in five of seven campaigns.
The Lions won four straight KBO titles from 2011 through 2014, but the club hasn’t been able to put it all back together since then.
It was a rough close to 2019 for the Wyverns, as the team held a seven-game lead for an automatic trip to the championship series entering the last month of play and managed to blow it.
The Doosan Bears are the defending champions of KBO, and the futures market points to the squad as the favorite to do it again. It’s been a few years since there was a back-to-back league champ, but the Bears were the last to turn the trick. Here’s a look at the last 10 winners of the KBO Championship.
The Kia Tigers hold the mark for all-time league titles with 11. Incredibly, the club is a perfect 11-0 when making it to the KBO Series. The Samsung Lions have the most all-time appearances at 18 with a record of 8-10.
MLB fans will find that a number of recognizable names are currently plying their trade in the KBO. Here are a few of the top American stars for this season.
The doors to the KBO don’t go in just one direction. A number of players have parlayed success in South Korea into MLB contracts. Here’s a look at a few of the more notable players on the list.
For more on “fringe” sports you can bet on at US online sportsbooks, check our full list here: