The Royals haven't found much luck since back-to-back AL Pennants from 2014-15 produced their second World Series title in 2015. Kansas City hasn’t had a winning record in the six seasons and hasn’t returned to the playoffs since either, including 2021.

Salvador Perez helped keep them in the spotlight in 2021 with his league-high tying 48 home runs, but other than that, the Royals have a lot of work to do to get back to where they were just a few short seasons ago.

See all of the Royals' odds, their win total, championship odds, and much more.

Betting on the Kansas City Royals

Royals Spread (Run Lines)

When betting on baseball, you’ll be faced with three standard options: the moneyline, over/under and a run line.

The run line is a bet on the margin of victory, like a point spread. But because baseball is low scoring, the spread will almost always be -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. The payouts for each will just be adjusted based on each team’s strength.

Here’s a brief example of a run line for a hypothetical Royals game:

Chicago Cubs (+1.5)
Kansas City Royals (-1.5)

The Royals are favored by 1.5 runs against the Cubs; the minus sign (-) indicates Kansas City is the favorite, while a plus sign (+) is used to denote the underdog. Bettors who wanted to back Kansas City here would be “laying” those 1.5 runs, meaning for their bets to cash the Royals would need to win by two runs or more. Bettors who selected the Cubs +1.5 would win if Chicago won outright or kept a loss to 1 run.

The Royals were 81-81 on run lines in 2021, covering 50 percent of the time – putting them right in the middle of the pack in the league.

Royals Moneylines

Many first-time bettors are wary of run-line bets, especially when riding with the hometown team. In that case, moneyline wagers are often seen as the safer way to go. A moneyline bet is a bet on who wins the game -- no run line involved.

Let’s use the same example from before to understand the moneyline better:

Chicago Cubs +150
Kansas City Royals -180

Just as with run lines, the minus sign (-) signifies a team is favored, while the plus sign (+) means a team is the underdog. The moneyline odds, written in American odds format here, indicate how big or small a favorite that team is, written in increments of $100. For example, to win $100 on the Royals, a bettor would need to risk $180. On the flip side, a $100 bet on the Cubs would net $150 if they pulled the upset.

The Royals went 74-88 in 2021, putting them in fourth place in the AL Central and the bottom 10 of the league record-wise.

Odds can differ from sportsbook to sportsbook, so always make sure you shop for the best line with The Action Network app.

Royals Over/Unders

Betting on a team to win or cover a run line isn’t the only type of wager allowed on MLB games. Almost all sportsbooks will offer a total on the game, also known as an over/under. This bet is not on the winner of the contest but on the number of runs the two teams will combine to score; sportsbooks hang a number, and bettors can wager either over or under that total.

If the number for our hypothetical Royals-Cubs matchup were 8 runs, over bettors would require 9 points or more to cash their tickets, while those who bet the under would need 7 or fewer runs. If the two teams scored exactly 8 runs between them, that bet would push and all wagers would be refunded.

Royals totals in 2021 were in the bottom 5 in the league when betting the over, hitting at a 68-82-12 clip.

Royals Props

Some bettors find more entertainment and success betting on more specific outcomes than the game's result. Prop bets cover a wide market of wagers on player stats, discrete in-game events, and any yes/no question style. Many props are bets on specific players and their performance, such as betting Salvador Perez over 1.5 hits on a given night or betting that Brad Keller will strike out over 9.5 batters. Some props can be shorter term, such as betting on the number of runs scored in the first five innings or who will hit a home run. Offerings vary depending on the sportsbook, so use our sportsbook reviews to find the best bet for you.

Royals Futures

Expectations are low in Kansas City, so bettors will have to shop for the best line to get good odds on Royals' futures bets. Futures are bets that focus on long-term outcomes, like the Royals winning the AL Central, win the American League Pennant, win the World Series, or even individual awards like winning league MVP.

How to Bet on the Kansas City Royals

Sports betting is not currently legal in Missouri and won't be for the foreseeable future. Lawmakers introduced bills in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but none of them gained enough traction to eventually become law. Expect to see continued efforts there, however, because Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022. Stay up to date on the state's sports betting news and legalization status by reading our Missouri sports betting page.

You can't technically bet on the Royals just yet in Kansas, but you will be able to soon. Legal Kansas sports betting is expected to go live by Jan. 1, 2023. Once that launch date arrives, sportsbooks will go online and you'll be to place wagers on the Royals.

Check out our Kansas sports betting page to stay updated on the legalization status in the state and the official date you can start betting.

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