MLB Public Betting & Money Percentages

MLB just ended its 99-day lockout to get things rolling towards the start of the new season. That's translated to a lot of money wagered on the sport now that online sports betting is legal in several states. The rise of many international stars has helped grow the game around the globe, as well as with thousands of immigrants that now live in the states.

Not every wager is the same amount, however, and MLB bettors who pay attention to The Action Network's public betting data can spot sharp bets.

How to Use Public Betting and Money Percentages in MLB Betting

We track betting data at a variety of sportsbooks, including "percentage of bets" and "percentage of money" on every MLB game and bet type.

• Percentage (%) of bets: The proportion of bets made on a side of a wager. For example, if we track 20,000 bets on the Braves-Astros game and 13,000 of them are on the Astros, that would be 65% of bets on the Astros.
• Percentage (%) of money: The proportion of money bet on a side of a wager. For example, if we track a total handle -- a betting term that means "amount wagered" -- of $6 million and $5 million is on the Braves, that would be 83% of the money on the Braves.

This is important information because not every bet is the same. Some bettors will place a wager of $5 while others might bet $5,000. The sharp and professional bettors are the ones that tend to bet more, but those bets still count as just a single bet.

Therefore, looking at the difference between the percentage of bets and percentage of money can help The Action Network users find the MLB sides that have "sharp money" -- in other words, those wagered on by pros. We also have expert MLB picks coverage.

Here's another example: Say the Tampa Bay Rays are getting 69% of the spread bets against the Texas Rangers, but 92% of the money bet on that game's spread is on the Rays. That would be a percentage difference of 23% on the Rays, highlighting that the bettors willing to wager a lot of money -- these are likely to be sharp and pro bettors -- are on Tampa Bay.

Of course, it's also important to look at the total number of bets placed on the market, which we also display on this page for The Action Network users. If there are just a few hundred bets, the resulting bet and money percentages might be skewed by the small sample size. In contrast, if that game has thousands and thousands of bets, you can trust that data more.