Trader: Bigger Sportsbooks Not Concerned About Large Blue Jays Liability

• The Los Angeles Dodgers are -154 favorites at BetMGM for Game 1 of the World Series; the Toronto Blue Jays are +130
• Bo Bichette is back in the lineup for the Blue Jays
• Blake Snell to start Game 1 for the Dodgers, Trey Yesavage for the Blue Jays

Ontario sportsbooks are about to step onto new terrain, with Game 1 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers set for Friday night at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

The Blue Jays haven’t been in a World Series since the Joe Carter home run to win it in 1993.

Sales for the game were 5X compared to the 2025 regular season opener. 

The Blue Jays opened the season at +6100 to win the World Series compared to the Dodgers at +500. After beating the Mariners, the Jays’ odds to win the World Series dropped to +275, and the Dodgers to +145.

888 Sport Announces Payout for Jays Bettors

There’s been a lot of chatter about a massive Jays liability at Ontario sportsbooks since Canadians bet big time on their home pro sports teams. Mixed in there is a lot of us-versus-them Canadian patriotism.

When I put a $40 bet down on the Jays to win the World Series in July, with a payout at that time of $1,400, I didn’t think of taking a cashout.

When you place a bet at most sportsbooks, the cashout option is right there on the betting slip, available if you want it. I took it in September, before the playoffs started, after Blue Jays’ star shortstop Bo Bichette got hurt, and cashed in for around $150.

Trader: Cashout Not a Hedge to Liabilities

At 888 Sport today, if you bet the Blue Jays to win the World Series before the first game of the regular season, they will pay you out as if the Jays won the Series. This is purely a PR benefit – a goodwill gesture by 888 Sport.  Many Jays fans placed wagers at odds as high as +6700 on the Jays winning the World Series for the first time in three decades.

“Blue Jays fans are some of the most passionate in sports, and we wanted to celebrate that unwavering belief,” said Billy Cook, head of sports for 888. “Paying out these bets early is our way of tipping our cap to the fans who supported their team from day one. Win or lose, that kind of loyalty deserves recognition.”

But the cashout option?

“As a bookmaker, I wouldn’t be keen on pushing that info as a hedge to liabilities,” said Phill Gray. “[The] Jays right now are +180 to win the World Series (35.7% probability). So I’m fine to ride that, confident we’re on the right side of the line. Some books will ‘lay off’ large amounts at other shops if they can, if they’re really nervous at the amount, and [the] probable chance they could lose large …. if the odds were reversed and Jays were -215 (69% prob) I’d be pretty nervous.”

Dodgers Betting Favorites for Game 1

As Gray explained, back in the day, if offshore books were really nervous about particular events and the potential for a big loss, they would have an account at big no-limit books like Pinnacle, for example, where they could go bet the other side.

Gray said, however, that books are so large now they are content to ride large liabilities with a “we’ll always win in the end” approach given the vig is always attached to every bet, and the big wins outweigh the big losses.

How does betting look for Game 1?

To say Bichette is a boost to the Jays’ offense would be a massive understatement (.311 batting average, 18 HRs, 94 RBIs, .840% OPS). As TV commentator Buck Martinez told Sportsnet: “He’s such a special hitter. He’s one of the best hitters I have ever seen at hitting the best pitchers.”

If the Jays DH Bichette, that means George Springer, also banged up after taking a fastball off his knee in the ALCS series, has to play outfield.

“80% of Bo Bichette is pretty good,” Martinez said. “He’s one of the best hitters in baseball. If you can get him on this roster where he will play every day, not as a pinch hitter [that would be the ideal].”

Betting Lines

At BetMGM, the Dodgers are -220 to win it all while the Blue Jays the +180 underdogs. Oddsmakers there are reporting that the majority of bets placed at BetMGM have been on the Jays to win.

For Game 1, the Dodgers are -154 on the moneyline while the Jays are +130, with the spread. The O/U is 7.5 (-115 on the Over, -105 on the Under).

According to a spokesperson from PENN Entertainment, at theScore BET, 80.6% of handle has been placed the Jays being the World Series winner since the matchup was confirmed on Monday night. For Game 1, in Ontario only, 84.6% of bets and 82.3% of handle are on the Blue Jays moneyline.

In the US, at PENN’s ESPN BET, 61.2% of series winner bets and 90.1% of series winner handle placed since the matchup was confirmed are on the Dodgers, and for Game 1.

“After their Game 7 victory to reach the World Series, the Blue Jays are the most bet team in each state to win it all. However, the Dodgers have garnered enough action, including following their free agency moves before the season began and during the season, that the Blue Jays are still the ideal result for BetMGM in the Fall Classic,” said Matthew Rasp, senior trader, BetMGM.

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