Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is nearly upon us and with it comes a fresh new slate of wagering options and promotional deals for NJ online sports betting. After all, nothing says spring is here quite like sunshine, baseball, birds chirping, prop bets, and CRUSHING a five-leg parlay. Personally, I always enjoy a good “no” wager on the will there be any runs scored in the first inning? prop bet. Yeah, the odds are typically terrible, and yeah, the first inning is one of baseball’s traditionally highest scoring innings, but so what?

It’s like a delightful little slice of heaven in springtime.

Best Opening day betting bets in New Jersey?

DraftKings Sportsbook: Get your first bet matched up to $500 (Harper +360 Opening Day home runs odds boost and +2250 to hit 2)

PointsBet NJ: Get a $50 free bet and up to $1,000 in risk-free bets with code BROADLINES (best Harper Opening Day home run odds boost +400)

FanDuel Sportsbook: Get a $500 risk free bet (best over-under total for over on Harper home runs– 33.5)

Anyway, if you’re looking to celebrate baseball’s return with a few wagers, let’s take a look around the market for the best Opening Day odds, props, and promos. Oh, and if you’re looking to make bets specifically on Bryce Harper, then don’t miss our complete rundown of Bryce Harper betting odds being offered over at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Opening Day odds NJ

The Phillies open the Bryce Harper era against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon and DraftKings Sportsbook has made them a strong favorite over the defending NL East champs:

Phillies -195 

Braves +165

The Phils actually opened at -175, so this line has made a significant jump in Philadelphia’s favor over the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, over at PointsBet NJ, the Phillies are an even stronger favorite:

Phillies -200

Braves +171

The first of two other games that may be of interest to New Jersey bettors is the Orioles vs. Yankees. Those wanting to bet on the Yankees will have to pay dearly. Here’s the deal at DraftKings:

Yankees -360

Orioles +295

And at PointsBet:

Yankees -400

Orioles  +310

Those are strong, strong New York numbers. Even the run line is a heavy buy at -191.

The other game is between the Mets and Nationals. This one features more reasonable odds. At DraftKings:

Nationals -136

Mets +117

While over at PointsBet, you can grab the Mets with a slightly less favorable payout:

Nationals -136

Mets +115

Promos and props

If you plan on making any MLB moneyline wagers, be sure to take advantage of PointsBet’s Let It Fly promotion. They will give bettors making a minimum $50 wager an additional $10 bonus for every homer their team hits which is a pretty fun and potentially lucrative bonus.

pointsbet home run bonus

PointsBet also has plenty of individual player prop and head-to-head specials worth checking out, including these Harper offers:

bryce harper pointsbet

Meanwhile, DraftKings is offering what they call MLB 9th Inning Insurance. My advice? Take the deal and don’t let bad bullpens bite you in the ass. Opt-in and place a pre-game single money line bet on any MLB game between Thursday and Monday and if your team is leading into the 9th but then loses the game, DraftKings will refund your bet as a free bet up to $50.

draftkings baseball

Odds boosts

If you’re looking to get involved in the MLB futures market, be sure to check out PointsBet’s MLB Opening Day Booster Odds to get improved payouts on World Series winners. For example, take the Phils from +1500 to +1700 or the Mets from +2500 to +2700.

pointsbet mlb odds boost

Phillies betting thoughts

I’m not overly enthusiastic about laying -195 to -200 odds with any team on Opening Day, particularly when it’s against a talented defending division champion. Still, I can’t blame those wanting to roll with the new-look Phillies in Bryce Harper’s debut. Citizens Bank Park should be packed with an electric capacity crowd – and new food – as it welcomes to Philadelphia Harper, catcher J.T. Realmuto, shortstop Jean Segura, and left fielder Andrew McCutchen.

As for Harper, he just so happens to own Braves starter Julio Teheran. The slugger is 18 for 40 with nine homers, three doubles, 11 walks, and a career 1.702 OPS against Teheran. Meanwhile, Phillies ace Aaron Nola was 2-2 with a 2.30 ERA over five starts against Atlanta last season while averaging just over six innings per start and limiting Braves hitters to a modest .185 batting average. Ultimately, I don’t see much value in laying such a big number, so if you want to play the Phillies here, I recommend taking them on the run line at a +105 payout.

 

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