The Cleveland Guardians’ win over the Miami Marlins on June 9 — alongside the Kansas City Royals’ loss to the Seattle Mariners on the same day — increased their AL Central to four games.
At the time, the Guardians’ division-winner odds at BetMGM were -135, well ahead of the Royals (+250) and Minnesota Twins (+400). Over the next four weeks, the gap expanded to six games, Cleveland’s odds jumped to -225, and betting interest increased.
From June 9 through July 8, the Guardians handle share jumped more than 18 percentage points, from 27.2% to 45.8%. (Tickets increased from 24.8% to 27.2%).
After the surge in handle, interest has slowed despite Cleveland holding a lead of at least four games for nearly two straight months.
Since July 8, the Guardians odds have changed several times, though they returned to +225 the first week of August, still well ahead of the Twins (+220) and Royals (+850). The short odds and consistent lead haven’t changed much in the public’s eyes.
As of Monday, Cleveland’s handle share is 46.7%, while their ticket share has marginally decreased to 27.1%. The Detroit Tigers have the largest ticket share — as they’ve had for the entire season — at 34.7% and remain the sportsbook’s biggest liability.
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