Chicago Cubs Odds
The 2024 season has been up-and-down so far, but Iowa bets on the Chicago Cubs can still help the summer days go by. Iowa has a generous base of Cubs fans who spent past seasons watching the team on WGN in the early days of cable. Plus, Iowans have cheered on many players from AAA Iowa Cubs who moved on to the “show.”
Regardless of the expectations for the MLB team this year, betting on Cubs remains popular. PlayIA is your one-stop guide to MLB betting. Opportunities include player and team futures, first five betting and totals wagers on individual games.
From the latest World Series odds for the Cubs and more, here’s your guide to betting on the Chicago Cubs at Iowa sportsbooks.
Chicago Cubs odds: Moneyline, run line, totals
The Cubbies (40-57) have won six straight. That likely won’t spare them from being sellers at the trade deadline but a good start to the second half never hurts.
As for Cubs bets, check our odds tool below for the latest spread, moneyline and totals at multiple sportsbooks in Iowa. Click on any odds to go directly to the online sportsbook and place your bet.
Today’s Cubs run line
More Cubs betting options
Cubs NL Central odds
Chicago baseball betting news
How to bet on the Cubs in Iowa
Sports betting is legal in-person at casinos in Iowa and online using on a legal, regulated sportsbook app or website.
As long as you are at least 21 years or older, not on any self-exclusion lists and within the state’s borders when you place your wager, you’re good to go. The process of betting online consists of the following steps:
- Download the App(s): While you’re welcome to use a desktop or laptop computer, mobile applications are the ultimate accessibility. Simply visit one our links to download the app to the legal sportsbook of your choice. You might have to download some geolocation software for compliance, too.
- Register a New Account: This process can take a couple of minutes and requires you to provide some identifying information. By providing the last four digits of your Social Security number, etc., the sportsbook can verify your eligibility for legal compliance.
- Claim bonus bets or Bonus: If you’re going to bet on the Cubs anyway, why not do it with some free money? IA online sportsbooks typically reserve their best promotions for new customers. These usually come in the forms of site credit, deposit matches, guarantees against lost bets and odds boosts.
- Deposit Funds: Although some welcome bonuses aren’t tied to making a deposit, you will eventually need to deposit money into your sportsbook account in order to wager. You can use a wide array of payment options; however, Iowa law doesn’t allow you to use a credit card to deposit funds into a sports betting account.
- Bet: Now it’s time to have your say on whether the Cubs are gonna win today. Navigate the sports betting app to the baseball section, find “MLB” and browse to your heart’s content.
Best Cubs sports betting app
Iowa is home to multiple sports betting licensees with mobile apps. However, among the top echelon as far as baseball betting goes is PointsBet in Iowa. PointsBet has everything a baseball betting fan could want. The shortlist of desirable attributes includes:
- Accessible customer service.
- Competitive odds.
- Fast processing for live betting.
- Frequent promotions.
- Lucrative welcome bonuses.
- Several deposit/withdrawal options.
- User-friendly interface.
- Wide menu of markets.
Cubs betting lines explained
For most individual games, the standard pregame markets include three types of wagers. Those are the moneyline, run line and run totals. Here’s an example from one of the Iowa sportsbooks:
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +1.5 +210 | O 5.5 -110 | +155 |
| Chicago Cubs | -1.5 -175 | U 5.5 -110 | -182 |
In this example, the run line is the first market. That’s a wager on the margin of victory for, in this case, the Cubs.
The second market is the run total, which is the combined number of runs between both teams. This market asks you to pick either fewer or more than five runs in the game.
Finally, the moneyline is a bet on which team will win the game. In this instance, the Cubs are the favorite.
Those are the most popular types of pregame wagers you can make, but don’t forget about others like first five betting as well as many different player and team props you can make before the first pitch.
Chicago Cubs futures bets
After the World Series each year, futures betting for the next MLB season begins. As the off-season closes, the number of individual player and team futures markets grows. Those markets stay available throughout the regular season, although the odds can greatly fluctuate once games begin.
As far as Cubs team futures, here are some examples:
- Whether the Cubs will make the playoffs.
- How many regular-season games the Cubs will win.
- Whether the Cubs will win the NL pennant or the World Series
Futures markets for individual players for the 2022 season are available as well, including Patrick Wisdom’s total home runs or hits for the season. Iowa now allows award voting like NL Manager of the Year odds for David Ross, but the current season won’t produce a win there.
The most important thing to do with team or player futures is shop around. Bettors in Iowa have access to many licensed sportsbook operators.
Cubs live betting
One of the primary reasons to use a sports betting app in Iowa is in-game or live betting for Cubs games. Using a sports betting app will let you follow the game and the odds in real-time. Then, you can quickly pounce on lines you like the second you see them.
Examples of in-game markets you will find for Cubs games include:
- The result of the next pitch.
- Whether the Cubs will score a run in the current half-inning.
- How many walks plus hits will a player collect during a game.
Cubs stats leaders
Here are the Chicago Cubs stats leaders for the last five seasons (non-qualifiers excluded):
| Year | Batting Average | Home Runs | Runs Batted In | Wins | Earned Run Average | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cody Bellinger, .307 | Cody Bellinger & Christopher Morel, 26 | Cody Bellinger, 97 | Justin Steele, 16 | Albert Alzolay, 2.67 | Justin Steele, 176 |
| 2022 | Nico Hoerner, .281 | Patrick Wisdom, 25 | Ian Happ, 72 | Keegan Thompson, 10 | Adrian Sampson, 3.11 | Justin Steele, 126 |
| 2021 | Rafael Ortega, .291 | Patrick Wisdom, 28 | Ian Happ, 66 | Kyle Hendricks, 14 | Keegan Thompson, 3.38 | Kyle Hendricks, 131 |
| 2020 | Jason Heyward, .265 | Ian Happ, 12 | David Bote, 29 | Yu Darvish, 8 | Jeremy Jeffress, 1.54 | Yu Darvish, 93 |
| 2019 | Anthony Rizzo, .293 | Kyle Schwarber, 38 | Anthony Rizzo, 94 | Jon Lester & José Quintana, 13 | Brandon Kintzler, 2.68 | Yu Darvish, 229 |
Cubs top prospects
Here are the Chicago Cubs’ top prospects entering 2024 as rated by MLB.com:
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
2. Cade Horton, RHP
3. Owen Caissie, OF
4. Michael Busch, INF
5. Matt Shaw, SS/2B
Cubs bench staff
Here’s a look at the current coaching staff for the Chicago Cubs entering the 2024 season:
- Manager: Craig Counsell
- Bench Coach: Ryan Flaherty
- Pitching Coach: Tommy Hottovy
- Hitting Coach: Dustin Kelly
- First Base Coach: Mike Napoli
- Third Base Coach: Willie Harris
- Assistant Pitching Coach: Daniel Moskos
- Assistant Hitting Coaches: James Adduci, Juan Cabreja, John Mallee
- Bullpen Coach: Darren Holmes
Recent Cubs managers
Craig Counsell became the new Chicago Cubs manager in 2024. Here’s a look at the five managers who preceded him in the dugout leading the Cubs:
| Name | Tenure | Record (w/the Cubs) |
|---|---|---|
| David Ross | 2020-2023 | 262-284 |
| Joe Maddon | 2015-2019 | 471-339 |
| Rick Renteria | 2014 | 73-89 |
| Dale Sveum | 2012-13 | 127-197 |
| Mike Quade | 2010-2011 | 95-104 |
Where do the Chicago Cubs play?
Chicago’s north side is well known for the Cubs’ long residency. In fact, the area around Wrigley Field is known as “Wrigleyville.” It endures as one of the oldest stadiums in continuous use in all North American professional sports.
- Capacity: 41,649
- Dimensions: Left field – 355′, Left-center – 368′, Center field – 400′, Right-center – 368′, Right field – 353′
- Surface: Merion bluegrass
- Ground Breaking: March 4, 1911
- Opening Date: April 23, 1914
- Construction Cost: $250,000
- Other Events: College football games, concerts, and NFL and NHL games, and soccer matches
How to bet on games at Wrigley Field
Visitors to Wrigley Field who are eligible to place legal wagers under Illinois law can place sports bets at any IL sportsbook operator in the state. However, DraftKings Sportsbook has a deal in place with the Cubs to operate a retail sportsbook near Wrigley Field. At the Wrigley Field Sportsbook, DraftKings enjoy an “exclusivity zone” around the stadium representing a five-block radius that applies to online wagering as well as retail.
Cubs TV and radio broadcasters
As the Cubs handle their broadcasting duties mostly, their broadcasting staff is quite small compared to other MLB franchises.
Jim Deshaies (left) and Jon “Boog” Sciambi (right) handle television duties while Ron Coomer and Pat Hughes are on radio.
How can I watch Cubs games in Iowa?
MLB has national broadcast deals with Disney, Fox and Turner. Thus, fans may find a number of Cubs games each season on the ESPN networks, FS1, FS2, Fox and/or TBS. Cable and satellite customers can stream live broadcasts with their credentials using apps, such as ESPN+ and FoxSportsGo.
For local broadcasts, the Cubs operate the Marquee Sports Network. Many cable and satellite companies that operate in Iowa offer that channel, which you can locate here.
Live streaming of those games is available per the terms of use for your cable/satellite company. Unfortunately for Cubs fans in IA who subscribe to MLB.TV, the Cubs are considered an in-market team. That means streaming of Cubs games is only available on an archived basis, not live.
Local radio stations with Cubs games
As far as radio broadcasts in Iowa go, these are the stations affiliated with the Cubs in the state:
- KADR AM 1400 Elkader
- KCIM AM 1380 Carroll
- KCNZ AM 1650 Cedar Falls
- KCPS AM 1150 West Burlington
- KMCD AM 1570 Fairfield
- KNOD FM 105.3 Harlan
- KRNT AM 1350 Des Moines
- KUDV FM 106.9 Bloomfield
- KWBG AM 1590 Boone
- KXIC AM 800 Iowa City
- WDBQ AM 1490 Dubuque
Chicago Cubs FAQ
The franchise has won three World Series titles. However, as far as individual World Series games go, the total is 25. The Cubs have appeared in 13 separate World Series (counting appearances as the Chicago White Stockings). Of greater notoriety was the team’s 108-year drought for winning a World Series title, a streak finally ended with the Cubs’ 2016 title.
The Ricketts family, including siblings Thomas, Peter, Laura and Todd, share ownership of the team. Ricketts purchased the team from the Tribune Company in 2009. Before that, the Wrigley family had owned the cubs for 65 years when the Tribune Company bought the club in 1981.
As with most other legends, it’s difficult to discern what is fact and what is embellishment. However, the story has a simple narrative. The story goes that the owner of the Billy Goat’s Tavern, Bill Sianis, was kicked out of Game 4 of the 1945 World Series along with his pet goat by stadium staff at Wrigley Field. As an act of vengeance, Sianis cursed the Cubs. In each successive season that the Cubs failed to win a World Series title, the legend of the curse grew.
Regardless of whatever efficacy it had, it ended in 2016 when the Cubs won their first championship in 108 years.
Yes. Wrigley Field is an institution, so tickets will always be a hot commodity regardless of how well the team is doing. If it’s been a while since your last visit, some research at the Cubs official website might be worth your time.
Clark the Cub is an anthropomorphic bear that is usually depicted wearing a baseball cap and Cubs jersey, but like most other mascots, never any pants. For most of the Cubs’ history they had no mascot, as Clark was not introduced until January 2014. The mascot is named after the intersection of Clark and Addison where Wrigley Field is located.
Dozens of individuals have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in connection to the Chicago Cubs/White Stockings. Among the most well-known names are Ron Santo, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins, Lou Brock and “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. Although most are in Cooperstown as players, there are some in the Hall as executives and managers as well.
The Iowa Cubs have been the Cubs Triple-A affiliate since 1981. They play their home games in Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines, and there is a Betfred Sports Lounge on-site at Principal Park. Hall-of-famer and Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg served as the club’s manager for a number of years.