Betting on the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is a Major League Soccer (MLS) team competing in the Western Conference. It’s one of the league’s youngest clubs, debuting in 2018. In 2022, LAFC won its first trophy by beating the Philadelphia Union on penalties in the final of the MLS Cup.
If you’re a sports betting fan and wish to check the latest LAFC MLS odds, you can do so through many regulated land-based and online sportsbooks in the US. Unfortunately, California hasn’t legalized sports betting yet, so if you want to wager on LAFC and other MLS teams legally, you must visit one of the neighboring states, such as Nevada or Arizona.
This page will inform you on the current legal status of sports betting in California, as well as how to find the best odds at California sportsbooks and what betting options you can expect for LAFC games.
Where Can You Bet on LAFC?
You can bet on LAFC anywhere where sports betting is legal. There are currently over 30 states where sports betting is either live or legal and waiting to launch. All of these states have retail and/or online sportsbooks that offer LAFC odds.
Regrettably, California isn’t one of them. The voters had their say in the Nov. 2022 ballot and rejected online and retail betting. Future attempts at legalizing sports betting in California may take place in the next couple of years but until then, you can only bet on LAFC and other MLS teams by going to another state.
Online Sportsbooks
There’s currently no legal online sports betting in California since the 2022 ballot measure (Proposition 27) to legalize online sportsbooks in the state was heavily defeated, with more than 82% of voters saying no.
If and when online betting becomes legal in California, we’ll likely have more than a few sportsbooks that offer betting on the LAFC and MLS in general. These sportsbooks will provide everything from betting on individual games to LAFC odds to win the MLS Cup and other competitions.
Some soccer bets seen at online sportsbooks in regulated states include the three-way moneyline (home team win, away team win, or draw), double chance (covering two out of three possible outcomes), correct score, total goals, tie no bet, and a variety of props like anytime goalscorer, team to score first, first-half betting, and more.
Another thing you may expect with the launch of online sportsbooks in the state is the California sports betting bonuses for new and existing customers. For instance, if you join a given online sportsbook and complete a deposit, you may receive some bonus bet credits that you can use for placing a bet on LAFC games and other events.
Retail Sportsbooks
Aside from online betting, California voters had a chance to legalize retail betting at the state’s selected Indian gaming casinos and licensed racetracks via Proposition 26. This ballot measure also fell short, with two-thirds of voters not being keen on the idea.
Retail sportsbooks offer sports betting in the same capacity as their online counterparts. It’s just that instead of using the app or website to place bets, you must physically go to a betting shop and print your betting slip on one of the self-serving kiosks or at the counter.
Until retail sportsbooks become legal in California, you can find them in nearby Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
LAFC Schedule 2024
The 2024 MLS season is scheduled to start on Feb. 25. It’ll be the league’s 28th edition and LAFC’s sixth year. The MLS has grown to 29 clubs, with St. Louis City SC joining the Western Conference and Nashville SC moving east.
LAFC is the current MLS Cup champion, as well as the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield winner.
The format remains the same as in previous years. The top team from each conference will go straight to the conference semifinals, while teams positioned second through seventh will battle it out in the first round of playoffs. The finals are followed by the MLS Cup, which usually takes place at the beginning of November.
Types of Bets That Can Be Placed on LAFC
The odds for MLS games are calculated by a team of oddsmakers that work at each sportsbook. The opening lines are based on various factors, including team form, head-to-head history, current position on the table, injury status, and more.
The oddsmakers first set the opening lines, then monitor the movement of bets and adjust the odds accordingly. That’s why you’ll often see different odds on matchday compared to a few days prior. If too many people bet on one side, the oddsmakers will change the odds to make betting on the other side more attractive and avoid losing a lot of money in case the majority of bettors win.
An online sportsbook’s goal is always to get equal action on both sides. This means that the odds represent not just a realistic estimate of something occurring or not but also how the public perceives the opening lines.
Each sportsbook has a team of oddsmakers who use different parameters to set the odds. This is why the odds may differ from one book to another and why you should always go odds shopping to try and find the best LAFC odds in California for a given game.
LAFC odds at US sportsbooks are expressed in +/- values. When LAFC is expected to win, it’ll be assigned negative (-) odds. For instance, if the odds on the team are -150, a $150 wager will result in a $100 profit. You’ll see plus (+0 odds when any other outcome is more likely to occur (the draw or the other team winning). For instance, odds of +130 mean that a $100 bet can bring you a $130 profit.
As for specific bets that you can take on LAFC games, here are some of the most popular ones.
LAFC Moneyline Odds
In soccer, the moneyline includes betting on one of the three available outcomes. You can bet on either the home team, the away team, or a tie. The moneyline outcome in soccer takes into account only 90 minutes plus injury time. Extra time and penalty shootouts (where applicable) don’t count in the original moneyline but can have their own markets.
LAFC Double Chance
Double chance is like an easy-mode moneyline, as you’ll be betting on two of the three possible outcomes in a 90-minute match: home team win and tie, away team win and tie, or home team win and away team win.
LAFC Futures Odds
Instead of individual games, the futures market focuses on season-long outcomes. Here, you can find LAFC odds of winning the MLS Cup or LAFC odds of making the playoffs. Since these are harder to hit, you can expect them to have longer odds.
LAFC Prop Bets
MLS games feature a long list of proposition bets. Team props may include bets such as LAFC scoring in both halves or the time of the first goal scored by LAFC. With player props, you can guess the goalscorer or assist maker. There are also props revolving around the whole game, like how many players will receive yellow cards.
LAFC Totals Bets
A totals bet involves the number of goals scored in a soccer match. You can guess the Over/Under on a specified line, which usually ranges between 0.5 and 3.5.
LAFC Live Betting
Once the LAFC match kicks off, you can still bet on it, as all modern US sportsbooks feature live betting. Here, you can find all the same markets as before kickoff; only the odds will now shift much faster as they reflect the situation on the pitch.
How to Bet on the MLS Cup in California
You can’t bet on the MLS Cup in California, but if you get to a state with legal retail and online sports betting, you’ll find an abundance of options.
Since it’s the pinnacle of the season, the MLS Cup usually features an overall greater number of bets, especially team and player props. Of course, you can bet on the MLS Cup winner through the futures markets before the season starts or during the campaign.
How to Bet on Los Angeles Football Club in California
Once legal online sportsbooks become a reality in California, you’ll have the option to register at an online sportsbook and conveniently place a bet on LAFC and other teams. Here’s how that process works in regulated states:
- Go to a betting website or download the sportsbook’s app.
- Sign up for an account by completing a form with your name, birthday, email address, last four digits of your SSN, and other required information.
- Go to the deposit page to put money in your new account.
- Claim the sportsbook’s welcome offer.
- Go to the menu, select MLS, and find the next LAFC game.
- Browse the markets and click/tap on the corresponding bet to add it to your slip.
- Once you have created the bet slip, input the stake amount and confirm the wager.
LAFC Stadium
LAFC plays at the Banc of California Stadium, located in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 22,000-seat stadium opened in 2018 and was built specifically for hosting LAFC soccer matches, although it has recently gained new permanent tenants in NWSL’s Angel City FC.
- Name: Banc of California Stadium
- Address: 3939 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90037
- Capacity: 22,000
- Opened: 2018
- Main tenants: Los Angeles FC (MLS) and Angel City FC (NWSL)
LAFC Odds FAQ
No, sportsbooks are currently illegal in California. Meanwhile, US sportsbooks operating in regulated states offer bets on the LAFC and MLS in general.
Since no sportsbooks exist in California, you’ll have to travel to Arizona or Nevada to find the closest one to LAFC’s stadium.
You can’t bet on the MLS Cup or any other sporting competition in California because online and retail betting is illegal. Horse race betting is the only legal form of sports betting statewide.
Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are some of the sportsbooks that offer the lowest vig on all odds, including the ones released for MLS games featuring the Los Angeles Football Club.
FanDuel isn’t legal in California as a sportsbook, but you can access its daily fantasy sports platform.
Yes, DraftKings offers odds on LAFC and other MLS teams.