After an incredible 2015 season that resulted in 97 wins and a trip to the National League Championship Series, the Cubs are the favorites to win the 2016 World Series in at least one Las Vegas sports book and are not far behind in several others.
Bovada lists the Cubs as the favorites to win it all next season at 11/1 odds, while Vegas Insider lists the North Siders and three other teams at 10/1 odds, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8/1 odds to take the title. Clearly the wise guys in Vegas are just as high on the Cubbies as their eternally optimistic fanbase.
A word of advice to anyone looking to get rich off the Cubs next October: If you're going to make a futures bet on them, do it now. Either fly out to Vegas or call up your shady bookie and throw down some cash on the Cubs while the odds are this high, because they aren't going to stay this way for much longer. A 10/1 or 11/1 payout is a great value for a young team that projects to be just as good next year as they were this year, and given Chicagoans' proclivity for betting heavy on their favorite teams, bookmakers will be forced to increase their odds once the inevitable wave of money comes pouring in on the Cubs, resulting in lower payouts. Not to mention the Cubs have a very realistic chance to finally reverse the curse next year, so for once this could be a smart bet.
Meanwhile, on the South Side of town, the White Sox are listed anywhere between 40/1 and 50/1 to win the World Series next year, so that would be a good bet to make if you're looking for an alternative to flushing your money down the toilet.