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Chicago Bears Odds

The Chicago Bears are one of the NFL’s oldest and most storied franchises. On this page, we’ll update you with the latest Chicago Bears odds and walk you through how to bet on the Monsters of the Midway.

Dan Bradley By: Dan Bradley
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Table of contents

The Chicago Bears are one of the oldest franchises in football history and were one of the National Football League’s charter members. As the NFL dominates U.S. sports betting markets, so too do the Bears drive much of the sports gambling action in Illinois.

In this piece, we’ll take a look at the weekly and season-long Chicago Bears odds, walk you through how to bet on the team, explain how you can watch the games, and highlight the key moments in franchise history.

How to wager on the Chicago Bears on a sports betting app in Illinois

Wagering on the Chicago Bears on a sports betting app is a much easier way to play than traveling to a retail sports betting location in Illinois. Here’s how you can bet on the Bears today.

  1. Pick a betting app to use: For your convenience, we’ve written comprehensive reviews of each legal, licensed Illinois betting app, complete with an overall score and app details, so you can figure out the way to play that best fits your needs and wants.
  2. Complete your sportsbook registration: Using the reviews referenced above, you can use the button at the top of each page to sign up for an Illinois sportsbook and secure the best available welcome bonus. The signup process typically takes between 5-10 minutes to complete.
  3. Make a real-money deposit: Most Illinois sportsbooks will allow you to make a deposit using a debit card, PayPal account, or online banking, though there are a few other methods with each operator if those aren’t to your liking. Be sure to deposit enough to qualify for the welcome bonus, but don’t deposit more than your means allow to try for a higher bonus.
  4. Study the lines: Knowledge is power when it comes to sports betting, and the more information you can gather ahead of time, the more likely you are to place a winnings wager. Studying recent performances and trends, line movement, matchups, weather patterns… anything you think will be helpful.
  5. Shop the odds and place your bets: You wouldn’t buy a car from a dealership without checking around to be sure you’re getting the best price on a ride that fits your needs. Take the same approach to sports betting. Oddsmakers will often have lines that are close to one another but may be slightly different. These subtleties can result in noticeable differences in your profits over time as you continue to make winning wagers. Once you’ve got a favorable line, choose the amount of money you’re willing to risk as a stake, wait for the game to go finally, and hopefully collect on your ticket!

Which types of wagers are there for the Chicago Bears?

There are many types of wagers out there for the Chicago Bears faithful. While it can be a little overwhelming at first, it’s much easier to understand than you might think. Here are some of the most popular types of bets you can make.

  • Moneyline bets: Moneyline bets are the most basic type of wager you can make, as they simply involve picking the winner of a game. For example, say the Bears are playing their hated rivals, Green Bay Packers. If you pick Chicago on the moneyline, it doesn’t matter how many points the Bears win by, whether the game went to overtime, or their point total, only that the team was ahead when the clock hit 0:00.
  • Spread bets: Sometimes, picking a winner straight-up doesn’t provide enough of a return on your stake if you’re backing the favorite (the team expected to win) while betting on the underdog (the team expected to lose) is too risky. If this is the case, betting on the spread could be the way to go. Spread bets focus on the margin of victory rather than the overall outcome and act as a way to handicap the scores. Using the same example above, you may see a spread line of Chicago Bears +3.5. This means the Bears are the underdogs, and a spread bet on Chicago will be scored as a win if the Bears win outright or lose by fewer than three points. Conversely, a spread bet on the Packers for the same game would read as “Green Bay -3.5,” meaning the Packers must win by at least four points for that spread wager to pay out.
  • Totals bets: If you aren’t quite comfortable with picking winners on the moneyline or spread, you may instead look to a totals bet (also called an over/under), where you’d be wagering on the combined point total of the Bears and their opponent. For totals bets, it doesn’t matter what the final score is or who wins; all that matters is whether their combined point total goes over or under the projected total posted by the sportsbook. Bookmakers will often shift the total line based on the betting action (so they’re guaranteed a profit), so keep an eye on line movement throughout the week if you’re totals betting.
  • Prop bets: Short for “proposition bets,” prop bets can be player- or team-specific, and they aren’t necessarily tied to the final score of the game. Some examples of Bears props might be how many receptions D.J. Moore gets in a game, Montez Sweat’s sack total, or how many rushing yards Roschon Johnson finishes the game with. Team-focused props could include whether Chicago is the first team to score, which team leads at halftime, or whether the Bears score a defensive touchdown.
  • Futures bets: The Chicago Bears hold the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (thanks for the trade, Carolina!), and whichever player they take at that spot could be a fun choice to make as a futures bet for Rookie of the Year. As you may have guessed from the name, futures bets are long-term wagers that typically take place over the course of a season. They could also include a wager on the Bears to win the Super Bowl (we’ll wait until after the draft before commenting on whether that’s a smart bet for the 2024-25 season).
  • Parlays: Finally, parlay wagers combine multiple individual outcomes into one single bet, with a multiplier for each additional outcome (or “leg”) you add to the wager. For example, you could parlay Bears +3.5 (outcome A), Cole Kmet over 50.5 rushing yards (outcome B), and a point total over 48.5 (outcome C). If you bet $10 on each of these three outcomes, you would risk $30 total, and the payout if all three hit would still be lower than if you parlayed the three outcomes into one $10 wager. With that in mind, be careful with parlays, as the entire bet is scored a loss if a single leg misses.

Do the Chicago Bears have any partnerships with sportsbooks?

Yes, the Chicago Bears have a partnership with BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois. The Bears and Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers’ parent company) signed a multi-year exclusive partnership deal in 2021 making BetRivers the Official Sportsbook Partner and Rivers Casino the Official Casino Partner.

This partnership means you’ll see prominent BetRivers and Rivers Casino signage around Soldier Field, as well as on the team website and printed media. You’ll also find Bears-specific promotions and prizes while gambling with BetRivers Sportsbook.

Where can I watch or stream the Chicago Bears?

You can watch most Chicago Bears games on your local FOX or CBS affiliate for games during the noon or 3 PM time slot on Sundays (typically, the road team carries the matchup, so NFC opponents are usually on FOX with AFC opponents on CBS). NBC carries the Sunday Night Football broadcast, and Monday Night Football is on ESPN (and on ABC when the Bears are playing).

At least once per year, the Bears will also play on Thursday Night Football. Those games are available to stream on Amazon Prime, though there is also a local option so you won’t have to miss the game if you aren’t subscribed to the streaming service.

Where do the Chicago Bears play?

The Chicago Bears play their home games at Soldier Field, which has been their home since 1971. Soldier Field is also home to Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer.

However, in recent years, there has been a push to either conduct a major overhaul of Soldier Field or to move the Bears into a new stadium. With a capacity of 61,500, it is the second-smallest stadium in the NFL while also being the oldest in the league.

One proposed new site is at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights. The new stadium plan would include a permanent roof (rather than an open- or retractable-roof option favored by other NFL teams) and would be surrounded by restaurants, shops, hotels, and public transportation options.

Bears ownership has purchased the Arlington property but has stopped short of committing to building a new stadium at the park. The team is also considering plans to move the home stadium to Naperville, Waukegan, Aurora, Country Club Hills, and even Northwest Indiana if they can’t figure out a way to keep the team in Chicago.

How do I get tickets to see the Chicago Bears play?

There are a few ways to get tickets to see the Chicago Bears play. If you’re looking to get season tickets, you’ll need to get on the waitlist, which you can apply for through the team website. A $100 non-refundable deposit will hold your spot on the list, with the deposit credited to your first full season.

If Chicago Bears single-game tickets are more your speed, you’ll need to purchase them through Ticketmaster. Tickets are mobile-only, so unfortunately, you won’t be able to keep stubs from your trip to the game. Hopefully, other pictures and memories of a Bears win will suffice in that regard.

History of the Chicago Bears

As mentioned above, the history of the Chicago Bears is one of the lengthiest among NFL franchises. Here are some key dates to know.

  • 1919: The Chicago Bears are first organized as the “Decatur Staleys,” as the team of the A.E. Staley food starch company. The Staleys would first take the field in 1920.
  • 1920: The Staleys joined the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which would rebrand as the “National Football League” in 1922.
    1921: The Staleys moved from Decatur to Chicago and rebranded as the “Chicago Staleys.” Chicago is crowned as the APFA Champion with a 9-1-1 record, albeit in controversial fashion. There was no championship game at the time, and in a rule that has since been removed, if teams played each other twice in the same season, the second meeting carried more weight in the standings. Chicago beat the Buffalo All-Americans 10-7 in the second meeting, acting as a de facto championship game for the Staleys.
  • 1922: While sharing Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs, owner (and at times over the next 45 years, coach) George Halas renamed the team once again as the “Chicago Bears.”
  • 1925: The Bears signed Red Grange, a legendary athlete who would be inducted into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Grange, a Wheaton, IL native and University of Illinois star, spent one season with Chicago before leaving to join the New York Yankees football team, but the barnstorming tour the Bears went on that year would help grow the team’s following across the country. Grange returned to the team in 1929 and played five more seasons before joining the Bears’ coaching staff from 1935-37.
  • 1932: Chicago wins its second NFL championship, starting a run of six titles in 14 years (1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946).
  • 1943: Chicago quarterback Sid Luckman becomes the first Bears player to be named NFL MVP, with 13.9% of his passes resulting in touchdowns, a mark that still stands today as the best in league history.
  • 1963: The Bears win their eighth championship, led by tight end Mike Ditka, who would later coach the team.
  • 1975: Chicago drafts running back Walter Payton, who would go on to set the NFL’s career rushing record (16,726) which stood until 2002.
  • 1985: The Bears win their first (and thus far only) Super Bowl in team history, spurred by defensive brilliance and a powerful run game. Chicago beat the New England Patriots 46-10, with the Bears’ defense scoring more points than the Pats’ offense. Defensive end Richard Dent (1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one blocked pass) was named Super Bowl MVP.
  • 2007: The Bears make their second Super Bowl appearance, losing 29-17 to the Indianapolis Colts.
  • 2023: Chicago finishes with the worst regular season record, earning them the first overall pick in the draft. However, the Bears would trade this selection to the Carolina Panthers, getting a haul in return. The Panthers sent star wide receiver D.J. Moore, the ninth and 61st overall picks in 2023, a first round pick in 2024, and a second round pick in 2025 to Chicago for the top pick. However, the move ultimately backfired, as Carolina finished with the worst record in the 2024 season, giving the Bears the first overall pick in consecutive years.

Yes, betting on the Chicago Bears is legal in Illinois. The Land of Lincoln legalized sports betting in June 2019, and the first operators launched in March 2020. Mobile betting through BetRivers Sportsbook went live in June of the same year, and several other bookies like DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN Bet, Caesars, and BetMGM have also joined the fray.


FAQ

How can I stay updated with the latest Chicago Bears betting news?

You can stay updated with the latest Chicago Bears betting news by referring back to ILBetting.com. This page will always display the latest single-game and season-long Bears odds, and we’ll provide insights and betting angles to keep you informed throughout the season.

Are there any specific betting bonuses or promotions for Chicago Bears games?

Yes, there are specific betting bonuses and promotions for Chicago Bears games. BetRivers Sportsbook has an exclusive deal to offer Bears-themed gambling bonus offers, and when the season gets closer, we’ll update this page so you know what the promotions are.

Author Details

Dan Bradley

Dan Bradley

Dan Bradley is a researcher and author at IL Betting. Dan is a seasoned sports betting expert with a professional background in Junior hockey. Leveraging his first-hand knowledge of the game, he has dedicated his career to demystifying the world of sports betting.