James Willis | July 25, 2024
The summer Olympics are about to begin in Paris France. The event, which happens every 4 years, is a welcomed change-up for sportsbooks. In most years, sports betting handle drops significantly after college and NBA basketball wrap up their seasons. Baseball, golf and horse racing dominate summer betting but in comparison to football, the betting handle is miniscule.
The reasons why summer Olympics bring about a spike in sportsbook action in many-fold. First and foremost, it gives your average sports bettor more options. There are many sports bettors who have zero interest in baseball, which is basically the only consistent U.S. sport to bet in the summer.
The Olympics brings with it the standard games you think about when you conjure up images of the Olympics. Namely, these sports traditionally have been track & field as well as archery, beach volleyball and swimming, among many others. But sports bettors can take their shot at betting sports they already know and love, like basketball and boxing.
Although sportsbook handle for the Olympic games does not approach anywhere near the amount that football does, there is still a welcomed spike behind the counter of your favorite book and many consider it to be a great warm-up to the football season which is only a few weeks behind the Olympics.
When speaking with bookmaker Robert Cooper at sportsbetting.ag, he commented on betting the Olympics in 2024:
“The general public now is just so much more aware of sports betting and how it works and where they can do it. The Olympics are always a highly televised/rated event … and bettors want to gamble on stuff that they can watch. Everybody kind of sits down and generally watches the Olympics.”
He went on to say that he expects total betting handle for the Olympics to reach 8 digits for his sportsbook alone.
Gold Medal Odds for 2024
Here are some of the medals odds you can bet right now at your favorite sportsbooks:
| Most Gold Medals | Odds |
|---|---|
| USA | -500 |
| China | +350 |
| Great Britain | +4200 |
| Japan | +5500 |
| France | +8000 |
| Germany | +12000 |
| Gold Medals | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 41.5 (-114) | 41.5 (-114) |
| China | 34.5 (-130) | 34.5 (-102) |
| France | 24.5 (+128) | 24.5 (-172) |
| Great Britain | 16.5 (-114) | 16.5 (-114) |
2024 Olympics Basketball Futures Odds
found at BetUS.com
| TO WIN OUTRIGHT | MONEYLINE | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | ||
| Canada | ||
| France | ||
| Serbia | ||
| Greece | ||
| Germany | ||
| Australia | ||
| Spain | ||
| Brazil |
