Olympic Games Betting Basics

Olympic sports betting comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. As of 2008, the Summer Olympics include 26 sports with 36 disciplines and about 300 events, and the Winter Olympics include 7 sports with 15 disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change slightly from one Olympiad to another. The first summer olympics were held in 1896. The first winter olympics began in 1924 concurrently with the summer olympics. In 1992, the IOC held separate olympics alternating in 2 year spans, for example the winter olympics last held in 2006, summer olympics last held in 2008.

Another popular wager at the Olympic sportsbook will be Olympic sports betting odds on the country to win the most medals. During the past games, China was a slight favorite over the United States in Olympic sports betting to finish with the most medals. Olympic sports betting will be popular all around the world, especially in the United States where people can watch hundreds of hours of coverage on NBC television. Anytime something is on television it is more popular in terms of gambling and that is the case with online betting lines for Olympics action. The summer Olympics don’t have quite the appeal of the winter Olympics but basketball and soccer are always popular and once the tennis competitors are narrowed down to the final four that also gets exciting.

Before laying your bets, doing your homework is important. A good approach is to look at teams that are well-rounded with a good goaltender, stout defensemen, good penalty killers and players with scoring ability.

In an Olympic tournament, the strength of the draw is important, and you must go through this properly before placing your odds. In hockey, you must also consider the difference in rules between the National Hockey League (NHL) and Olympic Hockey. Remember not to take anything for granted, as it could be an important factor when it comes to the medal rounds.

These tournament match-up bets are not about who will win head-to-head, but rather which team will finish in a higher position at the end of the tourney, so be clear about that, and use it in your overall strategy.

There are high risks involved in taking bets for the Winter Olympics and therefore wagers are limited to $300 with no parlays. The Olympics are an event that the bookies are not very familiar and comfortable with. Therefore many shy away from taking big bets on the Olympics.

Online betting for Olympics action may be focused on popular events like the men’s basketball and men’s soccer, but don’t forget about other gambling Olympic sports lines on events like tennis, baseball, steeplechase, handball, volleyball, etc. Check out all of the Olympic gambling online odds today.