Olympic Success
The Paris 2024 Olympics are now in the history books, and the event was a historic occasion for many reasons.
In addition to its sporting success, the event did huge business across many sectors, especially sports betting. Leading operator Entain has reported a big increase in player activity and bets during the event.
Record Traffic
One of the biggest metrics that Entain saw an increase in was traffic. The event recorded double the betting volume that the Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) event did.
Increased interest in the event could be due to a number of reasons. Bookmakers making a more concerted effort to attract customers for Olympics betting, the event being held in front of an audience, and the European start-times could have all played an important role.
Entain reported basketball as the most popular sport in the event. It received a record number of bets, with volley, football, and tennis following being. The most wagered-on individual event was the USA vs France basketball final.
There was also considerably more interest in athletics and swimming betting. Both of these sports entered the top 10 most-wagered sports and showed significant increases from previous events. The most popular event was the 100m final, which saw Noah Lyles sneak in by a fraction of a second to defeat Kishane Thompson.
Continued Interest
The record-breaking numbers for Olympic betting are a positive sign for Entain. Even though the event’s numbers will only be small in comparison to other summer events like the Euros and Copa America, the increased interest is a massive plus. The company hopes that this may translate into continued interest in some of the featured sports.
Entain’s Head of Sports, Arild Ostbo, spoke about the event's excitement, highlighting the sporting prowess on display. OStobo also credited the Paris time zone as a big reason for the increase in betting activity.
