The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially kicked off, Sportsimpacts CEO Patrick Rishe joins Asking for a Trend to discuss the popularity of sport betting in the games.

While betting on the Olympics won’t be as popular as betting on events like the Super Bowl, Rishe expects it to be more popular than it was in the past. Rishe explains, “more states have legalized sports gambling here in the United States than was true for the last Olympic Games. We now have 34 states where it’s legalized gambling.”

He adds that the more popular sports like basketball, track and field, and gymnastics could see increased bets. While many bets will be placed on the odds of an individual or a team winning, Rishe believes that there are opportunities to get creative with bets, like the time it takes for a swimmer or runner to win a race, for instance. He also believes that the Paris timezone is easier for international audiences to watch, likely increasing the number of bets since “bettors like to see what’s happening in real-time.”

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This post was written by Melanie Riehl