Olympic betting: Odds to win most medals, golds, marquee events
Some events are already underway, but the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris officially begin with Friday's opening ceremonies.
There's a buzz around the Olympics that wasn't there in 2021, and sportsbooks are looking to add to that excitement by offering a plethora of betting options.
From archery to weightlifting, nearly every Olympic sport can be bet upon. But here, we'll focus on the overall medal total and touch on some of the Games' marquee events.
Most medals
| Country | Odds | Implied Prob. |
|---|---|---|
| USA | -2000 | 95.2% |
| China | +1000 | 9.1% |
| Great Britain | +5000 | 2% |
| Japan | +5000 | 2% |
| France | +10000 | 1% |
All odds via theScore Bet. Countries above +10000 are not listed.
In what should be a surprise to no one, the United States is the heavy favorite to lead the Summer Games in medals. With an implied win probability of 95.2%, it will take a massive upset for any other country to top what should be a dominant American group.
Most gold medals
| Country | Odds | Implied Prob. |
|---|---|---|
| USA | -600 | 85.7% |
| China | +350 | 22.2% |
| France | +6600 | 1.5% |
| Great Britain | +10000 | 1% |
| Japan | +10000 | 1% |
The USA is also a resounding favorite to leave the Summer Games with the most gold medals, but China is given a much better chance of dethroning the States when it comes to standing on the top of the podium.
Canada was given a pre-Games total of 5.5 gold medals, with the over as a slight -135 favorite. For comparison, the Americans' total was 40.5 with the over at -130 odds.
Marquee events
Women's 100m
| Runner (Country) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sha'Carri Richardson (USA) | -175 |
| Julien Alfred (LCA) | +400 |
| Shericka Jackson (JAM) | +400 |
| Melissa Jefferson (USA) | +1200 |
| Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) | +1200 |
The United States' Sha'Carri Richardson is the odds-on favorite to claim the title of fastest woman in the world. She tops Julien Alfred of St. Lucia and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica.
Richardson is the reigning world champion after she beat Jackson in Budapest last year.
Jackson won bronze in Tokyo and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took home the silver. Elain Thompson-Herah, the two-time defending gold-medal winner who's also from Jamaica, will miss the Olympics due to an Achilles injury.
All women competing will look to break Florence Griffith-Joyner's world record of 10.49 seconds, set in 1988.
Men's 100m
| Runner (Country) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kishane Thompson (JAM) | +125 |
| Noah Lyles (USA) | +160 |
| Oblique Seville (JAM) | +750 |
| Letsile Tebogo (BOT) | +1200 |
| Marcell Jacobs (ITA) | +1800 |
Reigning world champion Noah Lyles is not the favorite to win the gold medal. Instead, Kishane Thompson, who ran a 9.77 at Jamaica's Olympic trials, tops the oddsboard. Thompson has never run at the Olympics or World Championships, so this will be his biggest stage yet.
Lyles won bronze in the 200m at the Tokyo Games and only recently started finding success in the 100m. He won the gold medal in both lengths at the 2023 World Championships in Hungary. Lyles is -350 to win the 200m.
Defending Olympic gold-medal winner Marcell Jacobs didn't win an individual medal at the 2023 World Championships and is a long shot to defend his crown.
Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
| Country | Odds |
|---|---|
| Australia | -700 |
| USA | +550 |
| China | +1000 |
| Canada | +2000 |
| Great Britain | +4000 |
| France | +5000 |
Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay
| Country | Odds |
|---|---|
| USA | -550 |
| Australia | +550 |
| China | +800 |
| Great Britain | +1400 |
| Italy | +2000 |
| France | +2500 |
| Canada | +4000 |
Women's Tennis
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Iga Swiatek | -175 |
| Coco Gauff | +600 |
| Elena Rybakina | +800 |
| Mirra Andreeva | +1500 |
| Naomi Osaka | +1500 |
| Qinwen Zheng | +1800 |
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the favorite to win gold in women's tennis. She lost in the third round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year but did win the French Open for her fifth grand slam title.
The tennis competition will be played at Roland Garros, home of the French Open.
Men's Tennis
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | -140 |
| Novak Djokovic | +280 |
| Alexander Zverev | +600 |
| Rafael Nadal | +1000 |
| Casper Ruud | +1400 |
| Alex de Minaur | +2500 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +2500 |
Fresh off his Wimbledon title, Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite to win gold. He won the French Open this year, so returning to Roland Garros could bode well for the 21-year-old's Olympic chances.
Alcaraz is also playing doubles with Rafael Nadal in what will likely be Nadal's final Olympic Games.