The Olympics are set to take off when the summer of sport finally gets underway in Japan, a year late thanks to coronavirus. Fans of athletics, handball, swimming, tennis and archery have had to wait 12 more months to plan their viewing of this amazing three weeks of sport – and here at Unibet you can access the best Olympics sports betting odds throughout the summer.
This guide will take you through everything you need to know about how to bet on the Olympics. You’ll learn the best Olympics sports to bet on, how to access the live odds, time your 100m bets to perfection and which nations are favourites to claim medals.
Once you’ve read this guide you can then head over to Unibet’s sportsbook page and check out the variety of Olympics betting odds available to back today! What’s more, keep an eye out for Olympics promotions and special bets in the lead-up to the Games.
Where are the Olympics being held?
This year's Olympics will be staged predominantly in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. Athletics events will take place at the National Stadium, while boxing, table tennis, judo and weightlifting will also be hosted on the same campus.
Swimming will take place at the Tokyo Aquatics centre, while there are 15 venues located over five miles from the Olympic Village that will house the likes of shooting, basketball, golf, mountain biking and fencing. Tokyo Stadium will stage rugby and modern pentathlon, while football will be played at seven different stadiums across the country, including the cities of Kobe, Sapporo and Saitama.
When are the Olympics taking place?
The 2020 Olympics will actually take part in the summer of 2021 because of a decision to delay the competition one year due to coronavirus. The Olympics start on Friday 23 July 2021 and end on Sunday 8 August 2021.
Japan’s National Stadium will stage the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics and some football games. In fact, the Olympics football tournament will kick off two days before the opening ceremony, as will softball. There will be 11 gold medal events on the first official day of the Olympics after the opening ceremony, in archery, road cycling, fencing, judo, shooting, taekwondo and weightlifting.
How to bet on Olympics
As we near the start of the Olympics, betting is expected to increase as fans learn more about the favourites set to complete across 33 sports. Trying to get your head around all these competitions can be tricky if you’re new to sports betting – but thankfully the Unibet sportsbook houses all Olympics 2021 bets under one roof, so you can easily navigate to your chosen discipline.
Our Olympics betting markets work in exactly the same way as any other sport. All you have to do is join Unibet today, make a deposit and then head over to the sportsbook to search for your chosen event. When you spot an outcome you wish to back, simply click on the odds, enter your stake in the bet slip and click ‘Place Bet’ to complete the process. For example, you want to bet £5 on Jamaica to win the women’s 4x100m gold medal at odds of 6/1. Simply click or tap on the odds, enter your stake, check your risk and potential winnings, and then confirm the bet. If Jamaica wins gold, you’ll get back £35 (£30 winnings + your £5 stake).
Be sure to visit Unibet sportsbook in the days and weeks leading up to the Olympics, as more and more markets will be added every time an athlete or team qualifies for the Games.
Best Olympics sports to bet on
Now you know how to bet on Olympics, it’s time to work out which sports to bet on! There are 33 different disciplines this summer – a record for the Olympics. And some of the best Olympic sports betting practices to adhere to stem from other professional sports. If you’re a fan of the likes of football, tennis, rugby and golf then betting on the Olympics should be far easier. You can use your expert knowledge of these sports to translate over to the summer competition and give yourself a head start.
Meanwhile, it you’re betting on Olympics for the first time and want to sample some of the less well-known sports then there are some top Olympic tips to follow. The first is to find a sport you’ll find interesting – there’s nothing worse than placing a bet on a boring sport! So, if you like swimming then check out diving, synchronised swimming and water polo. If you love cycling then road, track, mountain biking and BMX are all disciplines to look out for.
Some sports, such as gymnastics, are dominated by certain countries like China, Russia and America. So, keep an eye on the latest Olympics stats, live scores and results in the Unibet sportsbook while placing bets on these events.
Who are the favourites at the Olympics?
Olympics medals table betting always focuses on the big nations, such as America and China. Russian athletes will compete as individuals at the 2020 Olympics, so in reality the eventual winners of the overall medals table will come down to just two nations.
America has won over 2500 medals at previous Olympic Games and finished top of the list in 2016, with Great Britain second. China were third on the list but are expected to claim more than the 70 medals earned last time out when their athletes arrive in Japan.
Speaking of Japan, host nations often do better at their home Olympics than other ones – partly because funding increases in the years before their own Games. Because of this, betting on Japan at the Olympics this summer could be a smart option for those seeking to make gains on less well-known markets.
Team GB Olympics betting tips
If you want to bet on Team GB at the Olympics, then be sure to read up on the Unibet stats for each sport before diving into the odds. The UK has some of the world’s top athletes in particular fields – but the country doesn’t dominate every sport!
For example, betting on GB to excel in sports such as surfing, water polo, archery and wrestling probably isn’t a good idea. However, sports like football, canoeing, cycling, hockey, rugby sevens and athletics is where you could earn some big wins from your Olympics bets.
Cycling in particular is a sport the UK has dominated at the Olympics for well over a decade. The velodrome in Tokyo will likely be ringing with the British national anthem throughout the three-week Games and you can be sure to find winners in a wide range of disciplines.
Team GB can also pull out some major surprises. In individual sports such as judo, canoeing and boxing there is always a competitor who could be close to winning a medal. What’s more, GB’s women’s hockey team are defending gold medalists this summer, after beating Netherlands in the final five years ago.
For the latest Team GB betting odds, simply search for ‘Great Britain’ in the Unibet sportsbook today!
100m betting
The biggest 10 seconds in sport hits our screens on Sunday 1 August when the men’s Olympics 100m final takes place in the National Stadium. This is always the show stopping race of the Games and billions of spectators around the world watch on as the athletes line up on the starting blocks.
Calculating who will win the 100m final at the 2020 Olympics will be tricky business this year, especially as the 2016 gold medalist Usain Bolt has retired from sprinting. The world record remains 9.58 seconds, set by Bolt in Berlin back in 2009. Will anyone beat him this year? Be sure to check out the Unibet sportsbook ahead of the race for the latest 100m final odds!
Betting on Olympics with Unibet
Whether you’re a canoeing nut, an archery fanatic or just love to bet on 100m, the Olympics is bound to have something to keep you entertained this summer. Here at Unibet we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Olympics odds and ultimate betting experience, so you can have fun watching the Games and potentially even win big yourself!