(NewsNation) — The opening ceremonies for the 2024 Paris Olympics begin in 16 days. Once the Games start, Americans will be able to gamble on just about all the events — and some big names are drawing some big bets.
Heading into the Paris Games, the U.S. is the odds-on favorite to win the most medals, according to a Forbes report. The over-under for total medals is 39.5, the report said.
This comes as no surprise, as Team USA has won the most total medals in the past seven Olympics and won the most gold medals in six of them.
This year, Bet365 is giving Team USA a more than 85% chance at topping the gold medal tally. The men’s basketball team is the odds-on favorite to win gold, which would make it their fifth straight.
Gymnastics is also always a competition that draws larger crowds. This year, Simone Biles will work toward another medal, and she needs just one more to become the most decorated American Olympic gymnast ever. Plus, the American women’s gymnastics team is currently favored over Brazil, China and France.
On the track, speedsters Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson remain favored by oddsmakers to bring home the gold in their respective events. Richardson has a roughly 61% chance to capture gold, per the report.
When it comes to sports betting, analyst Daniel Wallach says the Olympics is like Super Bowl betting on steroids.
“The Super Bowl and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are historically the two most heavily wagered upon sporting competitions in all of North America. You take the Olympics, with all those hundreds of contests and thousands of competitors over a multiweek period, it’s going to blow the numbers out of the water,” Wallach, a gambling attorney, said.
When it comes to swimming, all eyes are on Katie Ledecky.
This year, there are 32 sports with 329 events scheduled, including the first-ever Olympic breakdancing event.