According to data from sports betting and gaming leader Entain, the Paris Olympic Games proved to be the most popular so far, with global punters* doubling the betting volume seen in Tokyo three years ago.

Most popular sports during the Olympics Paris 2024 (bet volume);Basketball, Football, Tennis, Volleyball, Handball, Golf,Beach Volleyball,Athletics, Table Tennis,Swimming.

Swimming is a newcomer in the top 10 replacing Water Polo driven by the global superstar Katie Ledecky, who won her 9th Olympics gold medal in Paris. The most popular event was the Men’s basketball final, as eyeballs were glued to the contest between the USA and France, which generated massive interest through Entain’s BetMGM US-based business as well as other regions.

Athletics had a notable jump in popularity, leaping into the top ten. The most popular athletics event for Entain was the men’s 100m final. This delivered a great result for bettors as the heavily backed American Noah Lyles triumphed after less impressive runs in the heats and semis finals, so his price drifted to 5/4 to 9/2, giving them a healthy return. Conversely, the men’s 1500m final was the best result for Entain as what was expected to be a head-to-head clash between Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr saw outsider Cole Hocker deliver a surprise win at 20/1.

The Olympics presented a unique and extensive range of betting opportunities with 329 gold medals awarded across 32 sports comprising around 2,000 events. The Paris time zone (versus Tokyo) provided a more convenient window for Entain customers to watch, enjoy, engage and bet on the games and the athletes.

The Olympics is a stage for many sports historically less popular with bettors to shine. In this edition of the games, we witnessed a surge in the betting interest in Swimming, Hockey, Rowing, Surfing, Archery, Canoeing, and Climbing, all of which doubled their betting volume compared to the Tokyo Olympics.

Arild Ostbo, Head of Sports at Entain, said: “This was an unforgettable Olympics in Paris where global superstars showcased their athletic prowess. The world’s biggest sports event continues to grow in popularity and betting interest. For our customers, the time zone of Paris compared to Tokyo three years ago provided a much better window for people to engage and bet on.”