The 2021 Olympics, which are also being referred to as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, officially begin on Friday with the opening ceremony.
These Summer Games were originally planned for last year but had to be rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though health conditions aren’t ideal right now in the host country, it appears the show will still go on.
As the events get underway, West Virginia sportsbooks are ready to go. They all feature odds for various Olympic sports and competitions.
WV online sports betting apps include odds for individual markets like basketball but also have plenty of Olympic specials, too.
Bettors are in luck, as the Tokyo games will provide lots of betting opportunities from now through the first week in August.
Olympic Odds At WV Sportsbooks
Betting On Olympic Basketball 2021
Basketball is always one of the more popular sports at the Summer Olympics. Part of that reason is that the US is typically somewhat successful in the sport.
Despite some roster issues created by COVID-19 protocols, the men’s team is once again a massive favorite. They enter these games with -320 odds to win the gold medal, according to DraftKings Sportsbook WV.
While Bradley Beal won’t participate, the US team is still loaded and just recharged its lineup with three guys who were playing in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks are sending new champions Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. They’ll be joined by the Suns’ Devin Booker.
Although there’s no question the US has the most talent, that doesn’t always guarantee a victory. This team actually lost two of its exhibition games and didn’t look great overall.
One of those games was against Australia, which DraftKings gives the second-best odds to win the tournament. It’s available at +750, with Spain right behind at +900.
Slovenia (+1500) and France (+1600) are next before a sizable jump in odds for the next tier of teams.
Here, you’ll find the other squad the US lost to, Nigeria, at +3000, as well as Argentina at +3500 and Italy at +4000.
The US women’s basketball team has an even better chance of returning home with the gold based on the odds. They’re listed at -1100 at DraftKings to win their event.
Although they shouldn’t have too many issues in Tokyo, the women’s side has also slipped up a few times before the important contests.
They fell in the WNBA All-Star matchup, then lost again to Australia, just like the men.
Again, Australia has the best opportunity to crash the American party, with odds of +1500. The other contenders have the following odds:
- Spain +1900
- France +1900
- Serbia +2500
- Canada +2800
- Belgium +4000
Olympic Women’s Soccer Odds
Since the men’s side of Olympic soccer consists only of players under the age of 23, the women’s draw is garnering a lot more attention. It also helps that the US women’s team is one of the best in the world and has shown it for a long time.
This American team also stumbled, but in their case, it wasn’t at an exhibition. In spite of the opening ceremony taking place Friday, some events have already started.
That includes women’s soccer, where the US saw its 44-match unbeaten streak come to a startling halt at the hands of Sweden. The team lost their opening match by a score of 3-0 and now have some work to do going forward.
This team features many of the familiar names soccer fans are accustomed to hearing in the last few major tournaments. Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Alex Morgan are all back and looking to add another medal to their trophy case.
Even with the opening defeat, the US is favored at +120 to win it all.
To take the gold, it will likely need to avenge its loss to Sweden. The Swedes have the second-best odds at +350, with the Netherlands right there at +400.
A few other countries, like Great Britain (+600), Brazil (+900), Japan (+1200) and Canada (+1400), are in the hunt too.
WV Sportsbook Olympic Specials
There are a lot of other available markets to wager on for the Tokyo Olympics. The options currently show odds for men’s and women’s beach volleyball, along with many others.
There are odds for boxing, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, judo, rowing, handball, and field hockey, and plenty of gymnastics odds are available as well.
Online sportsbooks also feature a few markets that involve the entirety of the Olympics.
Bettors can put action down on whether the US hits its over for the number of gold medals won. Currently, DraftKings has the number set at 43.5.
The operator shows odds for the most medals and most gold medals overall.
To no surprise, the US leads this category, with only China having odds that are relatively close. You can take the Americans at -1200 or China with odds of +600.
The online sportsbook lists the following countries to compete for the title:
- Japan +2500
- Great Britain +2500
- Russian OC +2500
You’re able to wager on individual athletes in certain events, too.
Users can take Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky to win over 4.5 gold medals with some fairly favorable odds. This market includes team events.
Biles is offered at +300 to earn five or more golds, compared to Ledecky at +900.
The online sportsbook created a market just for the incredible swimmer to sweep a few of her individual races. Ledecky is available at -125 to win the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events.
Be sure to keep checking in with your favorite online sportsbook to see additional odds release as events prepare to start. The Tokyo Olympics conclude on Sunday, Aug. 8.
