The Olympic flame was extinguished on Sunday with the closing ceremony, but the numbers left behind by the Milan Cortina Winter Games tell a story that goes beyond medals.
The Olympic effect was also felt in sports betting, although not as strongly as during other major international events.
One example comes from the Czech Republic, where, in the Olympic year, bookmakers accepted bets worth more than 1.6 billion Czech koruna — the equivalent of approximately €64 million.
That amount is €24 million higher than during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
This significant increase confirms how the Olympic event temporarily expands the betting market, attracting even people who do not normally bet on a regular basis.
Still, the Olympics are not the main driver of sports betting.
Unlike the World Cup or the Ice Hockey Championships, the Games are considered a “complementary” event: they mainly attract casual players, motivated by media attention and support for national athletes. For that audience, promotional comparisons and retention-focused offers — such as the options covered in our guide to best betting rewards — often play an important role in how and where they place bets.
In the Czech Republic, annual per-capita spending on betting is around 1,400 koruna, or about €56.
Compared with other consumption habits, this figure appears modest: on average, each person consumes 130 liters of beer, 20 liters of wine, and 6 liters of spirits per year.
Total spending on betting is lower than spending on alcohol.
The real bottleneck, however, remains the illegal market. According to available official studies, up to a quarter of bets end up on unauthorized platforms. As regulatory scrutiny increases, readers also tend to compare adjacent gambling segments — including payment-focused casino options highlighted in our bonus crab casino paysafecard article.
