2008 Bejing Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, are an international multi-sport event, that will be held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008, and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics from September 6 to September 17. 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports. The Olympics only takes place every four years and they take place in different areas all around the world, depending on the year. As a result, it can be difficult to geographically amass the same amount of passion and desire to place wagers in a specific location as it would be online. Thanks to the online world, betting on Olympics has never been easier, more fruitful or as likely to amass the great amount of people and money for a specific event.

Men’s Olympic Football is getting ready to kick into gear in Bejing, and there are some great bets to make on the event starting with Argentina listed as favorites.

Argentina's odds to win the Beijing Olympics Football Gold Medal are currently sitting at +188.

One thing that the Argentineans have going against them is that no team has repeated since 1968 when Hungary won for the second time in a row.

2008 Olympics Betting Odds - Bet on the Olympics at Sportbet Sportsbook

China is the favorite to win the most gold medals overall. In case anyone needs to be reminded,“Most gold medals overall” is easily the most significant accomplishment (and therefore wager) of the Olympics, at least from a national point of view. The nation hosting the Olympics typically gets more medals than usual for several reasons: Firs, home crowds are a great inspiration to their athletes, who are familiar with the venues. Furthermore, the host country qualifies automatically in team sports such as football, softball and baseball, so it ends up participating in more events. China has also seen a steady rise in its medal count for the last two decades, mainly due to the breakup of the Soviet Union. In the 2004 Athens Games, China came second only to the US in the gold medal count. China finished with 32 golds and 63 medals overall, while the US won 36 gold medals and 102 medals overall.

One event that never fails to draw attention is the men’s 100 meters sprint, the race that determines the identity of "the fastest man in the world". Two giants will collide on the track in Beijing. Holder of the current world record of 9.74 seconds, Jamaican Asafa Powell, will attempt to win his first Olympic medal.

Though he still holds this amazing unbeaten world record, he is considered an underdog by the bookmakers, who are offering a payout of 11:4 (3.75 decimal) if he wins. Betting on American Tyson Gay pays out considerably less - 5:4 (2.25). The rising star with no Olympic medals under his belt is favored mainly due to his recent performance at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, where Gay defeated Powell with a time of 9.85 seconds, and became the new 100 meters world champion.

Top 10 Country Medal Count