Betting on the 2008 Summer Olympics: Including Great Futures

The month of August typically serves as the silence before the storm. Gamblers begin opening their online gambling accounts preparing for football come September yet there isn't a whole lot to bet on besides baseball. Enter betting on the 2008 Summer Olympics.

It's been four years since the last Summer Olympics event took place and there isn't a whole lot of data to show just how much wagering will occur. In 2004, not every online sports book was offering wagers on the Olympics. Even today, some betting firms provide sparse offerings.

BetUS.com is one site offering a pretty wide array of Summer Olympics betting options.

They have odds on each of the initial men's basketball games, women's basketball, men's handball, women's handball, men's soccer, men's water polo.

Betting on the 2008 Summer Olympics is made even more fun with the vast number of futures being offered on several events that Gambling911.com will be focusing in on more closely over the next several days.

SBG Global had odds on "Most Overall Medals" - China being the favorite, but not by much. USA was pretty even at +110 odds with the payout potential being $110 for every $100 bet.

SBG also had odds on which country will receive a baseball gold medal (Cuba is the favorite), Men's basketball gold (USA is a huge -700 favorite), women's basketball gold (USA is again a big favorite), soccer gold (Brazil and Argentina both pay around 2/1 odds), women's soccer, handball, water polo, our personal favorite - volleyball.

And which country will win the most gold medals? Russia is the slightly better than even favorite with Cuba very close at +150 odds. Team USA would pay $500 for every $100 bet.

Watch for Gambling911.com's extensive 2008 Summer Olympics betting coverage starting this weekend.