US is hot for Olympics bettors

The over/under for total U.S. medals is 103.5 at online betting site Bovada.lv, and the line for gold medals won by U.S. athletes is 42.5.

The U.S. men’s basketball team — led in part by Golden State Warriors Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the recently signed Kevin Durant — is an overwhelming favorite to win gold.

The U.S. men’s soccer didn’t qualify, but the U.S. women are 13-to-10 favorites, followed by Germany at 11 to 5, France at 4 to 1 and Brazil at 5 to 1.

The Westgate hasn’t offered Olympics betting since 2000, but the casino is bringing back wagering because of heightened interest, mostly in basketball, soccer and track events, Kornegay said,

There’s some interest, but it’s middling compared with big events such as the NCAA basketball tournament or even a mid-season NFL game.

Kornegay noted that results made final by Olympics officials will stand regardless of whether an athlete is later disqualified due to, for example, a drug violation.