The ancient Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece (776 BCE) utilized gambling by way of their chariot race and games. The audience of the first modern Olympics (1896) in Athens was publicly participating in informal wagering pools. By the end of the century, there were state lotteries and bookmakers utilizing profit from wagering on the Games to pre-fund athletic initiatives in the countries that hosted the Games.
Commercialization peaked in the 80s and at the IOC secured $1.4 billion in sponsorship agreements for the previously postponed 2020 Tokyo Games. The IOC has prohibitive sponsorships tethered to betting. However, there are still ‘sponsorships’ tethering advertising/media that permit betting companies to trivially take advantage of both the sport and the audience. This is akin to utilizing marketing, advertising, and sponsorships within the scope of digital betting and online betting accounts in unregulated markets.
Sponsorship Offering for Emerging Markets
The cultural importance of the Olympics to Asian countries can be illustrated through both the 2008 Summer Olympics that took place in Beijing, as well as the 2020 Summer Olympics that took place in Japan. Depending on local regulations and gaming interests, local coverage of the Olympics is configured to local sports interests. For operators looking to target Mongolia, where wrestling and archery are Olympic sporting events, mobile gaming and betting options are gaining popularity. Companies such as MelBet Mongolia have mobile access-oriented mobile designs for their betting platforms. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing were reportedly viewed by 300 million people in China, and had a 25% increase number of bets placed in licensed gambling apps, per the Asian Racing Federation. However, with policies similar to the Remote Gambling Act of 2014 in Singapore, which limits non-licensed gambling, the region is giving non-licensed gambling operators the most business.
The betting industry’s focus in emerging Asian markets is:
- Localized Content: Customizing the user interface to personalized regional languages and integrating region-specific sports like kabaddi in India or sumo in Japan.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensuring seamless access on low-bandwidth networks, which is essential to make betting accessible to Mongolian and Indonesian rural populations.
- Cultural Tie-Ins: Strategic promotion alignment with culturally significant events like the Lunar New Year to leverage increased engagement during the Olympics.
Regulatory and Ethical Risks
The reach and play of online casinos is regulated by global authorities due to gambling infractions in the Olympics. The IOC holds the Olympic Charter, which states that no gambling or match-fixing is permitted, in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. In 2023, Interpol investigated over 200 betting fraud cases, 40% of which were on Asian Olympic qualifiers, due to the high internet availability in Asia.
Key measures include:
- Age and Identity Verification: Following implementation by the UK’s Gambling Commission, underage access has been reduced by 30% since 2020.
- Defensive Money Laundering Protocols: Transaction checks during high-risk periods and volume were evaluated by the Financial Action Task Force.
- Data Transparency Requirements: This was part of the EU’s 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. This is to make sure that there is no manipulation and that the odds are disclosed.
- Geoblocking for Restricted Areas: This is the case for India, where betting is limited to state lotteries.
Although there may be delays in the enforcement of these frameworks in certain Asian provinces, the frameworks are intended to protect participants.
Economic Impacts on Host Economies
The infrastructure and tourism that online casino activities for the Olympics provide are unique to the host economies. For the 2024 Paris Games, France estimated there would be a €10 billion inflow of cash, with part of the licensed betting monopoly capturing some of the cash. Asia’s viewership betting for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will also drive compliant platforms.
Deloitte estimated that sports betting will exceed $200 billion, with Asia holding 35% of the market, primarily through mobile betting. Niche sports such as taekwondo in South Korea will drive real-time wagering. Smaller economies like Mongolia will be impacted indirectly through their overseas population betting.
Betting volumes from the last several Olympics below, based on the European Gaming and Betting Association data:
| Olympic Event | Year | Host City | Estimated Global Betting Volume in USD | Primary Markets Involved |
| Summer Olympics | 2016 | Rio De Janeiro | 137 billion | Europe, North America |
| Winter Olympics | 2018 | PyeongChang | 15 billion | Asia, Europe |
| Summer Olympics | 2020 | Tokyo | 150 billion | Asia-Pacific, Europe |
| Winter Olympics | 2022 | Beijing | 20 billion | China, South Korea, Europe |
| Summer Olympics | 2024 | Paris | 160 billion (projected) | Europe, global online |
These trends point to the influence of technological expansion.
Innovations in Olympic Betting
With the Olympics audience, online gambling companies are utilizing technology in new and exciting ways. For instance, wagering utilizing smart contracts on Ethereum provides an additional level of trust since it is based on blockchain technology and allows the wagering process to remain transparent while counteracting fraud by securely and verifiably recording the events. In fact, using the Ethereum blockchain with smart contracts to support wagering companies shows a 15% increase in trust (Statista, 2024)! AI takes on real-time odds betting means the user has personal control over betting and odds alteration based on the user and/or their betting and/or environmental location, which is becoming significant in South Korea and Japan.
Online Augmented Reality (AR) is a novel concept for everyone, and the limited AE (Augmented Engagement) is being piloted with introductory AR virtual Olympic event wagering, allowing users to bet using computer-generated individuals on events like the 100M run! The Singapore AR gaming trial in 2025 recognized a 20% increase in engagement for the 18-34 demographic (Asian Gaming Association). Additionally, the IOC has considered taking esports to the Olympic Games, providing more potential innovations for betting markets. Digital games have brought gaming, such as League of Legends, into the Asian market, with the Asian video gaming industry making up 57% of the world’s esports industry revenue (Newzoo).
Advanced Integration and Oversight
The continuing growth of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence will make Olympic betting more secure and transparent. Bets will be placed on events during the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Some platforms will use augmented reality to create virtual Olympic simulations. This will be especially interesting to the young people in Asia. The IOC is considering adding esports to the Olympics, and it will likely be integrated with some gambling controls.
More controls will be added to the Asia markets due to the World Anti-Doping Agency. Asia will see controlled and harmonized regulations in the world of gambling introduced from India and Mongolia. This seems to be the beginning of more controlled gambling, which is fine considering the primary values of the Games: fair competition.
