Complete Guide to Olympics Betting

The 2012 London Olympics commence this Friday. All the citizens of the world will take a break from their daily routine and fix their eyes on the sporting action, while the Games also presents a fantastic opportunity for online betting.

Olympics betting becomes a bigger and bigger deal every four years, and this time is no different. All the major online sportsbooks like William Hill, bet365 and 888sport are offering odds on basically every sport and event category, and many of them are throwing in country and individual-specific specials as well. So the best thing to do is decide which sport you want to bet on, and then check out what's on offer.

The International Olympic Committee has said it is confident of stamping out illegal gambling and match-fixing from London Olympics events, which means punters can feel more comfortable about placing their wager. The IOC will work closely with British authorities to ensure that corruption does not blight the Games, and regular people can bet in a responsible gambling environment.

William Hill Online has already taken the step of providing a scroll down menu on its homepage, making it easier to locate the event on which you wish to place a wager. Select men or women, then pick which of the more than two-dozen sports you wish to bet on, and then the exact event. For example, pick men's swimming and you will have the option of betting on gold medallist or podium finishers on all the events.

888sport is the place to go for Olympics betting specials. The online bookmaker is offering odds on the performances of a number of individual and country medal possibilities. For example, it is asking punters to decide which combination of golds Usain Bolt will take from his four events. The Jamaican sprint champ is 12/1 to win all of the 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay and 4x400m Relay gold medals.

London 2012 promos are likely to pop up as the event goes on, but for the moment we recommend you take advantage of a host of welcome and deposit bonuses to find that extra cash wish with you can place a wager. It's also worth checking out the live betting action at the leading online sportsbooks mentioned in this article, as they will be working around the clock.

One of the best Olympics promos running already is 888sport's 88 th minute special, which promises to compensate you the amount of your bet if a late winner is scored. Place a single bet of at least €/£/$5 in the Two Win (90 Minutes), Last Goal Scorer or Correct Score markets, and if a goal is scored by either team from the 88 th minute until the end of normal time and cancels your win, you will receive a free bet of up to €/£/$50.