The 2026 Winter Games are already underway, and with them, wagering on the multitude of events that will play out over the next few weeks in northern Italy.
To be sure, the Olympics (especially the Winter Games) aren’t going to be every bettors’ cup of tea. It’s not the Super Bowl, March Madness, or the World Cup. But the Games are happening, and can be bet on, so people are going to do it, and perhaps more than you think.
- The 2026 Winter Games arrive amid a booming sports betting landscape, including the rise of U.S. prediction markets that expand wagering beyond traditional sportsbooks.
- Regulators, the IOC, and integrity groups are closely monitoring betting activity and educating athletes to prevent match-fixing and other integrity breaches.
- Despite ongoing concerns and calls for stronger international cooperation, some officials sound confident that safeguards will keep the Games fair.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) estimated that around US$13 billion was bet on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, a record amount and up more than 20% from the 2021 Tokyo Games and 50% from Rio 2016.
What’s more, these Olympics arrive during an interesting time for online sports betting, which continues to boom.
Among other things, a de facto version of sports wagering has bloomed in the U.S. via federally regulated prediction markets, a significant change from the last Olympics.
There also continues to be concern about how legal and illegal sports betting is affecting the integrity of all sport, not just the Olympics. Various integrity scandals continue to pop up, prompting concern from lawmakers and regulators.
“Generally, I would say the risk of competition manipulation in sport is high, and it is a serious issue that needs to be focused on,” Jeremy Luke, president and CEO of Sport Integrity Canada, told Covers on Thursday.
The IOC said there were a few betting-related issues identified during the Paris Games “involving athletes and entourage members.”
After further investigation, though, it was determined “there was no manipulation of competitions and/or intention to manipulate any event in any of these situations.”
Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman are already on a roll at #MilanoCortina2026 ending the reigning Olympic champs 22-game win streak‼️🥌
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 5, 2026
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So, betting on the Olympics isn’t new, and the IOC is indeed focused on the issue of match-fixing, having already announced several initiatives to ensure events remain on the level. Olympians, too, have been briefed on various betting-related concerns and responsibilities they’ll have, such as not betting on the Games.
In short, while there should be a fair share of money staked on the Olympics, there is confidence that its integrity will remain intact.
The IOC says it has been tracking betting across all Olympic events since the London Games in 2012 “using advanced analytical tools and human expertise.”
Those tools will be in place again for the 2026 Games, with further help from outside entities like the International Betting Integrity Association and sportsbook operators themselves.
For example, the IOC announced in December that a “Joint Integrity Unit” (JIU) will operate during the Winter Games “to prevent and address integrity breaches during Milano Cortina 2026.”
“It is designed to ensure rapid and effective information sharing between sports disciplinary bodies and law-enforcement agencies - a system successfully implemented at every edition of the Games since London 2012,” the committee said.
The IOC’s chief ethics and compliance officer, Giuseppe Deleonardis, noted in a press release that “integrity breaches” can range from attempts at match-fixing to bribery to “unethical behaviour by accredited individuals.”
Crash course in competition manipulation
Match-fixing is always a particular concern, though. The IOC noted the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) has an "Integrity Betting Intelligence System" in place to pick up on any suspicious wagering activity. Given all this, there is confidence that anything untoward will be detected.
“Building upon the experience of many past editions of the Games, and most recently on the strong cooperation with the French stakeholders during Paris 2024, we are fully confident in our ability to monitor the Games effectively, communicate swiftly with partners, and identify potential breaches,” said Friedrich Martens, head of the OM Unit PMC, in a press release.
There are also efforts to prepare athletes on a country-to-country basis. Luke said Sport Integrity Canada designed education modules not just for use by Canadian Olympians, but also trainers and coaches and other members of the Canadian Olympic delegation.
Those modules help get the audience up to speed on competition manipulation, the obligations of athletes and staff, and where they can turn to report suspicious activity.
“We ensure that every participant who goes to the Games has gone through that level of education before they go,” Luke said.
The type of education that athletes and others are receiving has evolved with the business of sports betting as well. For example, the rise of microbetting means athletes need to know that match-fixing could extend to manipulating outcomes within an event itself, such as a single serve in tennis.
“So I'd say our education is trying to evolve to help people understand what competition manipulation is, how it can manifest, and how it relates to gambling and developments within the gaming world,” Luke said.
Some athletes may be more aware than others. A player on the Canadian hockey team is likely more versed in sports betting than, say, a cross-country skier.
An athlete who plays a sport that doesn’t pay much, or at a lower level than a professional, could also pose a greater integrity risk than one earning millions of dollars.
“So we want to make sure we educate people at that level before they end up on the Olympics team as well,” Luke said.
Only one day to go... In every love story there's a moment when you 'just know'. The air feels different, you smile for no reason... That moment is NOW! Tomorrow, the #MilanoCortina2026 Opening Ceremony kicks off the #WinterOlympics love story, Italian style. 🫶🇮🇹😍 📆… pic.twitter.com/0fkTQu9XsY
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 5, 2026
With all that being said, there may be room for improvement. Canada, for instance, is not a signatory to the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, otherwise known as the Macolin Convention.
The convention is “a legal instrument and the only rule of international law on the manipulation of sports competitions,” the Council of Europe’s (COE) website explains.
“It requests public authorities to co-operate with sports organisations, betting operators and competition organisers to prevent, detect and sanction the manipulation of sports competitions,” the COE adds. “It proposes a common legal framework for an efficient international cooperation to respond to this global threat.”
Having that sort of help could come in handy for Canada, the U.S., or Mexico with an event much more heavily bet than the Olympics coming to North America later this year, the World Cup.
“That's a step that we’d really like to see,” Luke said.
