Sportsbooks in the state of Nevada will see a return of Olympic betting thanks to an amendment approved recently by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The amendment will allow sportsbooks in the state to offer wagering options for athletic or sporting events that are sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.  The amendment passed unanimously.

Olympic betting was banned in Nevada in 2001 when Senator John McCain pushed for amateur sports betting to be banned.  With betting on amateur events such as the Olympics prohibited within the state, Nevada was at a disadvantage.

Industry insiders, such as the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for CG Technology Quinton Singleton, stated that travelers from other areas such as the UK, would wonder why betting on the Olympics was not allowed in Nevada.  The amendment should be good for summer,  a seasonally slow time in Nevada.  The Olympic Summer Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on Aug 5-21 , 2016.

William Hill, like many other sportsbooks in the state of Nevada, is excited to offer betting on the Olympic once again.  Soon after the amendment passed, the 2016 Summer Games odds went live on the William Hill sportsbook.  William Hill has placed the US men’s basketball team as the favorite to win the gold by minus-320 odds. Brazil was picked to win the gold in men’s soccer with odds of plus-250 at the site.