Betting on Olympics in Latin America

Latin American nations aren’t good at winter sports. No one really expects the athletes coming from these countries to win any medals in such events as skiing, ice hockey, skating, or biathlon. Let Norwegians, Russians, Swiss, Austrians, and Canadians go for these.

But, the hopes are bigger when it comes to the Summer Olympics. This is true especially for Brazilians. After all, this nation will host the next Summer Olympics in 2016.

Sports in Brazil are popular. Brazilian football and volleyball teams are among the best in the world. Brazil was also one of the best-performing Latin American nations in Beijing, winning 15 medals, including 3 golds. (Cuba won 24, but only 2 gold ones).

But, is that good enough for a nation of nearly 200 million? (After all, Canada with only 30 million people won 18 medals in Beijing). We don’t think so, especially since Brazil will be the next host. Surely, Brazilians will do their best to win more medals this year and four years later. And what does it mean for Olympic sports punters?

First, Brazilian gambling laws aren’t friendly to most forms of betting and foreign operators can’t be based in this vast and quickly growing country.

Without the expertise in sports betting coming from such brand names as Ladbrokes, wagering on athletic events may not thrive.

However, Brazilian punters like to visit offshore online sportsbooks sites and place their bets there.

Given the rapid increase in technology, Brazilians are equipped to access mobile gambling as well, be it sports or casino gambling in Brazil, via their smartphones.

But, will the laws change in time for Rio 2016 Summer Olympics? That we are yet to see. One thing is sure: this populous and economically developing country is of interest to many foreign sportsbook operators, while punters there want better options to bet on their favorite sports and athletes.