Betting on the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is starting to heat up over at Bodog’s online sportsbook. The Olympic odds on the overall medal count and the men’s hockey competition are of particular interest to our bettors, but we have odds on other events – including curling.

Germany went into the Games as the 1/1 favorite to earn the most medals, followed by the host, Canada, at 9/4 and the United States at 3/1. As expected, the Canadians and the Americans received the most wagering support, no doubt in part for patriotic reasons.

All three countries have enjoyed strong starts to the Games, with the United States off to the early lead in the medal count. However, the large majority of medals have yet to be awarded.

For North Americans, the real glamour event of the Winter Olympics is men’s ice hockey. With the Games being held in Canada, that makes it all the more interesting (and convenient) for all of our American and Canadian hockey fans and bettors.

For Team Canada, it’s roster of NHL superstars include Sidney Crosby, Joe Thornton and Jarome Iginla went off as the overwhelming even-odds favorite at Bodog, followed by the almost as star-studded Russians at 2/1 and the Americans at 6/1.

I’ve seen other sportsbooks that have the Canadians as low as 1/2 to win gold, so the pressure’s clearly on the host. Whether that’s good or not has yet to be determined. Remember that Team Canada has only won gold once in three tries since 1998, the year NHLers started playing at the Games.

At Bodog, our bettors are all over Team USA at 6/1. You might think that’s mainly for patriotic reasons, and that’s obviously partly true. But the Americans also have goalie Ryan Miller, who’s enjoyed a fantastic NHL season to date with the Buffalo Sabres. In a win-or-go-home tournament like the Winter Olympics, goaltending is often the deciding factor.

We’ll be keeping our eyes on this Sunday’s matchups as Russia plays the Czech Republic; followed by Canada versus the United States; and then it’s Sweden vs. Finland.

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