Article by Sebastian Vasile – Published Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 4:05 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 4:15 p.m.
Ice hockey is the leading sport at the Winter Olympics in terms of betting, but curling has taken bookies by surprise, according to sportal.bg.
Bettors show a serious interest in this atypical sport, which every four years, during the Winter Olympics, arouses the public's curiosity.
Curling took the betting houses by surprise
“Certainly, there is more interest in curling compared to hockey than we expected”, said Chris Pearce, senior trader at an American betting site.
The total betting volume, the so-called “handle”, at these Olympics is expected to significantly exceed that of Beijing 2022, mainly due to the expansion of legal sports betting in the US and the more convenient time zone, which makes it easier to watch the events live.
- “Handle” means the total amount of money wagered by players during a period or event.
“Curling will pass 1 million dollars”
“Curling alone will break seven figures, totaling over $1 million. If someone had told me at the beginning that there would be more than 1 million dollars bet on curling, I wouldn't have believed them, but the interest is really highPearce also said.
The International Olympic Committee said it closely monitors betting on Olympic sports to protect the integrity of the Games. According to the IOC, the total global betting volume for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics reached a record 11 billion euros.
