Betting on Curling News- Curling Is Quietly Crushing the Olympic Betting Markets

Curling Is Quietly Crushing the Olympic Betting Markets

February 21, 2026

Hockey was supposed to dominate the sportsbooks at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Nobody told the curling fans.
In what oddsmakers are calling one of the more surprising trends of this Winter Games, curling has emerged as a genuine betting force — pulling in handle that senior traders say they simply did not see coming. Sweeping stones, roaring crowds in Cortina, and a dash of cheating controversy have combined to make the sport a must-watch for bettors looking for an edge in less-charted territory.

“There’s definitely a stronger curling-hockey split than what was expected,” said Chris Pearce, senior trader at Caesars Sportsbook. And the numbers are backing him up.

“The curling alone is going to take a million dollars overall. If you would have told me at the start, I wouldn’t have believed you.” — Chris Pearce, Senior Trader, Caesars Sportsbook

That seven-figure projection for a single Olympic sport — one most Americans only encounter every four years — signals something real is happening. The Milan-Cortina Games are already tracking well ahead of the 2022 Beijing cycle, partly because legal sports betting has expanded dramatically across the US, and partly because the time zone makes live viewing far more accessible for North American audiences. Pearce noted Caesars had already surpassed their entire Beijing Olympic handle within the first five or six days of competition.

Why Curling Works So Well for Bettors

The appeal isn’t just novelty. Curling has structural qualities that make it genuinely attractive from a wagering perspective. Christian Cipollini, senior trading manager at BetMGM, put it plainly: “It’s kind of relatable, it’s an easy watch, you can understand it very quickly.”

That accessibility matters. Unlike speedskating, which is decided in under two minutes, a curling match unfolds over several hours with frequent lead changes, momentum swings, and natural pause points after each end of play. Every end creates a fresh betting window, letting sportsbooks offer live lines throughout the match rather than front-loading all the action on a pre-game moneyline.

“Curling is one that continues to go live, so that’s what ends up getting it more popularity from a handle standpoint,” Cipollini said. He estimated the handle on a single curling match is comparable to a low-to-mid-tier college basketball game — a significant benchmark for a sport most casual bettors had never previously wagered on.

Bettor’s Edge: Curling’s in-play markets often feature softer lines than heavily modeled American sports. Sportsbooks price these matches with less historical data, which can create value for bettors who follow the sport closely or study team form before placing a wager.

Competition and Controversy in Cortina

The curling events at these Games have delivered plenty of storylines to keep bettors engaged. Sweden claimed gold in mixed doubles, defeating the United States in a closely contested final. The men’s and women’s round robins are in full swing, with tight matchups keeping futures markets active and moneylines in constant motion.

Adding intrigue to the proceedings, allegations of rule-breaking have surfaced — drawing attention from the International Olympic Committee, which monitors betting integrity closely, and from the broader sports betting community. Controversy drives engagement, and curling’s current spotlight is no exception.

What This Means Going Forward

The Olympic bump for curling will fade once the Games wrap up — it always does. But each four-year cycle introduces a new wave of bettors to the sport, and some of them will carry that interest into World Championship and Grand Slam tour events that run year-round. For bettors looking to build expertise in a less-crowded market, now is the ideal time to start paying attention.

For sportsbooks, the data from Milan-Cortina reinforces what operators have long suspected: niche Olympic sports can generate serious volume when the conditions are right. Curling in 2026 has them all — accessible broadcast times, live betting infrastructure, and a fiercely competitive international field.