As the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games gets underway with a low-key opening ceremony amid the pandemic, despite apparent dampened interest due the COVID-19 crisis, the summer event presents an exciting opportunity for bettors and bookmakers alike.

FanDuel’s ‘Covering the Spread’ delved into week one of the sporting spectacle, with hosts Jim Sannes and Ed Feng welcoming handicapper Drew Dinsick to the podcast to digest the Games.

Discussing the Tokyo 2020, Dinsick pointed out that bettors should look for ‘micro-edges’ in order to enjoy a ‘profitable’ Olympics.

“In the same sense that the sports bettor himself or herself doesn’t really have a tonne to go off in terms of sample size, the bookmaker does neither,” he explained.

“There are for sure some markets where small pieces of information and small areas of expertise will go a long way to finding advantage edges. There are some markets that will come and go as we go through this Olympic cycle and it’s super fun to pick away at.

“I think there are 339 gold medals that will be awarded and if you shop around, you’re going to be able to find a market for almost every one of those medals over the course of these two weeks, so there will be a lot of opportunities.

“If you’re doing your homework and reading the rules, you can probably find an advantage in some sports and some spots.”

Despite a number of new sports making their debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Dinsick pointed out that the more traditional events will draw more interest.

“From an entertainment standpoint, swimming in week one and track and field in week two are the main events if you’re going to sit down and consume the primetime broadcasts,” Dinsick continued. “This is the only time in the four-year cycle that you’re going to get to sink into what is going on. 

“Those tend to be much more interesting to me than the team sports stuff; basketball and soccer. The idea that Olympic basketball or Olympic soccer is going to be anywhere close to the quality that you just saw in the NBA finals or Euro 2020 is crazy.

“So, focus more on the sports where you have athletes that have put four or five years into preparing for this moment.”