Olympic betting: Aces star A'ja Wilson bails out sportsbooks, bettors with gold

LAS VEGAS — The U.S. women’s basketball team bailed out sportsbooks and bettors alike Sunday in the final medal event of the Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Americans, who entered the Games as heavy -2,500 favorites to garner their eighth straight gold, erased a 10-point second-half deficit to host France and escaped with a 67-66 win. It was the closest victory by the U.S. during its 61-game Olympic winning streak.

“We won a little bit on Team USA basketball, both men and women, just because people took shots on France (to win gold),” Westgate SuperBook Olympic oddsmaker Joe Tatka said. “We had action across the board on it.

“It would’ve been a small hit (if the U.S. women lost) but the shock value of it would have just been crazy.”

The Americans’ comeback win — led by Aces star A’ja Wilson — also gave the U.S. its 40th gold in Paris to seal a tie with China for the most in the Games.

The U.S. was a -600 favorite at the SuperBook to win the most golds and China was the +450 second choice.

The SuperBook and South Point paid out both sides as winners.

“We didn’t have any specific rules to divide,” Tatka said. “We just paid out everybody.”

While some books pay out half the amount of a bet in the case of a tie, BetMGM graded the U.S. as the winner of the gold medal prop because of a tiebreaker rule for winning more silvers than China. Bettors at other sportsbooks should check their house rules.

The SuperBook won when the U.S. went under its gold medal total of 40 1/2.

“People were betting the over on that,” Tatka said.

The U.S. men’s basketball team also held off France to win its fifth straight gold. The Americans, who entered the Olympics as odds-on -500 favorites, rallied from a 17-point deficit in a 95-91 semifinal win over Serbia.

Tatka said the SuperBook needed the U.S. to win gold because bettors backed long shots.

“There’s so much value there, you can’t blame people for taking it,” Tatka said. “It ended up being a lot closer than what we imagined.

“When you need the U.S. to win, it helps just as a citizen to be able to cheer for the U.S. and not kind of secretly hope that they lose.”

Tatka said the SuperBook won overall on Olympic betting.

“We did good, not great. We took a couple bad hits here and there,” Tatka said. “It’s very niche. There’s a lot of sharp action.”

Biggest losers at book

Julien Alfred was one of the biggest long shots to cash for bettors at the SuperBook when the St. Lucian sprinter won the 100-meter dash. She upset American Sha’Carri Richardson, who settled for silver.

Alfred’s odds before the Games were as long as 15-1 to win the event. Tatka said the SuperBook took $2,000 in wagers on her at +450.

The Westgate also lost on American Quincy Hall’s comeback win in the 400-meter dash.

“He was about 4-1 when people were betting him,” Tatka said. “He was behind with about 150 meters left and he came back and won the gold medal. That was a pretty big swing for us.”

Bettors also cashed in on heavily-favored South African swimmer Tatjana Smith’s comeback win in the 100-meter breaststroke.

“The last 50 meters, she went from being in fourth place to first place,” Tatka said. “That kind of swung swimming, at least on the women’s side. On the men’s side of swimming, we did really well.”

The SuperBook also lost on men’s 3-on-3 basketball when the Netherlands stunned France in overtime.

“We needed France to win and they were winning and the guy from the Netherlands throws up a buzzer beater to send it to overtime and hits another buzzer beater to win the game,” Tatka said. “We were sitting there watching it and our jaws dropped.”

The U.S. women’s soccer team dealt the book a small loss when it beat Brazil, 1-0, for its first gold medal in 12 years.

Tatka expects the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles to generate more action.

“I’m counting on it,” he said.