The Olympics have been an online sports gambling bonanza

Today is the last day of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and what a feast of sport it has been. From an Irish perspective, most observers comment that they have never witnessed anything like the fervour and excitement of the predominately Irish crowd in the Excel Arena to watch Katie Taylor win her boxing gold medal, and some have asked just how so many Irish sports fans managed to get tickets. Sports gambling fans must have had a field day with so many sports to choose from, and most also available to watch on terrestrial television. No-one has ever questioned the Irish passion for gambling on sports, particularly horse racing and football, but this last two weeks appear to have taken that passion to another level. It will be interesting to hear just how well the online sports gambling sites have done during the Olympics, particularly as many online gambling operators reported disappointing results from the recent European football tournament which they blamed on the lack of unexpected results. With the Olympics now over, sports gambling fans can return to the more mainstream sports and with the English Premier League opening games just one week away there will be plenty of football gambling opportunities to occupy our minds. In the meantime, today also sees the final round of the last golf major of 2012, the US PGA Championship being held this year at Kiawah Island. With the current crop of Irish golfers high in the world rankings, gambling on golf has increased dramatically in Ireland over recent years, particularly during the major championships. Whilst the range of sports for gambling fans to watch can never compete with an Olympic Games, there is no doubt that Irish sports gambling fans will always follow football and of course horse racing, and more and more of them will do their sports gambling online.