The 2026 Winter Olympics is officially underway as of Wednesday, Feb. 4, despite the opening ceremony not taking place until Friday. The winter games are always an exciting time for athletes and sports fans across the world, and it’s also a big time for sports bettors looking to place wagers on all sorts of different events and markets. SportsLine betting expert Mike Tierney has shared his best bets for the 2026 Winter Olympics, with a lean on the amount of gold medals the United States will earn as well as three U.S. athletes he’s targeting to take home the gold in their respective events. All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

United States Winter Olympics Gold Medals: Under 12.5 (-102)

The United States has never reached double-digit gold in any Winter Olympics where it has not played host. Even when the Americans rolled out the red carpet in Salt Lake City 24 years ago, they managed just 10 of the most coveted medals.

Of course, fresh events are added each quadrennium, many of which favor the U.S., so some improvement is expected. But going from nine in 2022 to 13 this month is a daunting leap.

The Over players have been motivated partly by the once-bright prospects of ultra-popular Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. However, a knee injury not only removes the 41-year-old skier from gold contention, but jeopardizes her participation.

Another incentive for going Over has been support for the men’s hockey team in the politically-charged rivalry with Canada. Yet the Canadians are clear favorites.

While 13 golds are not beyond reach, some U.S. bettors wager with their hearts more than their heads. (This is reflected in the -126 tariff-like charge on the Over.) At a more reasonable -102, the Under makes better sense.

Here are three red-white-and-blue athletes worth considering for individual bets.

Alex Hall, men’s freeski slopestyle (+430)

Any time the defending Olympic champion is third on the oddboards, it’s worth a look. Hall has been a regular throughout his career on the medals podium, with multiple golds at the latest Winter X Games that brought his X total to a dozen and a bronze at the most recent World Championships. Given that the favorite (Birk Ruud of Norway) carries modest odds of +240, this event appears wide-open. The latest Olympic king is a logical play.

Alysa Liu, women’s singles figure skating (+270)

Liu announced her return from a two-year “retirement” quite loudly with a gold in the 2025 World Championships. She pulled it off after less than a year back on the ice, so an even better performance looms. There were no medals at the Beijing Games, but she was barely 16 years old. The experience should serve her well here. As the gold recipient at the U.S. Championships at a mere 13 years old, the one-time prodigy is on the cusp of bigger things.

Jessica Diggins, women’s cross country 10K (+310) 

Diggins pocketed three medals in 2022, including bronze in this event. Unlike Vonn’s knee injury, a broken pinky toe last year did not set Diggins back, and she is poised to close out her Olympics career with a gold in her fourth try. Her most promising discipline is in this 10K. A gold at the 2023 Worlds followed by a silver last year sets Diggins up for a strong, climactic Olympics closeout.