The Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026 kicks off today (February 6), a good moment to look back at Beijing 2022 and examine which iGaming markets actually benefit from the event.
Blask Index data shows that a handful of European markets with deep winter sports traditions saw measurable activity uplift during the Games. But several countries where you’d expect strong interest — including the 2018 host nation — showed no response or even declined.
Switzerland: Strongest signal
Switzerland delivered the strongest response of any market we tracked. Average Blask Index activity rose from 2.8–2.9K in January to 4K during the Games (4–20 February) — an uplift of roughly 40%. Peak activity expanded even more dramatically, reaching 6–7.5K versus pre-Games highs of 4–5K.
This aligns with Switzerland’s deep connection to winter sports. Alpine skiing dominates the national sports culture — resorts like Zermatt, St. Moritz, and Verbier are global destinations, and the country has hosted the Winter Olympics twice (St. Moritz 1928 and 1948). At Beijing 2022, Switzerland finished eighth in the medal table with 15 medals (seven gold), dominated by alpine skiing stars like Beat Feuz, Marco Odermatt, and Lara Gut-Behrami.
Austria: The birthplace of modern skiing
Austria showed a consistent uplift pattern. Average activity increased from 30–32K to 39K during the Olympics — approximately a 25% gain. Peak activity moved from 43–45K to 50K, representing a more modest 15% expansion.
Skiing is essentially Austria’s national sport — skiing-related industries account for 4.5% of the country’s GDP. The “Austrian school of skiing” has influenced technique worldwide since the early 20th century, and destinations like Kitzbühel, St. Anton, and Ischgl draw millions of visitors annually. Austria finished seventh at Beijing 2022 with 18 medals (7 gold), winning in alpine skiing, ski jumping, and the team parallel slalom.
Norway: The cradle of Nordic sports
Norway registered a 27% average uplift (from 18–19K to 23–24K) and a 28% peak expansion (from 32–34K to 40–44K). The sustained elevated baseline with periodic spikes suggests consistent engagement throughout the Games.
Cross-country skiing and biathlon are deeply embedded in Norwegian culture — both disciplines originated there, and TV viewership for these events is massive. Norway dominated Beijing 2022 absolutely, finishing first with 37 medals (16 gold) — the highest gold medal count ever recorded at a single Winter Olympics. Athletes like Therese Johaug (cross-country skiing) and Johannes Thingnes Bø (biathlon) provided daily medal opportunities, keeping interest high throughout the competition.
Markets that didn’t respond
Not every market with winter sports tradition showed Games-driven activity. Three cases stand out.
Finland actually showed an inverse signal — Blask Index activity during the 2022 Olympics came in below January baseline. This is surprising given Finland’s strong traditions in ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping. One likely explanation: NHL players didn’t participate in Beijing 2022 due to Covid-related schedule disruptions, significantly reducing the appeal of the Olympic hockey tournament for Finnish bettors accustomed to watching their NHL stars compete.
South Korea, the 2018 Pyeongchang host, showed no uplift during Beijing 2022. Activity drifted downward through February and March. Winter sports remain relatively niche in South Korea compared to football, baseball, and esports, despite the country’s strong Olympic performances in short-track speed skating. The “host premium” appears to be a one-cycle phenomenon that doesn’t carry forward to subsequent Games.
Italy and Germany both showed no clear uplift during Beijing 2022 despite their winter sports infrastructure. For Germany, this may reflect market uncertainty during the transition to the new Interstate Treaty on Gambling — the framework took effect in July 2021, but most operators were still awaiting licences and the central regulator (GGL) wasn’t fully operational until 2023. For Italy, winter sports betting interest may simply not be concentrated enough to move the needle at a national level.
Looking ahead to Milano Cortina 2026
The Winter Olympics is clearly not a universal iGaming demand driver. In 2022, only markets with both deep winter sports culture and strong Olympic medal presence showed measurable uplift. Milano Cortina 2026 will provide a natural test case: can host-nation status generate the kind of activity spike that Italy didn’t show in 2022? With the Games returning to the Alps, we’ll be watching whether the Swiss-Austrian cluster pattern extends to their Italian neighbours.
Blask is an AI-powered platform for iGaming and gambling market analytics. The company turns fragmented open-source signals into real-time insight on brand visibility, player demand, and baseline revenue metrics, helping teams move first, spend smarter, and reduce risk across global markets.
