Due to his dominating performance at the Beijing Olympics, US swimmer Michael Phelps is creating problems for bookies as gamblers continue to bet on his feats.

From Reuters (via The Guardian):

He’s the hero of the Beijing Olympics — but Michael Phelps has become the bane of bookmakers.

Gamblers have joined Phelps’s winning streak with online betting sites reporting a spike in money riding on the U.S. swimmer and higher interest overall from gamblers in the Games.

Phelps has been the favourite in all of his races in the Aug. 8-24 Games on various online betting sites, with odds for his victories down to about 5/2 on — paying out about $40 on a $100 bet.

“Although he has been at short odds to win he has being doing the right thing by the punters who are getting back more than they get on bank interest,” said Phil Hannah, general manager at Australia-based online betting site SportsBet.

“He really has become a thorn in the bookmakers’ side.”