Oscars Betting 2021
The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, are the pinnacle of recognition for anyone in the film industry. Every year, glitz and glamour oozes from every angle, as the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood is adorned by the creme de la creme of movie greatness, hoping to win one of the 24 statues at The Oscars.
You might not be winning any Oscars, but with Gambling.com's Oscars betting guide, you could win on Oscars night. The big night is just around the corner and Oscars betting odds have taken shape, so read through our tips to learn everything you need to know before placing a wager on the Oscars with one of our reviewed, and recommended betting sites.
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Oscars Betting Tips
Oscars 2021 Betting Odds
Here are the best odds available in the betting for the main event of the 93rd Academy Awards: Best Picture. Be aware that betting on Best Picture is an ever-changing landscape, with current affairs and preceding awards causing big movement in Oscars odds.
Oscars 2021 Best Picture Betting (As of 23/04/2021)
| Film | Best Odds |
|---|---|
| Nomadland | 1/6 |
| The Trial of the Chicago 7 | 6/1 |
| Promising Young Woman | 12/1 |
| Minari | 14/1 |
| Judas and the Black Messiah | 18/1 |
| Mank | 25/1 |
| Sound of Metal | 50/1 |
| The Father | 66/1 |
How to Bet on the Oscars
Online bookmakers are preferable to bookie shops when it comes to placing Oscars bets. The main Oscars markets will be available in high street bookmakers but visiting one of the top Oscars betting sites is a better option as they cater best to all of your entertainment betting needs.
It's wise to keep track of odds movement on your favourite Oscars betting site throughout the prior year and it's also a good idea to check back in when awards season gets up and running. As the night draws closer, Oscar betting really starts to heat up as more markets are added.
What are the Other Major Movie Awards?
The biggest movers of the Oscars betting odds are the three other major awards: the Golden Globes, the Critic's Choice, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
It is always worth keeping an eye on these during awards season, in the early part of each year, as they have a major impact on Oscars betting odds. Many of the Academy's voting membership constitutes the guilds deciding these earlier awards, so can often act as an indication as to who'll go home with a statue.
Best Oscars Markets to Bet on
In terms of popularity, right behind Best Picture betting comes Best Actor betting, and the odds on Best Actress. These are the three most important titles, and Oscars betting markets, but there are plenty of others. Here are the six key betting markets that you can place Oscars bets on:
- Best Picture - Betting on which film will land the biggest Oscar of them all is the biggest betting event at the Academy Awards. This market can swing any which way and it's not always the favourite that wins.
- Best Actor - This award goes to an actor who played a leading role, with the Best Actor odds showing a strong preference for actors who played a real person, rather than a fictional character in recent times. In 2019 Rami Malek (Freddie Mercury) became the seventh actor in 10 years to win an Oscar for that kind of role, but Joaquin Phoenix bucked that trend at last year's Oscars for his performance in Joker.
- Best Actress - Like Best Actor, Best Actress is for a leading role, and the betting often becomes clearest after the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. In the past 11 years, nine of the actresses who won top prize there, also won the Oscar. They and the Golden Globes boast 70% strike rates in the last 20 years.
- Best Director - There are few surprises in this Oscars betting market, with favourites winning often, and at odds-on a lot of the time. However, 2020 saw Parasite make history as the first foreign-language movie to win Best Picture, with its South Korean director Bong Joon-ho scooping Best Director.
- Best Original Song - Odds on this Academy Award are popular because so many well-known music artists are in the betting. Recently the likes of Elton John, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Sam Smith and Adele have been among the winners.
You can actually bet on almost any Academy Award, with odds opening on more and more titles as the big night approaches - and, you will also be able to place a bet on markets like, 'Who will give the longest acceptance speech?' and 'Will the same film win Best Picture and Best Director?'.
Oscars Betting Tips
Betting on the Oscars is tricky. It's not like betting on sports when nobody knows the outcome. However, our top Oscars betting tip is to follow the three preceding major awards. In the past 20 years:
- The Critic's Choice Awards have proven most predictable, their winners of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture going on to win the Oscar 59% of the time.
- The Golden Globes have the worst record, just 58% of their winners taking an Oscar.
- Best Actor at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards has won 80% of the corresponding Oscars since 1999, with 9/10 Best Actors from those awards, and from the Golden Globes, also landing the Oscar.
- Best Actresses from the Screen Actors Guild's score best at the Oscars too, with an 80% strike-rate since 2009.
- It's worth noting that only one Best Actor in the last 20 years had not won at least one of the big three first (Adrien Brody), and that only two actresses emulated him (Olivia Colman and Marion Cotillard).
That is not a foolproof Oscars betting system, but it does narrow the field of odds. The next tip to consider when betting on the Academy Awards is to follow social issues, and other Oscars trends. For example:
- Real People - 13 of the last 19 Best Actors won for playing real people, like 2017 winner Gary Oldman (Winston Churchill), including the last two. This used to be a good system for betting on all of the acting roles, but for women that had changed, until Olivia Colman (Queen Anne) sprung a surprise in 2019 and that was followed up by Renee Zellweger (Judy Garland) last year.
- Moonlight - #Oscarssowhite, or Oscars Whitewash, was a movement protesting against the lack of color in the Oscars nominations in 2016. The Academy stressed it would address this, so there were non-white nominations for 2017 - and it could be argued, there had to be a major winner. Moonlight, an independently-made film about a young black man, won Best Picture.
- MeToo - Female empowerment dominated Hollywood, and the world, in 2017, and was like many major social issues, reflected in the Oscars. James Franco, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy, and was a short price in the Oscars odds, was not nominated after being accused of sexually-exploitative behaviour. The following year, Best Picture was won by a film with a dominant female lead for the first time since 2004 - with The Shape Of Water winning the big prize.
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FAQ
When do the Oscars take place?
The Oscars usually take place around the beginning of February each year but the 2021 Academy Awards will be held on April 26.
Where are the 2021 Oscars held?
The Oscars have been held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood since 2002. However, this year's event will buck that trend as downtown Los Angeles' Union Station will host the star-studded event.
Will the 2021 Oscars be held in-person?
The Oscars will be an in-person event this year but with reduced numbers in attendance due to the pandemic.
Is it legal to bet on the Oscars?
Yes, it is legal to bet on the Oscars in some places. The UK and Ireland, for example, and also in some states in the US. For more information on where it's legal to bet on the Oscars in 2021, check out our jurisdiction guides.
Who is hosting this year's Oscars?
The 2020 Oscars was host-less, as it was in 2019, after Kevin Hart stepped down over backlash caused by historic homophobic tweets. 2021 will be the third year in a row that the Oscars has been held without a host.
Where can I watch the Oscars 2021?
Oscars fans in the UK and Ireland can watch the ceremony live on Sky Cinema, Sky One or NOW TV, with highlights coming the following night. In Australia, the Oscars are typically broadcast live on free-to-air network Channel Nine, with Foxtel channel E! showing red carpet action. New Zealand's Oscars fans can catch the 2021 ceremony live on TVNZ, while in Canada, all the Oscars action is covered by CTV, including Facebook live from the Oscars balcony.
Can Netflix films win Oscars?
Yes! Netflix has already received numerous Academy Award nominations, and Netflix films have won many Oscars. However in 2020, Netflix led the Oscars in nominations with 24 but won just two awards - with Laure Dern winning the Best Supporting actress award for Marriage Story and American Factory winning an Oscar for best feature doc.
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Hi, I'm Dean Ryan
"A passionate sports betting broadcaster and journalist with over 15 years spent in the gambling industry."
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Reviewer since June 2016
