Oscars 2020 Betting Odds Now Available in New Jersey

Oscars betting odds are available to New Jersey bettors with DraftKings online sportsbook posting odds on Monday. Expect a host of top New Jersey sportsbooks to follow suit.

The 92nd Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The event will be televised live on ABC in the U.S. at 8 p.m. ET. The Oscars, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are universally considered the film industry's most prestigious awards for artistic achievement and technical merit.

In 2019, odds for The Academy Awards were available in New Jersey, introducing American bettors to the “specials” markets for no-sports events, which are extremely popular in Europe. The state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement said at the time it was for one year but could be renewed.

Other awards shows have also had US odds, but sportsbooks still don’t allow betting on the US election like they do abroad.

With odds released three weeks before the awards show, there is a chance other state gaming regulatory bodies will allow Oscars betting in their states.

Best Actor and Actress Categories Include Huge Favorites

Joaquin Phoenix takes home the Actor® for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role! #sagawards pic.twitter.com/rzysBczKo8

— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) January 20, 2020

Both Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger are huge favorites for landing top honors in their respective categories. Phoenix starred in the American psychological thriller Joker, directed and produced by Todd Phillips. The film centers around the DC Comics character, most commonly known as Batman's arch-enemy.

Zellweger starred in Judy, a biographical drama about American singer and actress Judy Garland. Garland is a pop culture icon famous for playing Dorothy in the 1939 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and for numerous other roles until her death in 1969.

Oddsmakers love the chances of both. Phoenix is -2500 to take home the top honor next month, while Zellweger is -2000 to do the same. Phoenix has been nominated four times for an Oscar but has never won. Zellweger previously won an Oscar in 2004 in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in the film Cold Mountain.

RELATED: Just because you’re a favorite doesn’t make you an Oscar certainty

Other 2020 Oscars Odds

At the 92nd Academy Awards, 53 films received 124 nominations, led by Joker with 11 nominations, and The Irishman, 1917, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with 10 each.

The Irishman is an American epic crime film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese.

The favorite for Best Picture is the Sam Mendes-directed war film 1917, at -167. It is followed by Bong Joon-ho's South Korean dark comedy thriller Parasite at +275, and Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood at +450.

The biggest favorite on the board overall is Parasite in the Best International Feature Film category at -10000.