Betting on the Academy Awards is one of the biggest betting events to start every year with. The Academy Awards are the premier Hollywood entertainment event of the year, featuring all the most famous actors, actresses, directors, and producers in the world. Known more colloquially as the Oscars, these awards are the most prestigious and coveted in the entire film industry. These awards encompass 24 different categories, covering everything from acting to directing to sound design. Because of the enormous popularity of the Academy Awards, many large sportsbooks will offer betting odds on all major awards and a wide variety of miscellaneous prop bets.

The next Academy Awards show is scheduled for February 28, 2021. Some sites offer futures odds on the Academy Awards months in advance, while others don’t list odds until much closer to the show. Legal sports betting on the Academy Awards next year could be affected by the dynamics of the Coronavirus and its impact on the film industry. Many upcoming releases are likely to be delayed by months, which could cause a logjam of releases closer to awards seasons and make the awards even more unpredictable than usual.

Is It Legal To Bet On The Academy Awards?

Academy Awards 'Oscars' Odds. The Academy Awards, more popularly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) presents the awards Live from the bright lights of Los Angeles, California. Watched by millions of people all around the globe. Thousands of Academy members then vote in January 2021, before the awards are announced on Oscars night. During this period additional film award events, such as the Critics' Choice and Screen Actors Guild, take place. The winners of these awards influence Oscar betting odds, so keep the following dates in mind before making any wagers.

Yes, it is legal to bet on the Academy Awards regardless of where you live. Online sportsbooks offer Academy Awards betting odds alongside odds for traditional sporting events like basketball and football games. Even outside states with legal sports betting, betting on the Academy Awards is still legal through international online sportsbooks like BetOnline and MyBookie. Some states keep anti-gambling laws on the books, but these laws target in-state gambling operators rather than individual players. Sportsbooks operating outside the U.S. don’t fall under either federal or state jurisdiction and are thus fully legal to offer odds on award shows.

Academy Award Bet Types

Award winners – Betting on the winner of an award is self-explanatory. Sportsbooks will list the odds for each nominee to win an award, and bettors wager on which nominee they think will win. Odds also indicate the payout for each bet based on a $100 baseline (e.g. odds of -150 indicate that a 150 bet would net $100, while odds of +150 indicate that a $100 wager would net $150).

Futures – Futures bets are betting odds well in advance of the actual Academy Awards, sometimes before the movies in question have even been released. There is a high degree of uncertainty involved in betting Academy Awards futures, but the potential payouts are much greater as a result of that uncertainty. Only the most popular awards receive futures odds and there is usually a relatively low maximum wager limit.

Props – Proposition bets encompass bets on a wide variety of different events or outcomes. Examples of 2019 Academy Awards prop bets include the length of the opening monologue, the total number of award wins for Todd Phillips’s “Joker”, whether or not Brad Pitt would hug Jennifer Aniston, and which contemporary social issue would be mentioned first. Prop bets can be outlandish at times, but they offer a great way to spice up the duller parts of the show.

Current Academy Award Betting Odds

The 93rd Academy Awards are scheduled for February 28, 2021, but some online sportsbooks have already begun offering betting odds for major awards like Best Picture and Best Actor. While the awards show is still nearly a year away and many of the movies being discussed as award contenders haven’t even been released yet, betting now offers potentially huge payouts. Early favorites for major awards include all the usual suspects—Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Meryl Streep, a movie glamorizing the life of a struggling artist in Hollywood, etc. Betting odds (courtesy of BetOnline) for the three most popular awards look like this:

Odds To Win Best Picture in 2021

• Tenet +800
• Dune +900
• Mank +900
• Nightmare Alley +1000
• The French Dispatch +1000
• The Midnight Sky +1000

Odds To Win Best Actor in 2021

• Tom Hanks +500
• Eddie Redmayne +800
• Gary Oldman +800
• Robert Pattinson +800
• George Clooney +1400
• Chadwick Boseman +1400

Odds To Win Best Actress in 2021

• Viola Davis +500
• Amy Adams +700
• Glenn Close +800
• Meryl Streep +800
• Jessica Chastain +1000
• Jennifer Hudson +1600

How To Make Money From Betting On The Academy Awards

Online sportsbooks offer easy banking options to help players start collecting their winnings faster. Most of these sportsbooks accept traditional payment methods like credit and debit cards for deposits, but cryptocurrency is almost always the preferred method. Sites generally offer big deposit bonuses for using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as those payments are faster, more secure, and easier to process. Before making a deposit, check a site’s FAQs for information about payment processing times and sportsbook deposit bonuses.

Cashing out, like making deposits, is best done with cryptocurrency. Domestic sportsbooks can transfer money directly into a bank account, but international online sportsbooks don’t have this luxury because of quirky banking laws that prohibit banks from processing transactions directly from online gambling sites. Instead, it is recommended that players withdraw using cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, as an intermediary. Crypto withdrawals take only minutes at most. Players can also elect to receive a physical check, although this requires an additional fee.

Where To Find Betting Odds For The Academy Awards

Most major international online sportsbooks offer betting odds on the Academy Awards, especially for major awards like Best Picture and Best Actress. The Academy Awards are one of the most-watched entertainment events of the year and sportsbooks usually capitalize with a wide selection of prop bets. In 2020, a handful of New Jersey sportsbooks were the only domestic gambling firms to offer betting odds on the Academy Awards. Local sportsbooks are unlikely to list odds until much closer to the air date of the award show. It seems like that pattern will repeat in 2021, as most action will be on the online sportsbooks outside of the US.

Tips For Betting On The Academy Awards

Academy Awards Odds All Categories

When it comes to betting on the Academy Awards, it is important to review all the movies, actors, directors, and musical scores that are nominated. There are over 20 different awards given so to make things easier, check on the categories you plan to wager on. Check the buzz online around certain actors’ performances for the Best Actor award as well as the critical reception of films in the Best Picture category. It is also important to look at the first time nominees Best Director or Best Actor as a lot of hype is centered around newcomers, Same thing with repeat winners, they are likely to win again if they have a few awards under their belts. Although this does not necessarily translate to winning at the Oscars, looking at how certain films, actors, or directors faired at other major award shows like the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and Golden Globes is also a good way to see the potential of an actor winning.

Best Picture 2020

• SAG – Parasite
• Critics’ Choice – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Golden Globes – 1917
• Academy Awards – Parasite

Best Actor 2020

• SAG – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
• Critics’ Choice – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
• Golden Globes – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
• Academy Awards – Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)

Best Actress 2020

• SAG – Renee Zellweger (Judy)
• Critics’ Choice – Renee Zellweger (Judy)
• Golden Globes – Renee Zellweger (Judy)
• Academy Awards – Renee Zellweger (Judy)

Casino. The Hustler. The Sting. What do these movies have in common?

For starters, they’re all about gambling. They were also each recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as representing the very best in film, garnering nominations if not several outright wins.

Despite Hollywood’s love affair with chance, local legislatures (and irony) have largely prevented American movie fans from betting on the Oscars. When the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards are announced on Monday, March 15th, gaming enthusiasts/film buffs around the country will be chomping at the bit to turn their preferences into payouts. Only a relative handful will be able to do so.

Where Can You Bet on the Oscars?

To date, New Jersey and Indiana are the only two states where you can put odds on the Oscars, via sportsbooks. With the rising popularity and growing adoption of online gambling nationwide, though, it may not be long before “Supporting Actor” ties “Super Bowl” for the hottest wager in town.

Whether you’re a Hoosier or a resident of the Garden State, there is no shortage of sportsbooks to choose from. Check out our guides to the best sportsbook apps in each state, from brand-name blockbusters to the hip little indies that have everyone buzzing.

Which Films Might Be The Favorites At Popular Sportsbooks?

Whether you’re laying down cash at a sportsbook or just wagering with friends, 2021 is sure to be one of the most hotly contested Oscar races in years. There don’t appear to be any hard-line divisions between movies like there were in the bad old days of Pulp Fiction versus Forrest Gump, Boyhood versus Birdman, or Green Book versus Anything Else.

Academy Awards Odds 2021

If the Golden Globe nominations are any indication (and they usually are), this year will see an escalation of the debate over the legitimacy of streaming-service films versus traditional theatrical releases. When the global pandemic knocked most movie theatres (and, by extension, big-screen movies themselves) out of commission last year, once emerging forces like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix began pushing hard for their On Demand offerings to snag as much Oscar gold as possible.

Some of the most talked-about films and performances still belong to traditional studios. Searchlight Pictures’ recession-road trip drama Nomadland topped several “Best of 2020” lists, with high praise for director Chloé Zhao and star Frances McDormand.

Likewise, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman is shaping up to be a description of the actress-turned-writer/director’s Best Picture and Best Director prospects. The Focus Features thriller is getting a lot of attention for its unconventional take on the revenge picture, with star Carey Mulligan delivering one of the most talked-about performances of last year.

On the flip side, there are too many streaming contenders to describe in detail here. Just look up the credits for Amazon’s One Night In Miami and Sound of Metal; Netflix’s Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; A24/Apple’s On the Rocks; or even Palm Springs from Neon/Hulu, and you’ll trip over possible nominees (and likely surefire winners) in multiple categories.

History Of The Academy Award

As the statue wars rage between studios like never before, it’s audiences who will emerge the clear winner in 2021. Unlike years past, movie lovers won’t have to hit up the local art theatre (or any theatre) to prepare for the live April 25th broadcast. In many cases, the best of the best are only a rental or a “Watch Now” away.

Academy Awards Odds 2022

Hopefully betting on these films will be just as easy and, as they say in the trailers, coming soon.