New Jersey broke new ground in 2019 when it became the first US market with regulated sportsbooks to accept bets on the Oscars
Now, the Oscars are less than a month away and New Jersey is at the forefront of what could be a growing number of US markets taking Academy Awards action.
This year’s awards will take place on Sunday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET. The Academy announced nominees on March 15.
Over the next month, the majority of mobile sportsbooks will have Oscars-related markets available for bettors, adding another layer to the ever-growing sports betting industry in the Garden State. Many sportsbooks spread odds on all 24 categories, while others limited themselves to the more popular
Where to bet Oscars in NJ
2020 Oscars odds
The current Oscars betting odds were last updated April 12, 2021.
Best Picture
| Nominee | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Nomadland | -670 |
| The Trial of the Chicago 7 | +650 |
| Minari | +1400 |
| Promising Young Woman | +1400 |
| Mank | +2800 |
| Judas and the Black Messiah | +3000 |
| Sound of Metal | +5000 |
| The Father | +8000 |
Best Director
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) | -2500 |
| David Fincher (Mank) | +1000 |
| Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) | +1400 |
| Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) | +1700 |
| Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round) | +2000 |
Best Actor
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) | -2500 |
| Anthony Hopkins (The Father) | +800 |
| Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) | +1400 |
| Gary Oldman (Mank) | +2000 |
| Steven Yeun (Minari) | +2500 |
Best Actress
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) | +125 |
| Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) | +180 |
| Frances McDormand (Nomadland) | +350 |
| Andra Day(The United States vs Billie Holiday) | +600 |
| Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) | +1400 |
Best Supporting Actor
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah) | -2000 |
| Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7) | +900 |
| Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) | +1200 |
| Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami) | +1400 |
| LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) | +2500 |
Best Supporting Actress
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari) | -500 |
| Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) | +300 |
| Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) | +650 |
| Olivia Colman (The Father) | +1000 |
| Amanda Seyfried(Mank) | +1700 |
Where can I bet on the Oscars?
While Nevada stands as the industry-to-beat when it comes to sports, the Silver State is restricted by the Nevada Gaming Control Board from offering entertainment wagers.
In New Jersey, though, DraftKings Sportsbook is offering Oscars odds on all of the categories.
How can I bet on the Oscars in New Jersey?
First and foremost, obviously, only customers 21 years and older can participate in Oscars betting. You also have to be in New Jersey to bet.
Bettors can wager on the moneyline of which film or person will take home the award within several categories. It’s as easy as just picking who you think will win.
Keep in mind, a negative number beside a name means that person or movie is favored to win. A positive number means that a movie or person is an underdog.
Available markets vary from product to product, but for the most part, each online sportsbook features the top six awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
Need a bit more guidance? Check out the video below:
2020 Oscars nominees for the major categories
Best Picture
- The Father
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Mank
- Minari
- Nomadland
- Promising Young Woman
- Sound of Metal
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Actor
- Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
- Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Anthony Hopkins – The Father
- Gary Oldman – Mank
- Steven Yeun – Minari
Best Actress
- Viola Davis– Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
- Andra Day– The United States vs. Billie Holiday
- Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
- Frances McDormand – Nomadland
- Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Best Supporting Actor
- Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
- Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
- Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami
- Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
- LaKeith Standfield – Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Supporting Actress
- Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
- Olivia Colman – The Father
- Amanda Seyfried– Mank
- Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari
Best Director
- Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round
- David Fincher – Mank
- Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
- Chloe Zhao – Nomadland
- Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
2021 Oscars odds
Once the nominees are out, NJ sportsbooks will post odds for the categories. We’ll keep tabs on the biggest categories here.
How previous Oscars have gone
Feeling out of the loop when it comes to this year’s Academy Awards? That’s fair. And common.
Of the six big categories, the performer who seems closest to a lock for Oscar gold is Chadwick Boseman for his performance as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Bottom. He’s already won a Critic’s Choice and Golden Globe.
Anthony Hopkins in The Father seems on a similar path to Oscar gold. He’s had 5 nominations and 1 win with best actor in 1991 for The Silence of the Lambs.
Yuh-Jung Youn is currently steamrolling through a stacked Best Supporting Actress field, while Best Supporting Actress seems to be the wild card of the performance categories. Amanda Seyfried could be the big spoiler, however.
What about best picture? Well, there appear to be three contenders: Nomadland, Trial of the Chicago 7, and Minari. Which ones will shake out on top is still pretty unclear.
Oscar predictions and expert advice
If studying up on movies and Hollywood stardom is not your thing, that’s OK. There are plenty of sites that offer predictions for the awards.
Gold Derby is probably the most well-known of them all. It tracks the entire awards season and, with the help of industry insiders, offers predictions.
Recent Oscars winners
Obviously, this marks the first year in which legal Oscars betting in NJ is a thing.
Let’s take a look, though, at the past five years’ worth of winners in the major categories.
Best Picture
- 2020: Parasite
- 2019: Green Book
- 2018: The Shape of Water
- 2017: Moonlight
- 2016: Spotlight
Best Director
- 2020: Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)
- 2019: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
- 2018: Guellermo del Toro (The Shape of Water)
- 2017: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
- 2016: Alejandro G. Inarritu (The Revenant)
Best Actress
- 2020: Renee Zellweger (Judy)
- 2019: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
- 2018: Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
- 2017: Emma Stone (La La Land)
- 2016: Brie Larson (Room)
Best Actor
- 2020:Joaquin Phoenix (Joker)
- 2019: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
- 2018: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)
- 2017: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
- 2016: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Best Supporting Actress
- 2020: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)
- 2019: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
- 2018: Allison Janney (I, Tonya)
- 2017: Viola Davis (Fences)
- 2016: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Best Supporting Actor
- 2020: Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
- 2019: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
- 2018: Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
- 2017: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
- 2016: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)