The Oscars are mere days away, and for bettors in New Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Louisiana, you can legally bet on the outcomes.
This year’s edition probably won’t have the unplanned excitement of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, but dare to dream.
Meanwhile, races for the Big 6 categories are split among what appear to be sure things and what look like toss-ups.
But you never know …
Best Picture
Everything Everywhere All At Once could have been pinched at +1400 months ago. Today? It’s as much as -2000 at PointsBet, though FanDuel is offering a relative bargain at -700. It really seems impossible for this film to lose.
But … if it does, the film set to pull the upset is the BAFTA-winning All Quiet On the Western Front, which FanDuel is offering at +1400. Former favorite The Banshees of Inisherin can be had for +1600 at PointsBet.
Best Actor
This is one of those toss-ups. It appears to be a two-man race between Brendan Fraser for his role in The Whale and Austin Butler for his turn in — and as — Elvis.
Fraser has been the favorite for months and still is, though he’s down to -143 on PointsBet. Butler, who nabbed the Golden Globe and the BAFTA (Fraser took home the SAG), has odds as high as +137 at bet365.
Beautiful speech. Beautiful man. Beautiful soul. Austin Butler I love you. pic.twitter.com/BDhEJ8ZadA
— ᥫ᭡ (@wonderofaustin) February 19, 2023
The dark horse has to be Colin Farrell, who was an early favorite but has failed to take home any iron for his role in Inisherin. Best odds for Farrell lie at PointsBet, where he’s +1600.
Best Actress
Another barn burner here, with Michelle Yeoh catapulting past Cate Blanchett in the odds market after her win at the SAGs for her role in Everything. Once a longshot at +800 at PointsBet, Yeoh is now a -125 favorite at the site. Blanchett, for her role in Tar, can be grabbed at +105 at FanDuel.
Best Supporting Actor
It’s going to be Everything’s Ke Huy Quan. He’s up to -5000 at DraftKings, though FanDuel is actually tempting people at -2000. One of the more foregone conclusions in the history of the Academy Awards, this category.
Best Supporting Actress
And here is one of the tightest three-way races ever. It is rare to see any category be this close with such little time left. For a while, it seemed like a two-woman race: Angela Bassett, for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was the favorite for months, and winning the Golden Globe didn’t hurt. But her momentum was interrupted by Kerry Condon, for her role in Inisherin, when she won the BAFTA.
And just when it appeared the table was full, Jamie Lee Curtis burst forth and took home the SAG for her role in Everything. Her odds were +1400 at Caesars before she won that award; they are now +150 at the site, though she’s up to +200 at bet365.
We love you too, @jamieleecurtis! pic.twitter.com/N8MkACPSpr
— SAG Awards® (@SAGawards) February 27, 2023
Bassett remains the favorite, but the days of seeing a -400 next to her name are long gone. Her best odds are at +130 at FanDuel, with Condon now sitting in third place, with odds of +240 at Caesars.
Best Director
Ah, wither Steven Spielberg. He was the early favorite at -200 at PointsBet, and with good reason: He is loved, and he was directing The Fabelmans, which was basically his autobiography. So, a beloved director in his golden years directing a love letter to movie making. How could that not win?
Well, the Daniels — Kwan and Scheinert — entered the chat. They went from big underdogs to massive favorites for their work on Everything, with the best odds sitting at -1200 at DraftKings. As for Spielberg? It would be a big upset, but he’s sitting all the way up at +850 on FanDuel. Stranger things have happened, that’s for certain. Of all the longshots, Spielberg would seem to be the one with the best shot. We’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, Jimmy Kimmel, take it away …
Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
