Just Don’t Bet On The Oscars Avoiding All Controversy

Posted: December 13, 2021

Updated: January 4, 2022

Will Smith & Kristen Stewart Tipped To Win
You Can Bet On The Oscars Over At Bovada
Belfast May Have Best Picture All In The Bag

Image source: Flickr

Coming so soon in the New Year now’s the time to put a bet on the Oscars. Leave it much longer and the prices at online sportsbook sites in the US like Bovada will narrow too far. You’ll not find a time any riper than this. But just which of the stars of the silver screen should you back? And just which movie will win the coveted Best Picture award come the evening’s big finale? It’s all up in the air, and as usual the odds on the Oscars avoiding all controversy are astronomical. Just what form the controversy that will inevitably beset the Oscars this year is going to take remains anyone’s guess. All we know is that the Oscars can’t escape from its own spotlight. Which means anyone with a point to make is likely to try and make it at the Oscars. We’ve seen it before. So, you could see controversies over women’s rights, racial inclusivity or trans diversity any minute now. Just how that might shape your bet on the Oscars, however, remains to be seen. Whatever the protests, demonstrations, muttered dark comments or slashing satirical speeches, your bet on the Oscars is safe. They decide the awards long before the audience are in their seats. So, you can guarantee someone making a fuss. So what? The prices at online betting sites in the US like Bovada won’t hinge on such ephemeral rubbish. No, they’ll hinge on the academy’s votes. Which some might say are just as much rubbish. Award shows are now all a tad suspect.

Best Actor Oscar Odds

Peter Dinklage – 18/1

Bradley Cooper – 16/1

Andrew Garfield – 12/1

Denzel Washington – 12/1

Benedict Cumberbatch – 9/1

Will Smith – 2/5

Cumberbatch & Gaga Could Snaffle Awards From Favorites

The Golden Globes scandal shook the whole basis of Award shows. It highlighted bias and corruption which most people assume extends to all its like. It probably does. So you can bet on the Oscars to still struggle a little with tone. They have to strike a balance between glittering and giving a damn. In the past the glitter was all anyone saw, now each decision made is poured over. Once again we are fortunate Oscars odds, like the Oscars, are not decided by popular opinion.

Best Actress Oscar Odds

Nicole Kidman – 14/1

Penelope Cruz- 11/1

Jessica Chastain – 10/1

Rachel Zegler – 8/1

Lady Gaga – 7/1

Kristen Stewart – 2/5

This year the odds on the Best Actor lean towards Will Smith. However not too far behind is Benedict Cumberbatch and he might be a good bet on the Oscars. Sure, Will should win, but that doesn’t mean he will. Likewise a bet on the Best Actress award looks easy enough. Kristen Stewart is the clear favorite. Just a shame for her then Lady Gaga lurks close by. So should you take advantage of US gambling laws to back Lady Gaga to win an Oscar? Well no. Not really.

Best Picture Oscar Odds

Licorice Pizza – 9/1

The Power Of The Dog – 13/2

West Side Story – 3/1

Belfast – 5/2

Bovada Has All You Need To Bet On The Oscars

She may have her hat in the ring but the Academy aren’t that crazy. At least I don’t think so. A bet on Benedict Cumberbatch is a sensible longshot, a bet on Lady Gaga is a cry for help. Sort of like deciding to bet on West Side Story instead of Belfast. Belfast gets the best of the Best Picture odds right now, but people rave about WSS. So who knows? Perhaps that’s a better bet on the Oscars than the favorite is. Certainly, at those prices at online bookies in the US it is tempting.

Best Director Oscar Odds

Denis Villeneuve – 9/1

Paul Thomas Anderson – 9/1

Kenneth Branagh – 7/1

Steven Spielberg – 5/1

Jane Campion – 11/10

The odds on the Best Director award are far more clear-cut. Whilst Spielberg and Branagh loiter just ahead of Villeneuve and Anderson, it’s Jane Campion in the lead. Now a bet on the Oscars is not the same as a bet on sports in the US, however similar at Bovada. So you are unlikely to see much shift in that before the ceremony. Jane Campion is the best, and perhaps only bet on the Best Director Oscar. Which is, in of itself perhaps, an oscar’s controversy all of its very own.