For many years, it was generally a given that whoever won Best Director would also win Best Picture. In the 91 years of the Academy Awards, the awards matched 70% of the time. However, of the 27 times the two awards split, five of them have come in the past seven years. Since 2000, there has been a split between the awards 47% of the time.
Academy Awards Betting At NJ Online Sports Betting Sites
A complete guide to betting on the 2020 Oscars in New Jersey
In New Jersey, you can now bet on the Academy Awards.
In fact, the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement gave retail and online sportsbooks in the Garden State approval to start taking bets on the Oscars, but just for 2019.
This means, if you feel strongly about the chances of one particular Best Picture nominee or are pretty sure you know who will take home the Oscar for Best Actress, you can now put some money on it.
Of course, you still need to be 21 or older and within New Jersey state lines to turn your Academy Award predictions into Oscar bets.
However, as long as that’s the case, some NJ online sports betting sites will be happy to take your Oscars action.
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2020 Oscar odds
Here is a look at the NJ sportsbook odds for the six biggest categories at this year’s Oscars.
Best Picture
| Nominee | DraftKingsDraftKings |
|---|---|
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | +160 |
| 1917 | +200 |
| Parasite | +450 |
| Joker | +800 |
| The Irishman | +1,600 |
| Marriage Story | +3,300 |
| Jojo Rabbit | +5,000 |
| Little Women | +5,000 |
| Ford v. Ferrari | +10,000 |
Best Director
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Sam Mendes (1917) | -134 |
| Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) | +225 |
| Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) | +800 |
| Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) | +1,000 |
| Todd Phillips (Joker) | +2,500 |
Best Actor
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) | -1,667 |
| Adam Driver (Marriage Story) | +700 |
| Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) | +2,500 |
| Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory) | +3,300 |
| Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes) | +5,000 |
Best Actress
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Renee Zellweger (Judy) | -1,000 |
| Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story) | +700 |
| Cynthia Erivo (Harriet) | +2,500 |
| Charlize Theron (Bombshell) | +2,800 |
| Saoirse Ronan (Little Women) | +3,300 |
Best Supporting Actor
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) | -1,000 |
| Joe Pesci (The Irishman) | +800 |
| Al Pacino (The Irishman) | +1,700 |
| Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) | +2,000 |
| Anthony Hopkins (The Two Popes) | +3,500 |
Best Supporting Actress
| Nominees | DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Laura Dern (Marriage Story) | -1,000 |
| Margot Robbie (Bombshell) | +800 |
| Florence Pugh (Little Women) | +900 |
| Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit) | +1,700 |
| Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell) | +3,300 |
When is the 2020 Oscars ceremony?
The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 9. As usual, the event will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
The Oscars will start at 6:30 p.m. ET, which is 90 minutes earlier than in past years.
ABC will broadcast the ceremony as well as have it available for streaming on all of ABC’s streaming services.
Key dates for awards season
The ceremony is not the only important date in Oscars betting. There are several awards ceremonies in January and February that serve as good indicators of which nominees are the favorites to win an Oscar. The Producers Guild of America (PGA), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Writers Guild of America (WGA), and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) all have good track records of predicting the big winners.
If the calendar feels fast-paced, you are not wrong. The movie awards season is roughly two weeks shorter than normal, with less than a month between the Oscar nominations and the ceremony. With less time for backlashes to rise up against the frontrunners, we are going to guess it is a pretty chalky awards season.
Here is a look at the important days on the calendar:
Jan. 25: DGA Awards
Feb. 2: BAFTA Awards
Joker leads with 11 nominations
Now that the Oscar nominations are out, forecasting winners can really get underway.
After early awards favored 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the nominations gave Joker a momentum boost. The riff on the Batman story led the way with the most nominations at 11. While having the most nominations helps, it doesn’t guarantee Best Picture success. In the past 10 years, the films with most nominations have won the top award three times.
Last year, it was Roma and The Favourite who led the pack with 10 nominees each. Roma won three statues, including Best Director, while The Favourite’s lone win came for Best Actress for Olivia Colman.
View the 2020 Oscars Nominees
2020 Academy Awards nominees
Best Picture
1917
Ford vs. Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Actor
Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Saorise Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Best Supporting Actor
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Supporting Actress
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Best Director
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Sam Mendes – 1917
Todd Phillips – Joker
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
Best Original Screenplay
1917
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
Best Cinematography
1917
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Film Editing
Ford vs. Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite
Best Sound Editing
1917
Ford vs. Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Sound Mixing
1917
Ad Astra
Ford vs. Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Production Design
1917
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Foreign Film
Corpus Christi
Honeyland
Les Miserable
The Neighbors’ Window Saria
A Sister
Best Original Score
1917
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Original Song
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen 2
“Stand Up,” Harriet
Best Makeup and Hair
1917
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Best Costume Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Visual Effects
1917
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Documentary Feature
American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
Best Documentary Short Subject
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman
Walk Run Cha-Cha
Best Live Action Short Film
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors’ Window
Saria
A Sister
Oscars Betting Tips
Best Picture and Best Director Are Not The Same
Imitation is the sincerest way to win an Oscar
If you want to win an acting Oscar, find a real person to play. Since 2000, 12 of the 18 Best Actor winners won for playing real people. Nine of the Best Actress winners were in biographical roles. Last year, 12 of the 20 acting nominees played real people, as did three of the four winners.
The Write stuff
If a Best Picture nominee does not score a screenplay nomination, it faces a serious uphill battle to win the Oscar. Since 1936, there have only been four Best Pictures with a screenplay nod, and one of them was Hamlet. The last film to accomplish the feat was Titanic in 1997.
Ignore the Golden Globes
While the Golden Globes are considered the first big predictor of Oscars success, its track record for Best Picture is not great, especially considering they have two film winners in the Drama and Musical or Comedy categories. Still, since 2000, the Globes have not anointed an eventual Best Picture winner half of the time.
International films are foreign to Best Picture
With Roma’s big splash last year and Parasite in the running this year, it is worth taking a look at how often a foreign language film wins Best Picture. Only 11 foreign-language films have ever been nominated for Best Picture. All 11 of them lost. If you’re wondering about the French film The Artist, it was made in France, but released in English, so does not qualify as a foreign language film.
Repeat acting wins are tough
With a film like The Irishman stocked up on Oscar-winning actors, we are going to have plenty of repeat nominees. Winning two acting Oscars is tough. Only 42 people have won multiple acting Oscars. Of those, 32 of them won these awards in the past century. Christoph Waltz and Mahershela Ali have managed to pull it off recently, but they are the exception, not the rule.
Major Awards: Nominees and Winners
Golden Globes
Best Motion Picture – Drama:
Winner: 1917
The Irishman
Joker
Marriage Story
The Two Popes
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
Winner: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Dolemite Is My Name
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Rocketman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Winner: Renee Zellweger – Judy
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:
Winner: Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Christian Bale – Ford vs. Ferrari
Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
Winner: Awkwafina – The Farewell
Cate Blanchett – Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Ana de Armas – Knives Out
Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart
Emma Thompson – Late Night
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
Winner: Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Daniel Craig – Knives Out
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:
Winner: Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
Annette Bening – The Report
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:
Winner: Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Best Director – Motion Picture:
Winner: Sam Mendes – 1917
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Todd Phillips – Joker
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
Bombshell
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Winner: Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Christian Bale – Ford vs. Ferrari
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Winner: Renee Zellweger – Judy
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Winner: Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Jamie Foxx – Just Mercy
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Winner: Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson- Jojo Rabbit
Nicole Kidman – Bombshell
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Producers Guild of America Awards
Winner: 1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Knies Out
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Directors Guild of America Awards
Bong Joon Ho – Parasite
Sam Mendes – 1917
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Taika Waititi – Jojo Rabbit
BAFTA Awards
Best Film:
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
Best Director:
Sam Mendes – 1917
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Todd Phillips – Joker
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
Leading Actress:
Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Saorise Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renee Zellweger – Judy
Leading Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Supporting Actor:
Tom Hanks – Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Supporting Actress:
Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Margo Robbie – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Writers Guild of America Awards
Best Original Screenplay:
1917
Booksmart
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Parasite
Best Adapted Screenplay:
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
How to bet on the Oscars
Betting on the Oscars through any of the NJ sportsbook apps listed above could not be any easier.
The sportsbooks will each have an award category posted with a full list of nominees under it.
Beside each nominee is a number. Think of this number like the moneyline for a sporting event. If the number is negative (-), that nominee is a favorite to win. In fact, the number represents how much you will need to bet to win $100 plus your bet back.
For example, say FanDuel Sportsbook has The Irishman as the favorite to win Best Picture in 2020. If the number beside The Irishman on the site is -175 that means you’ll need to bet $175 to win $100, plus your $175 back.
However, if the number is positive (+), that nominee is an underdog to win and the number represents how much you will win for every $100 you bet.
For example, say FanDuel Sportsbook has Joker as a big underdog to win the Best Picture Oscar. Say the number beside Joker on the site is a whopping +5000. That means a $100 bet will pay out a stellar $5,100 if Joker wins Best Picture.
Just pick the winners
It’s simple; all you need to do is pick the winners. And, if you’re right, you’ll get paid according to the posted odds at the time you made a bet, which you will find under your current bets on your account.
Some NJ sportsbooks are only taking bets on the big six Academy Awards categories, including:
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
However, there are others that will take bets on almost every category so that you can bet on everything from best film editing and best song to best foreign language film as well. Several NJ sportsbooks offer odds on every category.
How to find the best Oscar odds
You’re going to want to shop around to get the best price on your Oscars picks; different sportsbooks will post different odds.
For example, while most NJ sportsbooks have Roma as the favorite to win best picture, the prices vary. Roma is -175 on FanDuel Sportsbook. However, the film is -167 on SugarHouse, and further reduced -130 on William Hill.
Additionally, NJ sportsbooks are also offering some real value.
For example, Alfonso Cuarón won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement at the Directors Guild of America Awards in 2019. That made him a massive favorite to win the Oscar for Best Director.
However, that also means the prices on the category’s underdogs were better than ever.
Here’s how they looked on FanDuel Sportsbook:
- Spike Lee: +750
- Pawel Pawlikowski: +2400
- Adam McKay: +2400
- Yorgos Lanthimos: +2800
There are also usually some rather big odds on some of the nominees in the acting categories on FanDuel Sportsbook and BetStars.
Top NJ sportsbooks to bet on the Oscars
Just put a toe in New Jersey and there are several online and mobile NJ sportsbooks that will allow you to place bets on the Oscars.
However, you’ll need to sign up for an account first. Here is a handy list of sportsbooks with Oscars betting and the categories they include.
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook is taking bets only on the best picture Oscar winner.
Sign up for an account through this exclusive DraftKings Sportsbook link, make a deposit and you’ll get your first bet matched up to $500.
BetStars
BetStars is taking bets on five of the big six Academy Awards categories. Sign up for an account through this exclusive BetStars link, make a $50 bet and you’ll get another $50 bet for free.
Additionally, you’ll get another free $50 bet when you bet another $150. Plus, you can do this eight more times, which gives you a total of $500 in free bets. Continue to make bets on BetStars and they’ll give you a free bet every week as well.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook has lines posted for just about every Oscars category.
Sign up for an account through this exclusive FanDuel Sportsbook link and you’ll be eligible for a refund of up to $500 on your first bet.