Academy Awards Betting At NJ Online Sports Betting Sites

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.

Which 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, NJ online sports betting sites will be happy to take your Oscars action.

Where can I bet on the Oscars in New Jersey?

There are 10 NJ online sportsbooks currently taking bets on the Oscars, but not all of them offer the same categories.

Here we list the sportsbook apps and the Oscars betting options they list on their site. Note: Big Six refers to Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

Meanwhile, not to be left out of the Oscars party, a few Atlantic City casinos and NJ racinos have odds up on site. For example, Hard Rock’s new sportsbook has categories listed as does Golden Nugget.

When is the 2019 Oscars ceremony?

Here’s how, when and where to watch the 2019 Academy Awards:

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, FanDuel Sportsbook has Roma as the favorite to win the best picture in 2019. The number beside Roma 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, FanDuel Sportsbook has Vice as a big underdog to win the Best Picture Oscar. The number beside Vice on the site is a whopping +5000. That means a $100 bet will pay out a stellar $5,100 if Vice surprises everyone and wins Best Picture.

Just pick the winners

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

Others, such as DraftKings and SugarHouse, are only taking action on Best Picture.

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. Resorts, for example, lists all categories on its sportsbook app.

Oscars odds and lines

The majority of NJ sportsbooks have odds for the top six Oscar categories, which is what we list below. All odds listed are as of Feb. 14. 

Best Picture odds

Best Director odds

Best Actor odds

Best Actress odds

Best Supporting Actor odds

Best Supporting Actress odds

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 post different odds.

For example, while most NJ sportsbooks have Roma as the favorite to win Best Picture, the prices vary. Roma is -340 on FanDuel Sportsbook. However, the film is -400 on SugarHouse, and reduced to -180 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 are better than ever.

Here’s how they look on FanDuel Sportsbook:

• Spike Lee: +1000
• Pawel Pawlikowski: +5000
• Adam McKay: +4500
• Yorgos Lanthimos: +4500

There are also some rather big odds on some of the nominees in the acting categories on FanDuel Sportsbook and BetStars.

Lay a little money down on the long shots, and they won’t be the only ones celebrating if the Academy picks the winner on Oscar night.

Top NJ sportsbooks for Oscars betting

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 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.

Academy Awards betting tips

If you don’t have a film degree from USC, haven’t seen most of the films that are nominated, or have a poor track record when it comes to predicting Oscar winners, don’t give up hope.

You can always throw darts at a board.

However, you can also look around for a little inside information. In fact, sites like AwardsWatch.com and GoldDerby.com offer Oscar predictions that might be worth some attention.

Additionally, check to see who wins awards leading up to the Oscars, e.g., the different guild honors leading up to the Oscars. These are often great predictors as to who will walk away with the Academy Award, particularly for some technical award categories.

Finally, take a look at previous winners to give yourself an idea of the kind of films the academy generally likes. See if you can spot a trend in any of the award categories and find this year’s film that fits.