If the Oscar odds being offered by FanDuel and PointsBet mean anything, Roma is set to win Best Picture for 2018.
Hollywood’s, Grand Ball Room in Highland Centre will host the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony on February 22.
However, both see Roma, a humble Mexican movie about the life of a domestic servant, as also winning Best Director.
Because, against the odds, Roma won Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film at the recent Golden Globes. Bohemian Rhapsody won Best Motion Picture.
FanDuel set Roma as ‘Best Film’ favorite at -175 followed by Green Book at +300 and ‘the Favourite’ at +850.
The celebrated ‘A Star is Born’ is only 4th at +1200.
Others films nominated include ‘BlacKKKLansman’ (+1600), ‘Black Panther’ (+1800),’ Bohemian Rhapsody’ (+2000) and ‘Vice” (+5000).
Cuaron is Favourite to win Best Director
Alonso Cuaron, the unheralded Mexican director of Roma, sits atop their favorites list of Best Director favorites at -1900.
Surprisingly Bradley Cooper, the acclaimed male star of ‘A Star is Born’ was not nominated for Best Director.
Closest to Cuaron is Spike Lee of Blackkklansman at +700. Yorgos Lanthimas of ‘The Favourite’, Adam McKay of ‘Vice’ and Pawel Pawlikowski of the Cold War are all at +2400.
FanDuel and PointsBet give odds for a wide number of the Oscar awards. Along with Best Film and Best Director, these categories include best male and best female actors and supporting actors. They also include Best Original Song and Best Original Screenplay.
The bookmakers both favor Rami Malek, the Freddie Mercury star of Bohemian Rhapsody, to win the Best Actor award. Their odds on him winning are -200 as against the +170 of Christian Bale (Vice).
Bradley Cooper the male lead of “A Star is Born’ is their third choice at a distant +1000.
Oddly enough, Lady Gaga, the female lead of ‘A Star is Born’, is also the third choice at +1000 in the Best Actress category.
The favorite is Glen Close of ‘The Wife’ at -450 with Olivia Coleman of ‘The Favourite next best at +500.
Entertainment betting is new to New Jersey sports betting and allowed by the State’s gaming authorities as a kind of one-off trial.
Representatives of the sports betting industry will have to re-apply again if they wish to keep the Oscars on their menus next year.
