The 91st Oscars were a hit with New Jersey punters in the eyes of Play SugarHouse chief Mattias Stets.
Stets is COO of Rush Street Gaming, which operates SugarHouse Casino and sportsbook and here’s what he told Gambling.com.
“It was a successful first year for Oscar’s betting and players told us they had a whole lot of fun.”
“We are happy to have given those who aren’t necessarily sporting fans a new experience. It was an exciting way to watch a big event. It gave them an extra reason to root for their favorites to win.”
Greenbook won best film
‘Roma’, a Mexican movie about a memorable domestic from the director’s childhood, was the hot favorite to win best film. Black Panther was the punters second choice. Both were eclipsed, however, by 3rd choice betting favorite Greenbook whose Mahershala Ali won best supporting actor.
Alfonso Cuaron, the director of Roma, a highly acclaimed Netflix movie, did not go home empty-handed. He won four Oscars, not the least of them for Best Director and for best foreign film.
Greenbook’s Viggo Mortensen had to bow to Egyptian-born Remi Malik in the category, best actor in a leading role. Malik played Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, one of the nominations for Best Film, and was another pre-Oscar favorite.
Another favorite who didn’t make it was Glen Close of ‘The Wife’. She lost out to English actress Olivia Coleman in the contest for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Coleman played Queen Anne in ‘The Favourite’.
Two of the co-stars of ‘The Favourite’, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, were heavily backed to win ‘best actress in a Supporting Role. Unexpectedly it was Regina King of ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ who won this category.
A Star is Born was heavily backed
The remake of ‘A Star is Born’ was another film that was heavily backed according to Stets. It featured Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and drew a lot of publicity, but won only one award. This was for “Shallow” which won Best Original Song and gave Lady Gaga her first Oscar.
Betting on the Oscars was a first for sportsbooks in New Jersey and the US. After multiple e-mail requests, permission for it was only given on a once-off basis.
The New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement made that clear when they gave the Oscars the green light in January. They said if NJ’s sportsbooks wished to offer Oscar betting again next year they would have to reapply for it.
In the light of what transpired this year, it is unlikely not to get the New Jersey’s DOGE approval. Indeed it is now quite possible that other betting avenues such as ‘The Emmys’ and ‘The Grammies’. Even ‘The Voice’ and ‘America’s Got Talent’ could come into the picture.
Unlike New Jersey where sports wagering was banned until May last year, Nevada has always had legal sports betting. Wagering on the Oscars, though, is still a no-no there.
Their gambling authority does not see it as being legal. This because the state does not authorize betting on events with so-called ‘pre-determined outcomes’.
