The Oscars are not only the biggest awards in the film industry, but they are also the second most watched televised annual event on the planet after the Superbowl. Whether you are a movie aficionado who wants to see their favourite film, actor or director get the recognition they deserve or a celebrity watcher who wants to see who has the most outrageous red carpet attire, the Oscars is a spectacle few people can resist. What you may not know, however, is that it is also one of the most bet upon non sporting events in the world.
Many bookmakers offer odds and betting on what are known as 'other markets'. These include the outcome of elections, the weather (for example, whether or not it will be a white Christmas), who will win various reality TV contests, and awards. While people bet on everything from Miss World to the FIFPro Ballon D'Or, by far the most popular awards to have a flutter on are the Oscars. Surprisingly, Las Vegas is one of the few places where bookmakers don't offer odds on the Oscars, but nearly all other sports betting shops and telephone and online gambling services around the world are more than happy to let their customers speculate money on things like whether or not this will be Leonardo DiCaprio's year.
Gambling, in and of itself, is a major draw for all kinds of people, and the Oscars, like lotteries, scratch cards and simple online games like Royal Vegas Slots allow people who don't know anything about sport or how to play things like poker a chance to join in the fun. You don't have to study racehorse form, learn any card game strategies or have an encyclopedic knowledge of a sport and its players to have an opinion on who will take home one of the coveted statues, and watching the ceremony can be a lot more exciting if you stand to win some money if your predictions were correct! Betting on the Oscars is therefore a once a year opportunity for people who don't normally gamble to stake a wager on something they understand (after all, just about everybody watches movies), and also for regular gamblers to bet on something a little bit different from the norm.
While this year's Oscars are not going to be held until March 2014, some bookmakers are already offering odds on the winners, so, if you are interested, why not check out what kind of price you can get on your favourites to win?