When looking at this year’s Academy Award Best Picture nominations, out of the 10 movies, how many have you seen? Are you even interested in watching any of these Oscar contenders?
The good news is, thanks to streaming services, all of them can be enjoyed from home. Consider it your Oscars betting study guide.
That’s right, here in New Jersey, this month’s Academy Awards will once again include a betting component. So far three NJ online sportsbooks are offering odds on at least one category.
Then again, if you’re not planning on seeing any of the films, do the odds really matter?
It’s not hard differentiating between the favorites and the underdogs that really have no shot of winning. Occasionally, upsets do happen.
However, the three-plus-hour show with long victory speeches (many of which get a cue from the orchestra to speed it up) tends not to match the edge-of-the-seat excitement during the final two minutes of a college basketball game.
Then again, what if somebody creates an Oscars Bingo board that can be played while the March 27 show is unfolding?
Call it a twist on the free-to-play Super Bowl Bingo FanDuel Sportsbook rolls out every year. Since PlayNJ doubts any of the current NJ sports betting operators will take the time to create such a promo, we decided to create our own Oscars bingo board (we are not getting in the board game business).
The basics of Oscars Bingo
While the basic bingo rules will apply, with this version, Uncle Paulie will not be sitting at the dining room table calling out “B 27” or “G 54.”
Players seeking a 75-ball game have the option of trying the Borgata Bingo app.
Spaces on the Oscars bingo card will only get filled as certain events happen during the 2022 Academy Awards.
Maybe co-host Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes or Regina Hall changes outfits. Then there is Best Actor nominee Will Smith from “King Richard.” And his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, will most likely be sitting in the next seat. If the television camera catches them together, that could be another space.
The first trailer for a summer movie blockbuster can put the X on a third space. And if you happen to have a board with all three of these potential events in a row, you will be more than halfway to winning. Prizes would be optional.
See how much fun this could be? If listening to winded Oscars speeches isn’t your thing, just mute the TV.
Sample Oscars bingo board
So you might be asking “Where in the world am I supposed to find an Academy Award bingo board?” After all, it’s not exactly going to be on the Target shelf next to the 20 different versions of Monopoly. And the reality is it’s not a real game. That’s the bad news.
The good news is there are plenty of websites where creating and designing a bingo card is as easy as placing a mobile bet using the DraftKings Sportsbook app (which currently includes Oscar betting odds).
Once you find the website, many of which are free, coming up with potential events to fill the squares shouldn’t take long. Below is a sample Oscars bingo card created by the PlayNJ team. Feel free to use ours as a starting point. Just remember if three or four players are taking part, each card must be different, Otherwise, there’s no game.
And there are no rules against cards based on the Best Picture or Actor and Actress categories. Remember, the traditional bingo card has 25 spaces, including the free spot.
Or, if you’re feeling creative, reserve the freebie for a guaranteed event. And being that this is an awards show, there is no doubting several will be handed out. So as soon as the first presenter takes the stage with that top-secret envelope, you’ll only have four more squares left.
Oscars Bingo 2022
| B | I | N | G | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long winner’s speach | Kidman & Urban sighting | Host changes outfits | Jane Campion wins | Will & Jada sighting |
| Summer movie trailer | Show runs late | Jessica Chastain wins | Steven Spielberg sighting | Williams sisters appear |
| Lady Gaga appears | Princess Diana mention | First award announced | Anthony Hopkins presents award | Encanto song performed |
| Beyonce sings | Kodi Smit-McPhee wins | Local news break | Oscars briefcase on stage | CODA Best Picture |
| Encanto wins | Betty White appears | Disney World ad | Ariana DeBose wins | Lucille Ball mentioned |
Best Picture odds at NJ online sportsbooks
| DraftKings | Caesars | PointsBet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Power of the Dog | -140 | -150 | -167 |
| Belfast | +1200 | +900 | +100 |
| West Side Story | +3500 | +3300 | +1600 |
| Dune | +4000 | +3300 | +3000 |
| Licorice Pizza | +5000 | +8000 | +4000 |
| King Richard | +2500 | +4000 | +1600 |
| CODA | +110 | +120 | +100 |
| Drive My Car | +8000 | +8000 | +5000 |
| Don’t Look Up | +5000 | +6600 | +4000 |
| Nightmare Alley | +10000 | +15000 | +8000 |
Bonus board: Academy Award odds for Best Picture at NJ sportsbooks
For players seeking something involving more risk, there is the Oscars betting angle.
And since the wagers are placed before the show starts at 8 p.m. EST, it will not impact any bingo games taking place during the show.
So which of the 10 Best Picture nominees are worthy of a wager? Gamblers who have seen all the movies will likely back which film he or she thinks is the best.
However, strictly from an Academy Awards perspective, “The Power of the Dog” is -200 at PointsBet. It’s followed by “Belfast” (+300) and “West Side Story” (+700). But “CODA” (+1200) also deserves betting consideration following Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. The film won the SAG for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
At DraftKings, the odds of “CODA” winning went from +2000 to +1200. The +2000 odds weren’t even good enough to crack the top five. If it wins the Best Picture Oscar, a $10 bet would pay $130. By comparison, if “The Power of the Dog” were to win, the same $10 wager would only pay $14, or a $4 profit. Call it a game of low risk, potentially high reward.
Then again, a game of Oscars bingo offers a combination of no risk paired with a few hours of fun.
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