This Sunday, the 95th Annual Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
For those tuning in from Louisiana, there are two performers competing in the Supporting Actor/Actress categories with local connections to cheer on. And again this year, Louisiana sports betting customers can even place a wager or two on the awards.
The DraftKings and Caesars sportsbooks are offering betting odds on this year’s Academy Awards. But be warned — both of these performers are extreme long shots to take home Oscar gold.
Two Nominees Associated With Bayou State
First up is Hong Chau, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She was born in Vietnam, but Chau grew up in New Orleans after her refugee parents immigrated to the state when she was just an infant.
Chau is nominated this year for her role in “The Whale,” a dark drama about an obese, reclusive English teacher (Brendan Fraser) struggling to re-connect with his daughter. While her co-star Fraser is considered the favorite in the Best Actor category (-165 on DraftKings Louisiana Sportsbook), Chau — who plays a caretaker for Fraser’s character — is a major underdog at +4000 on DraftKings. That implies just a 2.44% chance of her winning.
The other longshot with Louisiana ties is Brian Tyree Henry, who is nominated for his supporting role in the Jennifer Lawrence-starring film “Causeway.” Henry is from Georgia — and of course is best known for his role on the hit FX series “Atlanta” — but the film he’s nominated for is set and was shot entirely in New Orleans.
“Causeway” is the story of an Iraq War vet, played by Lawrence, who is struggling with PTSD. She forms an unlikely friendship with Henry’s character, and they bond over their difficult pasts. The film draws its name from the 24-mile New Orleans causeway that traverses Lake Pontchartrain.
Henry is the only cast member nominated from the small indie drama, and like Chau, he’s priced at +4000 on Caesars Louisiana Sportsbook.
So if Chau and Henry are the longshots, who is most likely win at this year’s Academy Awards?
Best Picture Academy Awards Nominees
The story of this award season is the resounding success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Nominated for 11 total Oscars, the expectation this Sunday is that the multiverse-centred action/drama flick about an immigrant family facing an IRS audit will bring home the top prize of the night.
At -1100 on DraftKings, oddsmakers are suggesting there is a greater than 90% chance that “Everything Everywhere All At Once” wins Best Picture.
EEAAO has dominated the awards race so far, including a win at the Producers Guild of America Awards, which is largely considered to be the most predictive measure of Oscar success, as it uses the same preferential ballot system.
But it’s possible that “All Quiet on the Western Front” (+1000), “The Banshees of Inisherin” (+1400), or “Top Gun: Maverick” (+1600) play spoiler.
Best Actress Academy Awards Nominees
For months, Cate Blanchett was considered the favorite in this category with Louisiana sports betting apps for her portrayal of the embattled conductor Lydia Tár in the Todd Fields film “Tár.”
However, Michelle Yeoh’s recent win in this category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards has vaulted her to frontrunner status at -140 on DraftKings, with Blanchett at +100. The other three nominees – Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie” (+2500), Michelle Williams for “The Fablemans” (+2800) and Ana de Armas for “Blonde” (+5000) – are major longshots.
This race is officially too close to call.
Best Actor Academy Awards Nominees
As mentioned, Brendan Fraser is the favorite to win here. However, Austin Butler, who portrays the King of Rock’n’Roll in “Elvis,” is a close second.
Butler’s odds on are +120 at Caesars, suggesting he has about a 45% chance of winning this year’s Oscar for Best Actor. There could be some value here for bettors looking to back Butler’s breakout role in a crowd-pleasing film that might be more palatable to Oscar voters than the dour drama “The Whale.”
Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards Nominees
With a great deal of jockeying up and down the odds board over the past two and a half months, the Best Supporting Actress has solidified into a three-way race among Angela Bassett in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (+125 at DraftKings), Jamie Lee Curtis in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (+150) and Kerry Condon in “Banshees of Inisherin” (+225).
This could be a great opportunity to find value if you have a strong lean one way, but ultimately it’s anyone’s guess who wins here.
Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards Nominees
Unlike its sister category, Best Supporting Actor seems all but tied up, with Ke Huy Quan the prohibitive favorite to win at -4000 with Caesars.
A child star from the 1980s, who appeared in classics like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” Ke Huy Quan’s comeback role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has already scored him the Golden Globe and SAG award in this category.
The Oscar seems inevitable, and the oddsmakers seem to know it.
Regardless of whether you prefer drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi or some other genre, get the best Louisiana sportsbook promos here at LouisianaBets, then enjoy the Oscars pomp and glitz on Sunday.
