Online Casinos Post Odds on Oscars

Online casino bookies say inclusion of "The Dark Knight" and Nolan would have made these categories far more interesting for gambling purposes.

The Academy Awards nominations have been announced, and online casinos have been quick to respond by posting betting odds on the various categories. Speculation on favorites changed this week with snubs to movies that were thought to potentially dominate the awards, leaving some choices with poor competition and others without true favorites.

The talk of the week among Hollywood observers is the failure of the Academy to include "The Dark Knight" and its director, Christopher Nolan, among the final five selections for Best Picture or Best Director. Intertops.com sees this as leading to even more certainty that Heath Ledger will win Best Supporting Actor posthumously for his perfomance as the Joker, making him almost a prohibitive favorite paying six cents on a dollar bet. This is roughly the same odds as the sun coming up in the morning.

"Slumdog Millionaire" and its director, Danny Boyle of "Trainspotting" fame, are less than even money to win Best Picture and Best Director, each paying about one dollar on a three-dollar play. Online casino bookies say inclusion of "The Dark Knight" and Nolan would have made these categories far more interesting for gambling purposes.

The online gambling site favors Mickey Rourke to win Best Actor for "The Wrestler", edging out Sean Penn as homosexual activist Harvey Milk in "Milk." Kate Winslet is a three-to-four favorite as Best Actress for "The Reader", but this category offers intriguing alternatives, especially Angelina Jolie for the Clint Eastwood-directed "Changeling", paying thirteen to one.

No odds are listed for Best Song, just as well as the Academy made one of its most egregious errors by failing to include the soul-searing Bruce Springsteen song for "The Wrestler," a tune written after an emotional letter from Rourke appealed to the rock icon. Even the film's director, Darren Aronofsky, has said the song amazed him in its ability to capture the heart of the whole movie in a few minutes of lyrics.