2026 Oscars Betting Picks | 01-23-2026

2026 Oscars best bets headline some of our picks for Best Picture and maybe a few other awards along the way. The event takes place on Sunday, March 15th. Now will a favorite win or will there be an upset or two? Both are likely.

We try to pick a few winners and more ahead of the 98th annual event. Expect plenty of twists and turns as is par for the course with awards shows. Also, expect this to last for more than three hours no matter how many speeches are cut off.

What: 98th Annual Academy Awards (The Oscars)
When: Sunday, May 15, 2025
Start Time: 7 p.m. EDT until around or before the late local news
Where: Los Angeles, California
Venue: Dolby Theatre
Where to Watch: ABC (streamed on Hulu)
Main Categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress

The headlined main event is the award for Best Picture. Now, the fun thing we did here at OSB was this. The nominations were released during the day on Thursday. Most insiders have a pulse on who is going to be nominated which means the oddsmakers and sportsbooks do as well.

After all, several categories feel like slam dunks this year. Naturally, this means we are in for a rash of upsets. Then again, maybe the awards will go more according to a script. By the way, "One Battle After Another" was projected to see double digit nominations.

Next, there will be the inevitable snubs. Here at Online Sports Betting, we do not concern ourselves with those. Playing what is in front of us is far more important.

Now, the questions keep rising. What will the Oscars provide us in entertainment? Will there be some more surprises or will we see fewer? The answer with all this is far from the obvious.

2026 Oscars Best Bets: The Table

These categories will bring all their own storylines and added excitement. Usually, this is where predictions go to die. However, the odds remain hammered in despite the announcement of the nominations. People will forget that we are still more than seven weeks away from the event. Here are some updated online Entertainment betting lines. As for 2026 Oscars best bets, here is that table.

2026 Academy Award Numbers
Best Picture
One Battle After Another	-750	-800	-850
Hamnet	+500	+500	+500
Sinners	+1200	+1000	+1000
Marty Supreme	+1400	+1500	+1500
Wicked: For Good	+5000	+4500	+4500
Rental Family	+5000	+5000	+5000
Sorry Baby	+5000	+5000	+5000

Click here for other Oscars online betting odds.

Always keep more than one eye on these 2026 Oscars odds right until the time one makes their picks. Our online betting lines are accurate entering Thursday, January 22nd. This allows us to get readers the best numbers heading into this mid-March event.

What Did The Golden Globes Tell Us?

When it comes to the 2026 Oscars best bets, what did the Golden Globes tell us? Other awards are not always the perfect barometer. However, they do give us a better clue of who will be nominated, etc. It also can tell us if the early favorites will stay that way or move to a stronger favorite.

Yes, "One Battle After Another" won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. It was not too much of a surprise to anyone but the numbers after for the movie ballooned. The favorite was around -200 to -225 and then boom we were seeing -750 to -850 odds on most books. The alarm bells were going off!

The good news is that there is time to see a few more moves between now and March 15th. People often forget that the Oscars come right around the time of March Madness. Do not forget to check out our online betting guides for a little "Bettors 101" before that big one.

One Battle After Another To win the Oscar for Best Picture

-750

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Does Hamnet Get The Love?

Elsewhere with 2026 Oscars Best Bets, we have quite a battle on our hands. If not the favorite, then where else would we go? Last year became academic with "Anora". It won despite its favorite status and beat out its share of excellent films. This year is interesting. "Hamnet" beat out "Sinners" at the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Pundits were mildly surprised but the film seems to be gaining steam.

Now, the quirky part about entertainment betting is truly in the numbers. The Golden Globe winner for Best Picture Drama saw its odds lengthen and quite a bit. Going from +300 to +500 is significant. Does Hamnet get the love? Yes, that is going to be the huge question. Something was abuzz when it won the Golden Globe. While one movie receives all the attention, is this the one that sneaks through and wins the whole damn thing?

If "Hamnet" pulls this off, it would be quite a coup. However, we have seen this before. Crash comes to mind immediately. Yes, that was the film that beat out Brokeback Mountain. For perspective, Moonlight upset La La Land but honestly, Moonlight, like Hamnet, is just as deserving here.

Hamnet To win Best Picture at the Academy Awards

+500

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A Couple More Early 2026 Oscars Best Bets

Let us offer up a couple more early 2026 Oscars Best Bets. Expect Jessie Buckley to win for Hamnet in Best Actress. It will be fun to see what numbers she gets but the performance was up there with all the other nominees. Best Actor could be more wide open. That truthfully will be a problem.

For the other categories, numbers were being updated at press time. Also, could Timothee Chalamet pull off another stunner and win for Best Actor? Beating out Leonardo DiCaprio twice and winning an epic stacked category would be stuff of legends.

One thing is certain. This is going to be some show!

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