It's Sunday morning, Gambling911.com's 2022 Oscars betting coverage is extensive....but the response has been lukewarm, and that's being generous.
"There seems to be little interest," reveals Gambling911.com's Payton O'Brien. "The Oscars used to be a mini Super Bowl when it came to betting."
That was in the early 2000's. Back then, offshore gambling companies had to bolster their call center staff the hours ahead of the Oscars telecast.
Times have changed, and not for the better.
This could certainly change the hours leading up to Sunday night's awards ceremony, but the signs are not good.
And the lack of interest comes at a time when Oscars odds have never been more competitive. We've counted nearly a dozen categories that can go to someone other than the odds-on favorite. In the past, the majority of categories were close to impossible to get on due to the high priced favorites.
The lack of interest appears to be coinciding with declining ratings in recent years.
You know it's bad when the LA Times, home of Hollywood, blares this headline: The Oscars are back — but who will watch? The stakes have never been higher.
Josh Rottenberg and Anousha Sakoui called it what it is.....or what they perceive the issue to be.
"For an academy already wrangling with thorny issues of inclusion and the financial burdens of a costly, recently opened museum, the firestorm over this year’s show has exacerbated existing strains and opened up new wounds."
For viewers - or should we say "non viewers" - the ceremony has become too political, too "woke" and, well, let's just say it, too damn boring.
An upcoming controversial quota system could be the dagger though.
"It's at a point where there are no winners," remarked O'Brien. "Oddsmakers are barely even promoting this year's Oscars. That is unheard of."
- Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
