History-Making Oscars Certainty!

Oscars Special
Centrebet
Feb 22, 2009

$113,000.00 Reasons From One International Punter Why Heath Ledger Is A $1.01 History-Making Oscars Certainty!

Already the most heavily-backed nominee in Academy Awards history with leading entertainment bookmaker Centrebet, late Australian actor Heath Ledger has now joined former Best Actress winner Helen Mirren (The Queen)on the ultimate short price of $1.01 (1/100) to win a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar tomorrow for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight!

Centrebet media chief Neil Evans said Ledger had already commanded a record number of individual bets - and well over $200,000.00 alone - and had surged into an almost unbackable $1.03 on Centrebet before a Japanese client wagered $80,000.00 at $1.03 late Sunday afternoon. Two hours later he bet a further $33,000.00 at the same price forcing Ledger's odds into $1.01 - or what's known as the "Mirren Price" in bookie circles! The punter will win a mere $3,390.00!

Yet another surge of money also came late Sunday for Kate Winslet in the Best Actress category for her role in The Reader, and she shortened from an already tight $1.35 into a hot $1.28! Meryl Streep (Doubt) is her only rival, and is quoted on Centrebet at $4.50!

Evans said turnover on the 2009 Oscars was nearing $400,000.00 across all bets, a stunning 75 per cent increase on the previous year, much of which can be put down to the incredible publicity and momentum garnished by the Ledger story! But, he said, the punters really smiling are those who took the opening odds the top bookmaker quoted on Ledger winning an Academy Award nine months ago!

"Way back then, we asked the betting world if Ledger could posthumously go all the way. The market was $1.91 each of two whether you thought he would win or not," Evans said.

"But right from the opening day - well before Ledger collected the gongs in significant Oscar lead-up awards - punters from around the country realised this would be a remarkable story. We took $15,000.00 in bets on YES, before we took $500.00 on NO ... and within a week Ledger's price had firmed to $1.72. Within a month he'd shortened to $1.35. And it kept shortening - all the way in to $1.03 through the week - and now $1.01. It can't get any shorter, and many specialist entertainment punters wagered anywhere from $2,000.00 up to $20,000.00 on a Ledger Oscar! And then we've had hundreds of more bets arrive today, including trhe $113,000.00 traded by the big-timer from the Land of the Rising Sun!"

When the official Oscars market came out several weeks back, Ledger opened $1.30 on Centrebet, and will close a staggering $1.01! No other Best Supporting Actor rival is under the $23.00 mark, including Josh Brolin (Milk) and the much-touted Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt!

Another category holding a big slice of money is the Best Actor category where The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke has surged clear and into a $1.57 favourite after scores of bets came in the final week! "Only a couple of weeks back, Rourke was $1.90 and Sean Penn (Milk) had firmed in to $2.15, but the former has gapped his main rival lately!"

Evans said "Slumdog Millionaire" and its director Danny Boyle have both been backed "off the map" to win the Best Picture and Best Director categories!

Centrebet has written around 3000 individual wagers across 2009 Oscars betting!

BEST PICTURE

$1.10 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (opened $1.40)
$7.00 THE CURIOUS CASE OF B. BUTTON (opened $5.00)
$21.00 MILK (opened $11.00)
$41.00 FROST/NIXON (opened $21.00)
$41.00 THE READER (opened $21.00)

BEST ACTOR

$1.57 MICKEY ROURKE (The Wrestler) (opened $1.80)
$2.65 SEAN PENN (Milk) (opened $2.15)
$9.00 FRANK LANGELLA (Frost/Nixon) (opened $7.50)
$34.00 BRAD PITT (The C. Case of B. Button) (opened $21.00)
$67.00 RICHARD JENKINS (The Visitor) (opened $41.00)

BEST ACTRESS

$1.28 KATE WINSLET (The Reader) (opened $2.15)
$4.50 MERYL STREEP (Doubt) (opened $2.65)
$11.00 ANNA HATHAWAY (Rachel G. Married) (opened $4.75)
$26.00 ANGELINA JOLIE (Changeling) (opened $16.00)
$29.00 MELISSA LEO (Frozen River) (opened $21.00)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

$1.01 HEATH LEDGER (The Dark Knight) (opened $1.30)
$23.00 JOSH BROLIN (Milk) (opened $11.00)
$23.00 MICHAEL SHANNON (Rev. Road) (opened $16.00)
$23.00 PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (Doubt) (opened $14.00)
$34.00 ROBERT DOWNEY Jnr (Tropic Thunder) (opened $21.00)

HEATH LEDGER OSCARS SPECIAL - Will He or Won't He Win? (opened 9 months ago)

$1.01 YES (opened $1.91)
$13.00 NO (opened $1.91)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

$1.70 PENELOPE CRUZ (Vicky C. Barcelona) (opened $2.25)
$3.25 AMY ADAMS (Doubt) (opened $2.65)
$6.00 VIOLA DAVIS (Doubt) (opened $5.00)
$12.00 MARISA TOMEI (The Wrestler) (opened $16.00)
$15.00 TARAJI P. HENSON (The CC of B. Button) (opened $21.00)

BEST DIRECTOR

$1.07 DANNY BOYLE (Slumdog Millionaire) (opened $1.70)
$7.50 DAVID FINCHER (The CC of B. Button) (opened $5.00)
$26.00 GUS VAN SANT (Milk) (opened $11.00)
$41.00 RON HOWARD (Frost/Nixon) (opened $21.00)
$41.00 STEPHEN DALDRY (The Reader) (opened $21.00)

WHICH MOVIE WILL WIN THE MOST OSCARS?

$1.12 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (opened $1.40)
$3.75 THE CC OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (opened $2.65)
$21.00 THE DARK KNIGHT (opened $21.00)
$21.00 WALL-E (opened $21.00)
$41.00 MILK (opened $21.00)
$51.00 DOUBT (opened $21.00)
$101.00 THE READER (opened $34.00)
$151.00 FROST/NIXON (opened $51.00)
$151.00 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (opened $51.00)

ENDS

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