Expert Bet

Some people bet on sports, some on blackjack, or any other casino games.

Nevertheless, every year there is always a large betting market for the highlight of the cinematic year, the Academy Awards, that is the Oscars.

William Hill’s film expert has been making odds on the awards for years. Moreover, he is right more often than not. The living proof is that he has successfully predicted who the Best Director statue will go to before it is announced.

“The biggest prizes have never looked as settled as they do this year,” a spokesman for the company said to a major London newspaper. “There are normally at least two contenders for each award but this year the favourites are all nailed on.”

“Slumdog Millionaire” is matched at 2/7 to take the Best Picture award while 13-times-nominated “The Curious Case” of Benjamin Button is matched at odds of 4/1.

Kate Winslet is a 8/15 favorite to pick up her first Oscar for “The Reader”. She broke records at age 22 for being the youngest actress to pick up two nominations so for her, a win is long overdue.

Kate Winslet has attracted 10 times more money than her nearest rival in the betting for the best actress Oscar, it was announced today.

The 33-year-old British actress has already won both a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice award for Best Supporting Actress for “The Reader”, in which she plays a Nazi concentration camp guard who has an affair with a teenager.

Winslet also has a BAFTA nomination for the part.

British bookmaker Ladbrokes has moved her Oscar odds from 5/4 to even money as backers have flooded in lately.

Her closest competitors appear to be Anne Hathaway at 6/4 and Meryl Streep at 5/1, with outsiders Angelina Jolie at 12/1 and Melissa Leo at 14/1.

Spokesman Robin Hutchison said: “We have seen bits and bobs for Hathaway and Jolie but Winslet is the one they all want to be with at the moment.”

It is believed a victory for Winslet could cost bookmakers as much as Helen Mirren did when “The Queen” was successful in 2006.

Mickey Rourke is now 4/5 from evens to claim the Best Actor gong after he also came in for strong support.

The Oscars take place on February 22.

A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organization or a person that takes bets and may pay winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the odds.

Range of events

The majority of bookmakers in the United States bet mostly on college and professional sports, although in the United Kingdom they offer a wider range of bets, including each-way betting on golf, football and tennis, and especially horse racing and greyhound events. They also specialize in novelty and odd events ” pun intended ” such as betting the probability that it will snow on Christmas Day, the outcome of political elections and reality television contests such as “I’m a Celebrity”, “Big Brother” and “The X Factor”.

Operational procedures

By adjusting the odds in his favor or by having a point spread, the bookmaker will aim to guarantee a profit by achieving a “balanced book”, either by getting an equal number of bets for each outcome, or (when he is offering odds) by getting the amounts wagered on each outcome to reflect the odds. When a large bet comes in, a bookmaker can also try to lay off the risk by buying bets from other bookmakers. The bookmaker does not generally attempt to make money from the bets themselves, but rather profiting from the event regardless of the outcome. Their working methods are similar to that of an actuary, who does a similar balancing of financial outcomes of events for the assurance and insurance industries.

Legality

Bookmaking may be legal or illegal, and may be regulated; in the United Kingdom it was at times both regulated and illegal, in that licenses were required but no debts arising from gambling could be enforced through the courts. Now, since the inception of the National Lottery, not only is it completely legal in the UK, it is a small contributor to the British economy, with a recent explosion of interest with regard to the international gaming sector industry.

Bookmaking is generally illegal in the United States, with Nevada being a notable exception.

In some countries, such as Singapore, Sweden, Canada and Hong Kong, the only legal bookmaker is state-owned and operated. In Canada, this is part of the lottery program and is known as Sport Select.

In the United Kingdom, trusted legal bookmakers are members of IBAS, which is an industry standard organization which resolves to settle disputes.