New Jersey is the only state that allowed people to place bets on the 91st Academy Awards.
A gambling rumor leaked prior to the Awards show said that Yorgos Lanthimos was going to win Best Director for “The Favourite.” According to The Action Network, the director’s odds were as high as 45-1 and, after the rumor gained traction, dropped as low as 5-1.
Gambling twitter went nuts with a “leak” that Yorgos Lanthimos (as high as 45/1) was going to win. Sports books took “Best Director” off the board, some negated bets, and the favorite Alfonso Cuaron still wins.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 25, 2019
As the rumor became more widespread, people were allegedly opening accounts just to place bets on the director. The Action Network said FanDuel, a popular sports betting app available in New Jersey, tweeted Sunday morning that Yorgos Lanthimos had been taken off the board. (RELATED: Mel B Criticizes Lady Gaga For Oscars Performance With Bradley Cooper)
This came after they received an influx of similar bets placed on the director.
Very interesting #Oscars2019 movement this morning, as Best Director is now off the board, w/ a flurry of similar bets coming in amongst many books on The Favourite director Yorgos Lanthimos…his odds were knocked down from as high as 40:1 down to as low as 5:1 before taken otb
— More Ways to Win TV (@MoreWaysToWinTV) February 24, 2019
The Action Network wrote that someone reached out to the site claiming the rumor originated from “a frat kid” at Penn State whose father has major Hollywood connections. Another source said it started at the University of Richmond where a student found out the information from an aunt who is on the Academy.
Despite the rumors, “Roma” director Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director Sunday night.