'Lincoln' Favored to Sweep Academy Awards

Oddsmakers put Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis and "Lincoln" at the top.

ByABC News
January 10, 2013, 12:33 PM

Jan. 11, 2013— -- If you're a betting man -- or woman -- you couldn't go wrong with "Lincoln."

The movie, its star, Daniel Day-Lewis, and director, Steven Spielberg, are the odds-on favorites to win Academy Awards.

FULL COVERAGE: The 85th Annual Academy Awards

After Thursday's Oscar nominations were revealed, oddsmakers were quickly calculating the odds for each nominee and, by far, most of them had "Lincoln" sweeping the awards. Day-Lewis was rated at 1/8 odds to take home his third Oscar; Spielberg was given 1/4 odds; and "Lincoln" was set at 2/5 odds.

But there are still a few categories in which oddsmakers expect to see a real horse race. Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain were running neck-and-neck in the best actress race after the nominations were announced. In the supporting actor race, Day-Lewis' co-star Tommy Lee Jones had a slight edge over Phillip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master."

"Tommy Lee Jones is not a clear favorite," said Kevin Bradley, sportsbook manager for online gambling site Bovada, told ABCNews.com. "There could be an upset."

Before it's all over, and the winners' names are read, Bovada will likely rake in tens of thousands of dollars in bets, ranging from a buck to $100, Bradley said. Most of those wagers will come in the days before the Oscar telecast, when the betting limits might start at $500 to $1,000.

"Out of all the entertainment betting, the Oscars is definitely the biggest," Bradley said. "It's the Super Bowl of entertainment."

The way it works is, if you put down, say $400, for Spielberg, you would gain $100 if he wins. But if you put down $100 for "Amour" director Michael Haneke, who's ranked at 10/1 odds, and he wins, you could earn $1,000.

Game?

Check out the odds posted by Bovada after the nominations were announced:

Best Picture Winner: "Lincoln," 2/5; "Les Miserables," 6/1; "Argo," 13/2; "Zero Dark Thirty," 15/2; "Silver Linings Playbook,"16/1; "Life of Pi," 20/1; "Amour," 50/1; "Django Unchained," 50/1; "Beasts of the Southern Wild," 100/1.

Best Director Winner: Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln"), 1/4; Ang Lee ("Life of Pi"), 5/1; Michael Haneke ("Amour"), 10/1; David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook"), 12/1; Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), 100/1.

Best Actor Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln"), 1/8; Denzel Washington ("Flight"), 12/1; Hugh Jackman ("Les Miserables"), 9/1; Joaquin Phoenix ("The Master"), 16/1; Bradley Cooper ("Silver Linings Playbook"), 22/1.

Best Actress Winner: Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook"), 1/2; Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty"), 2/1; Emannuelle Riva ("Amour"), 12/1; Naomi Watts ("The Impossible"), 18/1; Quvenzhane Wallis ("Beasts Of The Southern Wild"), 30/1.

Best Supporting Actor Winner: Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln"), 11/10; Phillip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master"), 7/5; Alan Arkin ("Argo") 9/1; Robert DeNiro ("Silver Linings Playbook"), 9/1; Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained"), 20/1.

Best Supporting Actress Winner: Anne Hathaway ("Les Miserables"), 1/10; Sally Field ("Lincoln"), 9/1; Helen Hunt ("The Sessions"), 10/1; Amy Adams ("The Master"), 20/1; Jacki Weaver ("Silver Linings Playbook"), 33/1.

You can also weigh in on who you want to win with Oscar.com's My Picks, an interactive and social Oscar ballot that allows you to pick who you think will win in each category. You can compete with your Facebook friends when the Academy Awards air on Feb. 24.