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The Grammy Awards do not come anywhere near the Oscars in terms of betting popularity, however, many gamblers were left stunned after Esperanza Spalding upset the near lock Justin Bieber to take home “Best New Artist”.
Bieber was listed as a strong 1/4 favorite at BetUS.com while Spalding paid out $8 for every $1 bet (the average wager size for this type of event).
“In the whole scheme of things, this was not a major upset,” commented Payton O’Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website. “Sports teams win all the time with future odds around 8/1 and single digit odds to win the Super Bowl often indicate a team is among the favorites to win, including this year’s Packers.”
Still, few expected Spalding to win, especially with all the hoopla over Justin Bieber this past year. Spalding also had the longest odds of any other nominee in this category.
Spalding is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions. She is the first jazz artist to ever win the award.
Need You Now by the group Lady Antebellum was another long shot to win “record of the year”, paying 5/1 odds. They also won “Song of the Year”, paying 2/1 odds.
Here Were Your Grammy Awards Best New Artist Odds Coming Into Last Night’s Show:
401 Justin Bieber 1/4
402 Drake 4/1
403 Florence & The Machine 3/2
404 Mumford & Sons 3/1
405 Esperanza Spalding 8/1
Other Big Upsets and Huge Payouts Over The Years:
Miss Japan Wins 2007 Miss Universe at 22/1 odds
Mine That Bird wins 2009 Kentucky Derby at 50/1 odds
Florida Marlins win 2003 World Series – Listed at 100/1 odds mid season. One documented case of gambler winning $100,000 online.
- Jordan Bach, Gambling911.com
