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The 2009 Oscars provided quite a betting revenue boost for online gambling websites. The event is traditionally the 3rd most wagered on of the year and that probably won't change in 2009.
Traffic was up this year on the Gambling911.com website Oscar Sunday with 1.7 million hits recorded compared to 1.1 million last year.
Likewise, preliminary numbers show that ratings for the show were up as well. Last year's Oscars ceremony was the lowest rated ever. Despite ratings growth of 6 percent over last year, the show is likely to be among the three least watched Oscars shows in history. Compare that to some 40 years ago where 80 percent or more of all viewers in the United States tuned into the Oscars.
"For Gambling911.com the amount of Oscar betting inquiries were steady throughout the day," reports Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website. "At its peak some 100 searches were recorded over a 3 minute period."
The Super Bowl remains the king of all betting events this year, with the Oscars capping off a stellar month for bookmakers.
"Consider that at times there were over 100 Super Bowl search inquiries per 45 seconds heading into the Super Bowl and even during the game, a result of in-game betting that has grown immensely popular thanks to iPhones and Blackberrys."
This year's Super Bowl betting inquiries were way up over last year for Gambling911.com despite stiffer search competition. The site recorded just under 1 million hits for Super Bowl Sunday 2008 whereas this year a record 2.2 million hits were registered.
"It is obvious to us that the recession is having little if any effect on betting when it comes to these major events," says O'Brien.
This is great news as there's no rest for the wicked. March Madness kicks off next month and is widely considered among the most active prolonged periods of wagering for online bookmakers.
And while the Super Bowl may be viewed as the biggest wagering day of the year, it is the Kentucky Derby that has given this event a run for its money.
"For the first time ever last year, the Kentucky Derby nudged out the Super Bowl in terms of traffic here at the Gambling911.com website," O'Brien said.
Last year's Kentucky Derby Saturday resulted in 982,000 hits compared to 888,100 for the Super Bowl. Gambling911.com's Oscars betting traffic last year beat out both with 1.1 million hits, however, the average wager on the Academy Awards cannot add up to the overall volume bet with both the Super Bowl and Derby.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling9111.com Publisher
