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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana is giving gamblers a chance to put down wagers on who’ll be winners in next month’s Academy Awards.
That option for those interested in betting on the Oscar winners for best picture and other film categories comes under the state’s sports wagering law that took effect in September.
The Indiana Gaming Commission approved the Oscar bets as the law allows wagering on non-sporting events that meet integrity criteria. Those wagers can be placed at casino sportsbooks or through online sports betting apps licensed by the commission.
New Jersey became the first state last year to accept wagers on the Oscars, taking after a common practice in Europe. New Jersey saw nearly $750,000 wagered on the Oscars, with the sportsbooks keeping nearly a quarter of it.
The Indiana law is broad enough that wagering on election outcomes could be possible.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said legislators didn’t know they would be allowing Oscar wagering when they approved legalizing sports betting last spring.
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