KEY POINTS:
As Hollywood's glittering award season draws closer, bookmakers across the globe are taking bets on who will claim this year's illustrious prizes.
Next week's 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards kick off the festivities and odds are good that Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker and The Departed will walk away winners on the night.
Martin Scorsese's New York gangster film The Departed is the strong favourite to win Best Motion Picture - Drama at next Monday's awards, with British online betting agency Paddy Power offering 2-5 odds in its favour.
Helen Mirren looks to be a shoe-in for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, with 1-6 odds, for her role in The Queen.
Likewise, Forest Whitaker is the favourite for best actor, with 1-3 odds, after his critically acclaimed performance in The Last King of Scotland.
Those looking for a long shot will be backing Maggie Gyllenhaal and Will Smith, who are clear underdogs with 25-1 and 12-1 odds respectively.
Though New Zealand's official betting agency, the TAB, will not be opening the books on the awards season race, New Zealand is one of the few countries where it is legal to place bets with overseas agencies.
Australia, America and Britain have strict regulations in place to prevent offshore gambling, however, no such restrictions have been placed on New Zealand citizens.
The rise of online gambling agencies has seen a surge of obscure betting categories become available in recent years.
Paddy Power is currently offering 4-1 odds that junkie rocker Pete Doherty will be arrested more than five times this year, while American betting agency Bodog.com has a book running on the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith baby, Dannielyn Hope.
- The Golden Globes take place on Monday, 15th January (US time). A live broadcast of the ceremony will screen here on Sky Movies 1 from 2pm, Tuesday, 16th January.
Understanding Odds:
The first number refers to the payout, so the higher the number is, the less likely that option is to win.
For example, Maggie Gyllenhaal's odds to win a Golden Globe are 25-1. So for every dollar bet on her, the punter will receive $25 back if she wins.
The Departed's odds are just 2-5, meaning for every $5 placed on the film, you will only win $2 on top of the amount you bet. For example, if you placed a $50 bet on the film to win Best Motion Picture, you would receive a total of $70 back.
