Big Bets For Mirren To Be Crowned Queen On Oscar Night

Helen Mirren continues to be the subject of a heavyweight gamble to win the Best Actress Oscar, with William Hill accepting six four figure bets including one of £3000 placed by a female customer in their Park Lane Branch.

"You have to be very sure to place £3,000 to win £250 and it would seem that the British public are 100% sure that victory for Helen Mirren is a formality," said William Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.

Elsewhere Departed has been popular to win Best Film at even money as has Scorsese for the Best Director, Peter O'Toole is one of the few outsiders to be supported at 5/1 to win the Best Actor Oscar.

Latest Oscar Betting Odds

Best Film: 1/1 The Departed, 11/4 Babel, 7/2 Little Miss Sunshine, 10/1 Letters from Iwo Jima, 10/1 The Queen.

Best Director: 1/3 Martin Scorsese (The Departed), 7/1 Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima/Flags of our Father), 7/1 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), 9/1 Stephen Frears (The Queen), 10/1 Paul Greengrass (United 93).

Best Actor: 1/4 Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), 5/1 Peter O'Toole (Venus), 8/1 Leonardo Di Caprio (The Departed/Blood Diamond), 14/1 Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), 33/1 Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson).

Best Actress: 1/12 Helen Mirren (The Queen), 10/1 Meryl Streep (The Devil wears Prada), 14/1 Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), 25/1 Penelope Cruz (Volver), 25/1 Kate Winslet (Little Children).