Grammy Awards Betting Odds, Preview & 2020 Predictions

Ready for Awards Season? Then step right up and place your bets, beginning with the 2020 Grammy Awards at 8 p.m. ET Jan. 26, one week ahead of Super Bowl 54.

Placing bets on award shows is a relatively new exercise in the United States, with DraftKings and SugarHouse each offering odds on the 2019 Emmy Awards last September. The value on some of these categories became immediately clear that night. “Fleabag” won Outstanding Comedy Series at +650 odds and Jodie Comer (+600) won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “Killing Eve.”

The 62nd Grammy Awards should have some underdog value as well. The trick is that unlike in sports betting, you’re not evaluating the nominees on their own merit or skill. It’s all about what stands out to Recording Academy members in the voting process.

Note that while oddsmakers UniBet and PaddyPower are offering odds currently in Europe, sportsbooks in the United States do not, at present, have odds. Specials betting is big outside of the US, where states are more reluctant to offer odds on such things as reality television shows, awards shows and U.S. Presidential betting.

Given that Unibet is offering the odds overseas, bettors in New Jersey should keep an eye out ahead of the show. Betting on the Emmys was only OKd days ahead of the Sept. 22, 2019 awards. If New Jersey gives the go-ahead for Emmys betting, expect a handful of sportsbooks to jump in.

With that in mind, here are the nominees and UniBet betting odds for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist ahead of the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Album of the Year

Billie Eilish is the heavy favorite as a Grammys rookie, landing six nominations for her debut album. The 17-year-old captured both critical and commercial success with her first effort and won New Artist of the Year at the 2019 American Music Awards. The concern is that only four people have ever won Album of the Year and Best New Artist in their Grammys debut. Norah Jones was the last to do so in 2002. Same logic applies to Lizzo, who’s up for both awards as well.

There could be value here on Lana Del Rey, whose “Norman (Expletive) Rockwell” generally received the best reviews of the bunch. That makes +250 a tempting price for the powerful star with a brand of pop that’s tough to pigeonhole by genre. Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” scored an upset win for Album of the Year with odds around +350 in 2018.

Record of the Year

Looking at past Record of the Year winners, it tends to swing toward the catchier, radio-heavy choices more so than Album of the Year. Recent winners include “24K Magic,” “Uptown Funk,” “Get Lucky,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “Use Somebody,” etc. You get the picture. Songs that’ll be blasting at middle school dances 18 months after they’re released.

The three betting favorites here all fit that bill. “Bad Guy” (+115) is one of those songs you hear five times a day without even realizing it, like during a college hoops broadcast halftime segue. “7 Rings (+300) was on a similar level for a while.

“Old Town Road” (+150) took off like crazy and was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list from April 13-Aug. 1. We’d be shocked if the winner isn’t one of these three nominees. Songs like “Talk” and “Hey, Ma” just don’t fit the profile.

Song of the Year

Song of the Year is different than Record of the Year in that it focuses more on the actual words and melody, as opposed to the overall production. Artists can win both in the same year, as was the case in 2019 with Childish Gambino’s “This is America.” So, while “Bad Guy” and “Truth Hurts” are the favorites again, “Old Town Road” is absent. It got the people going but wasn’t exactly a lyrical masterpiece.

This is the only major category that includes Taylor Swift, with “Lover” listed at +300. The 10-time Grammy Winner has gone 0-for-3 on Song of the Year nominations in her career, but Paddy Power lists +400 odds for “Lover” if you believe this is the year she ends the streak. The song has definitely gained steam in the weeks since Swift’s Oct. 5 Saturday Night Live performance.

We love “Truth Hurts” at +150 here. Great melody and the lyrics are undeniably smart and catchy. The odds also suggest this is Lizzo’s best shot at one of the four major awards.

Check Out: NJ Sports Betting | PA Sports Betting sites for legal betting options.

Best New Artist

Pretty clearly down to Billie Eilish and Lizzo here. Eilish spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go.” She also took home New Artist of the Year at the 2019 American Music Awards.

However, the AMA New Artist of the Year has not won Best New Artist at the Grammys since Carrie Underwood took both in 2007. Lizzo got shut out at the AMAs but earned serious praise for her on-stage performance.

Still, Eilish is the safe bet here. The betting favorite has won this category every year since 2012, When Bon Iver upset Nicki Minaj with odds around +250.