NASCAR is responsible for one of the most popular sporting competitions in the United States and last year attracted some four million fans to its numerous tracks spread across 39 states as well as in Canada and Mexico.
And will become the next industry to jump in the betting sector, this year they started testing the idea in Delaware with three casinos back in June offering the opportunities to bet on the winners of individual stages and races as well as the number of lead changes and select driver match-ups.
“We’re looking very hard at what the future of sportsbetting is going to look like for our sport as all sports are. From a sponsorship standpoint, I think sponsorship will definitely [bring] betting houses and different opportunities in sportsbetting. They’ll gravitate to NASCAR as most sponsors do because of the return on the investment they can get because of the visibility that it has.” Said Steve Phelps (pictured), President of NASCAR
Although NASCAR employees are currently prohibited from wagering on the outcome of races, the organization’s rule book reportedly does not explicitly outlaw drivers and team members from placing bets. The organizer is now eager to change this situation before its 2019 season gets underway in mid-February via the 61st running of the iconic Daytona 500 from Florida’s Daytona International Speedway.
“The way the rulebook looks today, I think the teams and the drivers understand what it looks like, and I think we’ll clarify for 2019 with more specific language in it. For right now, there’ll be betting here. We’ll study and see how that goes but I think we’ll have some rules in place for sponsorship, for what betting looks like and continue to see what happens in the landscape overall.” Explained Steve Phelps, President of NASCAR
