NASCAR is ready to fully embrace sports gambling as the activity gains support across the U.S. In addition to being a way to develop a new revenue stream, the faces behind car racing expect that it will help jumpstart the activity and bring new excitement to an industry that has been suffering from declines in popularity over the past several years. As ready as NASCAR is to welcome sports gambling with open arms, the sport’s governing body and management team are concerned that integrity may suffer.
The managing director of gaming for NASCAR, Scott Warfield, participated in an interview with Casino.org where he discussed what is in the works and what is being done to incorporate gambling into the industry. NASCAR has already partnered with Genius Sports to launch sports gambling options for races, and the new products should be available shortly.
Warfield states, “The racing on Sundays is as good as it’s ever been. If you look at the stats, at the amount of passing, green flag passes, number of winners and teams in victory lane – it makes for super in-race betting options.”
This means a lot of line and prop bet opportunities for gamblers across the country, not just in Las Vegas. Vegas was, until May of last year when the US Supreme Court axed the ill-approved legislation called PASPA, essentially the only place NASCAR wagers could be found, but even in the gambling capital of the U.S., options were extremely limited.
The products being developed by NASCAR and Genius will provide real-time feeds, including odds and lines that sportsbooks in all states will be able to incorporate into their operations. The result is more fan engagement, which leads to more TV views, which leads to more revenue dollars from different marketing channels.
Warfield adds, “If we can get our fanbase to watch 15 minutes long, 45 minutes longer, then we’re going to have a material impact on television ratings and overall engagement in the sport. We’re in search of partners in the gaming space to grow the [NASCAR] handle, which has been pretty stagnant in terms of sports betting.”
While NASCAR welcomes sports gambling, it is trying to do whatever it can to keep the wagers as legitimate as possible. It has said that everyone involved with the organization must stay away from NASCAR bets, with the policy applying to team owners, drivers, members of the crew, officials and others. Anyone caught sharing information or breaking the rules can be fined up to $250,000 and could be permanently barred from NASCAR.
