Almost year after the United State Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting, NASCAR has finally decided to join other gaming organizations in the ranks of sports betting. While it has largely been debated how exactly NASCAR would benefit from sports betting, it is quite clear that it has been looking for ways to cash in on the very lucrative gambling sector. Placing bets on NASCAR races was already legal in Nevada prior to the landmark Supreme Court ruling and now the number of states that will be taking bets on these races is certainly bound to increase significantly.
By choosing to venture into the sports betting sector at this point in time, it is likely that NASCAR’s move to step back to scan the gaming landscape may have finally paid off and now it is ready to implement its own gambling guidelines. Some of the organization’s guidelines are very strict, to say the least. For instance, there are heavy restrictions on both drivers and their teams – that is, they risk being terminated if they wager on races or disclose confidential information. They will, however, be allowed to participate in any form of daily fantasy sports wagering related to Xfinity, Cup, and Truck, the organization’s three national touring series. Still, there are restrictions in this regard as well – they will not be allowed to accept prizes whose values exceed $250 in any of the games they play. Also included in NASCAR’s gaming policy is a newly appointed 90-minute post-race inspection of each and every vehicle.
Partnership with Sportsradar
As much as these rules may seem to be very oppressive to a given extent, they are all in line with what other major professional sports have in place. To ensure that the rules were not too overbearing, NASCAR partnered with Sportradar Integrity Services, an intelligence and investigation organization, to assist in the development of a comprehensive gambling policy that is designed to specifically keep the integrity of the races intact.
The goal is to avoid backroom dealings, leaking of confidential information as well as cheating scandals and as mentioned earlier, NASCAR is will to walk the talk through heavy sanctions in case any of the teams or drivers violate its new rules. These may involve termination but depending on the severity of the offense, the organization may resort to suspension either indefinitely or for a given period of time.
As it stands, the bulk of sports betting is generated by basketball, soccer, football, and baseball while NASCAR has only been able to amass a bit of interest from die-hard auto-racing fans. However, all this should change very soon thanks to how much Fantasy NASCAR is being pushed by DraftKings and FanDuel which allows gamblers to create weekly lineups. Things are about to get better for NASCAR.
