NASCAR is determined to position itself as national leader in sports betting. The steps the organization takes as the 2022 season begins is critical in that push.
DraftKings and BetMGM already sponsor Bubba Wallace and Richard Childress Racing, respectively. NASCAR became the first league to partner with the American Gaming Association in September 2020. The organization is developing new avenues for bettors, while insisting no harm be done to the integrity of stock car racing.
NASCAR works with the AGA on limits and other gambling issues, Joe Solosky, managing director of sports betting, said. “The garage access could potentially expose the sport and we’ve seen this happen in other sports where athletes get in trouble.”
Solosky’s team meets with drivers, team owners and race officials to discuss the latest in sports betting. Thanks to a partnership with Sportradar’s Integrity Services, everyone who works in the sport must participate in a tutorial about race-fixing and sports betting.
“I think NASCAR is not alone in this in that all of the leagues see it as a way to monetize and grow the sport,” Solosky said. “There aren’t a lot of people who have this experience, and we’re demystifying it at the league level.”
For NASCAR, sports betting is an avenue to attract new fans and convert them to die-hard fans.
In October, Fubo Sportsbook became the fourth authorized gaming operator of NASCAR, joining BetMGM, Penn Interactive and WynnBET. The Action Network has redesigned the NASCAR Bet Center.
In 2022, NASCAR is working with Genius Sports on how the sanctioning body can help reshape wager options.
“2022 is a big year for us because it’s the first year we’ll have an apples-to-apples comparison,” Solosky said.
