Lately, NASCAR has had integrity on its mind.
In an effort to deal with issues like the theft of money from Shohei Ohtani or the questionable activities in Iowa, NASCAR insists all employees, drivers, and crew members enroll in an online tutorial on gambling every two years. Sportradar created the tutorial.
A Swiss-based integrity firm, Sportradar offers seminars on match fixing and NASCAR’s vulnerability.
“This session was intended to make our drivers aware … here’s some things to be on the lookout for if anyone is asking you any questions that seem out of the norm around anything that’s competition related … and what to do in those circumstances if that does happen,” NASCAR Managing Director Sports Betting Joe Solosky told Autoweek.
Seminars also examine the difference between legal and illegal sportsbooks, and the implications of betting scandals.
“In short, employees cannot bet on NASCAR or NASCAR-owned properties/sanctioned events (IMSA, NASCAR-sanctioned short-track races). Members (think drivers, crew, team front office) cannot bet on NASCAR or NASCAR-sanctioned events. Employees and members can play fantasy games, but the prizes for the year cannot exceed $250. Otherwise, employees or members can bet on any sport,” the governing body said.
Martin Truex Jr. pays scant attention to odds, favorites and the like.
“I think there’s a lot of people that like to bet on things that probably had never watched a race before,” Truex told Autoweek. “If they can put money on it, they’re going to be interested, they’re going to be watching, and they’re going to be involved. Maybe five out of 10 people that do that it hooks them, and they like it.”
Las Vegas native Kyle Busch says he views betting on NASCAR “as being a positive for our sport and for the world in general. The opportunity for people to place bets on their favorite drivers or their favorite scenarios throughout the week, I think it’s really awesome.”
The 20-minute tutorial is refreshed each year. NASCAR puts everything on a spreadsheet database that tracks those who took the tutorial, and anything else that’s competition related. If anyone violates the gambling policy, it could result in a fine, suspension or revocation.
Solosky admitted it’s still too new, with members trying to figure out the right way to react without going against policies.
“To monitor that in real time, there would have to be personal information shared from the governing body—NBA, NHL, NFL or NASCAR—to the sportsbook operators, which then have to share with the leagues,” Solosky told Autoweek. “Then there would have to be this encrypted database where people would be comfortable having that information shared. That system does not exist yet.”
