Now that Dover International Speedway in Delaware has opened a sports betting kiosk, NASCAR president Steve Phelps said the racing series will move to implement guidelines on sports betting.
Dover International is now the only NASCAR track that allows sports betting as Delaware is one of three states to legalize sports betting since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal sports betting ban.
“I think for 2019, we’ll have some rules that we’ll put in place,” Phelps told the Associated Press. “For right now, there’ll be betting here. They have a kiosk here, you can bet inside. 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.”
Phelps also said some of the language in the 2019 rulebook could include rules prohibiting drivers and team members from betting on NASCAR.
“I imagine we’ll get there,” he said. “The way the rulebook looks today, I think the teams and the drivers understand what it looks like today, and I think we’ll clarify for ’19 with more specific language in it.”
At Dover Downs and Dover International Speedway, single-game and championship wagering on professional baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, golf and auto racing are now offered, with betting lines supplied by William Hill.
“From a sponsorship standpoint, I think sponsorship will definitely … gravitate to NASCAR as most sponsors do because of the return on the investment they can get because of the visibility that it has,” Phelps said.
The Delaware Lottery reported that it took just under $17 million in sportsbook wagers in September, the first month of the college football and NFL seasons. Dover Downs saw $3.3 million wagered for the month taking in $608,000 in revenue.
