Nascar plans gambling rules as betting launches at Dover

Nascar president Steve Phelps has said that the North American stock car-racing series is likely to implement gambling rules from its 2019 season after the Dover International Speedway in Delaware launched legal, on-site betting.

Punters were able to place wagers for the first time at the 85,000-capacity venue at the weekend during the Nascar ‘Tripleheader Weekend’.

However, the move has raised questions over the relationship between gambling and Nascar. At present, the series does not prohibit its drivers or team members from betting on races.

Phelps indicated that this is likely to change from the 2019 season and, according to the Associated Press, said the series is looking to add some form of gambling restrictions to its official rulebook.

“I think for ‘19, we’ll have some rules that we'll put in place,” Phelp. “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.”

Delaware was the first state to legalise sports betting in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on PASPA earlier this year. The state launched a regulated market just three weeks after the hearing.

Phelps said the rule changes will fit in with Delaware’s pledge to protect sporting integrity, with restrictions likely on driver and team members betting on Nascar races.

He said: “I imagine we’ll get there. 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.”

In September, sports betting revenue in Delaware more than doubled month-on-month to just under $16.8m (£12.9m/€14.6m), compared to $7.7m in August.

Image: Michieliosios