A sports betting station appeared at Dover International Speedway this past weekend, marking the debut of on-site betting at a NASCAR event. Betting lines were supplied by William Hill, the Delaware Lottery’s risk manager for sports betting.
Delaware Lottery is a partner of Dover International Speedway, which hosted a trio of races over the weekend, including the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Possible wagers included odds for race winners and selecting season championship winners, as well as head-to-head matchups between two drivers and different car manufacturers. The betting kiosk opened at 9 a.m. ET, and also offered betting on NFL games, NCAA football, MLB Playoffs, and mixed martial arts to players aged 21 and older.
“We are very pleased to offer our customers the ability to place wagers at this unique tripleheader at Dover International Speedway,” Vernon Kirk, director of the Delaware State Lottery said in a press release. “It adds a new level of excitement to the event.”
The News Journal of Wilmington reported last week that NASCAR has benefited a mere $60,000 through wagering since Delaware legalized sports betting on June 5. That’s less than 0.2 percent of the total $39.77 million wagered on all sports so far in Delaware. The early returns on wagers placed at Dover International Speedway suggest on-site betting could kickstart a rejuvenated interest in NASCAR.
“The four major sports do the bulk of the interest,” said John Hensley, GM and senior director of horse racing and sports betting at Dover Downs, according to the Associated Press. “Just in early action this week, we’ve done a good percentage of that $60,000 already this week with the event being here and with a little bit of push from what it’s had.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Statista reported in 2016 that the average age of a NASCAR fan was 58. Given the older demographic of NASCAR’s audience, perhaps on-site betting services will take precedence over online sports betting applications as the league looks to capitalize on legalized sports gambling. In September, Formula One auto racing signed a deal worth $100 million to add in-race betting and gambling advertising partners. Outside of Delaware, other states such as Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Mississippi have legalized sports betting with many states expected to follow suit in coming years.