NASCAR launches betting education initiatives with BetMGM, Barstool, WynnBET and AGA

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S stock car motor racing operating organization, NASCAR, announced last week the launch of two betting education initiatives, aimed at race fans as interest in sports betting in North American markets continues to rise. 

The first initiative includes a series of 5 short tutorial videos on how to bet in NASCAR markets,  featuring Todd Fuhrman, former Las Vegas oddsmaker and media personality. 

The first episode focuses on the outright market (the race winner) and is set to be followed by episodes covering the winning team, the winning manufacturer, odds to finish in the top 3, 5 and 10, and head-to-head matchup props. It was launched ahead of the Go Bowling at the Glen event, held on Sunday 8 August at 3 pm, which will be broadcasted live on the NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

One video will be shown each week throughout the remainder of the season, according to the sanctioning organization’s plans with BetMGM, Barstool Sportsbook and WynnBET, which are all three NASCAR’s official sports betting partners.

“The best part about NASCAR is that the market changes week to week, and you’re going to have ample opportunity to shop around for the best prices”, Fuhrman remarked. 

“It’s not just going to the window for a ticket on the favorite at 3-to-1 hoping for the best-case scenario, but shopping around through a variety of our NASCAR partners and identifying not only the favorite but some of the value propositions that are available and maybe even that long shot you think has an excellent chance to grab the checkered flag”, Fuhrman reflected. 

In addition, the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) ‘Have a Game Plan’ responsible gaming initiative will also be promoted through the educating campaign. 

Furthermore, beginning with this weekend’s Cup race at Watkins Glen, viewers of NASCAR Drive, the NASCAR.com live streaming product featuring in-car cameras, will see a crawl across the top of the screen presenting live odds. Fans will have the ability to opt-out of the odds ticker as Solosky stressed the ticker is an educational initiative, not a revenue driver. The odds viewers will see are consensus numbers aggregated by SharpLink, a gaming technology partner of NASCAR’s, not specific lines from one of the racing organization’s betting sponsors.

NASCAR’s Managing Director of Sports Betting, Joe Solosky, spoke in a press release about the importance of educational content for bettors.

 “Education is a top one, two or three priority for me. It’s something that I’m working on to teach fans how to bet on NASCAR or what the advantages and differences are of NASCAR against other sports.”

NASCAR resumed track-based events in May after two months of virtual competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its come-back attracted 6.32 million viewers on the FOX broadcasting network.