NASCAR Betting Interest Has ‘Nowhere To Go But Up’ As States Legalize

NASCAR has put an emphasis on growing its presence in the gambling space -- even if the early returns have been soft.

The four major sports already have dipped their toes in and seen an expansion of betting interest. To this point, NASCAR has been playing from behind, but is trying to change that as more states begin to legalize sports betting.

"When sports betting legalized, people were already betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, whether it was through their local bookie, offshore, any sort of illegal ways that they were betting," NASCAR's sports betting managing director Joe Solosky told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass.

While the growth has not been anything to write home about, there has been steady progress. In 2020, NASCAR accounted just for 0.1% of all money spent betting on sports. Last year, the number increased to 0.25%.

There also are many factors that might lead to more substantial growth in the coming years. Arguably the biggest reason is the fact that sports betting is not legal in what Solosky defined as "NASCAR country."

"North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, all those states haven't legalized yet and those are huge populations who have a strong loyalty to the sport," Solosky continued.

Once that happens, the growth rate should be notable. As Pockrass notes, the low starting point means there's "nowhere to go but up" for the gambling handle. For now, NASCAR's hope is people who would not consider themselves NASCAR fans would bet on the sport and fall in love with the events along the way.

To become one of those people, you can catch the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday and bet alongside the event.