NASCAR pushes its chips on sports gambling

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. >> Brendan Gaughan is the son of a casino magnate and has long grasped the allure of throwing down a few bucks to wager on a sporting event.

Heck, Gaughan once bet on himself in Las Vegas to win the 2004 Daytona 500. Gaughan got a stern talking to from NASCAR back in the day when gambling was perhaps the most taboo topic in sports. March Madness brackets, Super Bowl prop bets, they all go handin-hand with the biggest games as much as the highlights, but wagers on the upstart underdog or 5-1 favorite were saved for Vegas, office pools and the neighborhood bookie operating illegally.

But societal attitudes — and more to the point, laws — toward betting have evolved, leading even sports leagues to loosen their stances as a new world of potential partnerships and revenue streams has opened.

Count NASCAR as the latest sport racing toward the gambling industry.

“The more people betting and playing fantasy games on your sport, the more people watch,” Gaughan said during Daytona 500 qualifying. “NASCAR has always known that. They still know that.”

Gaughan is happy to give NASCAR fans and the betting public the latest inside scoop on the sport. He co-hosts both the “Fantasy Racing Preview with Pete Pistone” on SiriusXM and “Gone Racin” on VSiN, a national sports gambling news network.

“When it comes to fantasy sports and betting on NASCAR races, there’s nothing wrong with it,” Gaughan said.

NASCAR is on board — and on the betting boards of sportsbooks from Nevada and beyond — with legalized betting in 2019.

“I wanted to go all in on gambling last year,” NASCAR executive Steve O’Donnell said.

But NASCAR took a step back and scanned the gambling landscape before implementing gambling guidelines in the rulebook for this season. Among the new restrictions: drivers and team members are banned from betting on races or disclosing confidential information. They are allowed to participate in fantasy sports relating to the three national touring series, Cup, Xfinity and Truck, but may not accept prizes with a value of more than $250 in any games. The bans are in line with other major sports.