The Nevada Gaming Control Board /NGCB/, the state sports betting and gaming regulator, announced Friday sports books can add the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series to their product offerings, starting with this weekend’s race that would take place on virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Sports books can now offer wagering on the winner of each race and on matchups between drivers, and the next opportunity comes this Sunday, the Food City Showdown, televised at 10 a.m. on Fox and FS1.
NASCAR Drivers, Virtual Races
The 2020 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series feature star drivers such as Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr, who race alongside other seasoned drivers, and televising the events brings huge crowds spectator-wise. According to data from the provider of analytics and insights within the sports industry, Nielsen Sports, the broadcast from last weekend’s race from virtual Texas Motor Speedway had the most ever viewers for a televised esports event, 1.3 million.
“The global interest in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series has ranged far and wide and we continue to recognize the role this series is playing in providing sports fans worldwide with a much needed respite during the most challenging of times.”
Scott Warfield, Managing Director of Gaming, NASCAR
During times when all major sports competitions around the world have been suspended due to the virus mitigation measures implementation, sports books have little to none to offer the most die-hard bettors. Maybe that is the reason behind the recent move by the NGCB, as so far the regulator has been reluctant to approve sports wagering on digitized sports events.
Read Official Rules First
As per regulatory requirements, betting companies are obliged to inform bettors that iRacing simulators and other equipment used in the eNASCAR races may differ from driver to driver, and that all official rules and race information can be found on the website of the organizer of the event. While DraftKings was the only sports book to accept wagers for the last weekend’s event, at least four more sports books operators, William Hill, Circa Sports, Caesars and MGM, offer wagers on the Sunday’s main event from virtual Bristol Motor Speedway.
Timmy Hill, the winner of Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125, the second event in the series, is the odds favorite to win the Food City Showdown with 4-1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. prevails as a second choice with 6-1, followed by Garrett Smithley and William Byron, both 7-1. The eNASCAR season opener and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is offered at 12-1, the same as Alex Bowman and Ryan Preece.
Viewers from Nevada, unlike last weekend, can this time around spice up their excitement while watching the race by adding that little bit of edge adrenaline-wise only a wager provides.