Betting on NASCAR comes to Dover International Speedway for the first time

Jerry Smith
The News Journal
Mark Pinder of Kent Island, Maryland., does his research before wagering on NFL games at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. During the Oct. 5-7 NASCAR tripleheader at Dover International Speedway, bettors will be able to place wagers on the Saturday and Sunday races and other sports right outside the Monster Mile.

For the first time since single-game sports wagering was legalized in Delaware, NASCAR race fans will be able to place bets on their favorite drivers right outside the Monster Mile.

A sports betting station will be set up at Dover International Speedway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday near the Delaware Lottery display,  not far from the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza.

Single-game sports betting begins in Delaware

The two Dover races available for wagering are Saturday's “Bar Harbor 200” NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race and Sunday's “Gander Outdoors 400” Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.

Delaware State Lottery director Vernon Kirk said that while the amount wagered on NASCAR since single-sports betting began here in June hasn't been significant, having betting onsite this weekend could give it "a pretty big bump."

Since June 5 when Delaware became the first state to offer single-game sports wagering outside Nevada, NASCAR wagering has amounted to a paltry $60,000. That's less than 0.2 percent of the total $39.77 million wagered on all sports so far in the state.

For the first time since single-game sports wagering was legalized in Delaware on June 5, race fans this weekend at Dover International Speedway will be able to place bets on their favorite drivers right outside the Monster Mile.

"We see it beginning to grow," Kirk said.

Expected action will include odds on the race winners and season championship winner, as well as head-to-head matchups featuring two drivers and different car manufacturers. 

When picking the winner of a race, there are typically 20 to 30 drivers listed along with a “field” (all others). Each will include the odds of winning.

For example, if you wager $10 on Kyle Busch with 8-1 odds and he wins the race, you win $80 plus your $10 back, totaling $90.

Who's going to finish in the top 20 in Sunday's NASCAR race in Dover?

Auto racing matchups pit two drivers against each other in a head-to-head wager. The driver with the better finish in the race wins. Sometimes multiple drivers are listed in a group where the best finish in the group wins the wager.

In an example pitting Jimmie Johnson (-130 odds) against Kyle Busch (110 odds), a wager on Johnson for $10 wins $13, returning $23. Wagering $10 on Kyle Busch pays $11 plus your $10 back for a total of $21.

According to the Delaware State Lottery website, lines can be found on other series and open wheel races as well.

Ivan Dinh of Wilmington places his bet June 5 the Casino at Delaware Park in Stanton. Delaware launched the country's first full-scale sports betting operation outside of Nevada that day and since then, nearly $40 million has been wagered at the state's three casinos and other Delaware State Lottery retail outlets.

Kirk said pro football, baseball, college football — including football parlay cards — MMA and all other sports wagering will also be offered at the speedway this weekend to those 21 years or older.

“It adds a new level of excitement to the event,” Kirk said.

Winning tickets at the speedway can be redeemed there, at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino’s Race & Sports Book, or by following the mailing instructions on the back of the ticket.

Delaware sports wagering

More than $39.77 million has been wagered on sports at Delaware's three casinos since betting began June 5, according to data from the Delaware Lottery.

Of that total, more than $27.9 million was wagered from 455,726 bets at Delaware Park, which continues to see the most traffic due to its proximity to out-of-state gamblers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

Dover Downs has seen more than $7.78 million wagered from 121,352 bets, while Harrington Raceway has accounted for just over $4 million from 80,039 bets.

Ivan Dinh of Wilmington places a bet on June 5 at the Casino at Delaware Park in Stanton. Since single-sport wagering was legalized in the First State, Delaware's three casinos, after money was allocated to the state and to their respective racetracks, netted almost $5.2 million.

The total amount won is just over $2.6 million, and the state has netted almost $5.2 million since sports wagering began, according to numbers provided by the Delaware State Lottery.

Dover Downs Hotel & Casino’s Race & Sports Book in the casino also will be open during the race weekend. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.