NASCAR Fans in Delaware Denied Sports Betting by NFL
NASCAR may be one of the few US sports leagues to realistically address the issue of sports betting, acknowledging that fans like the option and that integrity of results is unlikely to suffer. But the lawsuit by the NFL and other sports leagues which prevented Delaware from accepting single-game gambling also keeps NASCAR bets from being played.
NASCAR's race this weekend at Dover Speedway would have featured racing fans betting on their favorite drivers at adjacent Dover Downs, in a perfect world. But US courts ruled the casino can only take bets on the NFL, under its grandfather clause in the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
What's most frustrating to gambling patrons is that everyone involved would be happy to allow the action. The state already tried to legalize sports betting, fans are eager enough to bet that they pump billions into illegal gambling, and NASCAR has no objection.
"I think the sports betting could have had the ability to draw new people into NASCAR just to give them some other reason to watch," Denis McGlynn, president of Dover Motorsports, told USA Today.
So, thanks to the NFL, an event that does not in any way involve them will attract over 100,000 fans on Sunday, all of whom will be denied the chance to legally bet on their sport. Perhaps the NFL thought that racing fans would switch back to their commercial-engorged telecasts to watch Terrell Owens act like a jerk, if betting weren't permitted.
