Sportsbook affiliate partner Betting Hero has released the results of a consumer research study in collaboration with NASCAR.
The company surveyed qualified bettors in North Carolina regarding their engagement preferences for NASCAR as sports fans and bettors.
Overall, it found that there was “significant demand” for NASCAR as a betting product in the Tar Heel State as respondents were almost three times more likely to bet on NASCAR compared to other previously surveyed states.
Online sports betting launched in North Carolina in March and DraftKings partnered with NASCAR in order to gain market access in the state.
In the past, NASCAR has signed deals with other sportsbooks including FanDuel and nVenue. In Delaware, BetRivers sponsored the recent NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash race which was renamed the BetRivers 200.
The study found that NASCAR ranked behind only the NFL, NBA and MLB in betting activity by the study respondents.
It also found that certain sportsbooks surveyed showed a disproportionately high level of NASCAR betting activity compared to brand awareness in the target group which it says could suggest having a strong NASCAR betting offering is more important than other factors for bettors in the state.
“NASCAR has extremely passionate fans and we see sports betting as another way they can engage with sport,” said NASCAR Managing Director of Sports Betting, Joe Solosky.
“We are excited, but not surprised, to see the success of NASCAR as an offering through the launch of sports betting in the industry’s backyard of North Carolina and are continuing to better improve the NASCAR betting product to give fans more options to responsibly engage with action on the track.”
NASCAR betting makes strong start in North Carolina
The study revealed that North Carolina has risen to among the top three states for NASCAR betting volume through the first two months of operation.
The launch of sports betting in North Carolina has also helped grow total betting handle for NASCAR across the U.S. year-on-year. Total handle for the 20 states offering wagering on NASCAR in March and April grew 15% compared to the same period last year.
In some states handle grew over 50% year-on-year while in New York and Nevada total wagering doubled compared to the previous year.
Sports betting and NASCAR go hand-in-hand
86% of respondents in the study said that they see betting as a complement to sporting enjoyment and 70% said that they watched their first NASCAR race due to placing a bet on the event.
”As is shown in the North Carolina study conducted by our in-house consumer research division, there is a clear correlation between most fans’ enjoyment or engagement in a sporting event and their betting activity overall,” added Betting Hero Co-Founder and President, Jai Maw.
He also noted that there are less markets and prop betting options available for NASCAR compared to other sports which suggests that NASCAR fans may be more loyal to their sportsbook of choice than fans of other sports due to the relative lack of options.
The study described players in North Carolina as “loyal and active” bettors, as half of respondents downloaded three gambling apps and nearly 90% are still using their primary sportsbook after registration.
