Virginia Governor Recommends Changes to NASCAR Wagering in State’s Sports Betting Bill
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images. Pictured: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, leads the field to the green flag to start the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway
On March 8, Virginia's legislature passed a bill paving the way for legal sports betting throughout the state.
The bill allows both mobile and in-person betting and is still awaiting the signature of Gov. Ralph Northam before becoming law.
However, according to a report from LegalSportsReport.com, Northam has made several recommendations for the bill that will be discussed when the legislature reconvenes on April 22.
Among the governor’s suggestions is adding NASCAR to the list of professional sports leagues that would be permitted to acquire a sports betting license. The bill that lawmakers had sent to Northam for his signature had only included teams from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS under that distinction.
The current bill does not permit wagering on Virginia's college sports teams.
From a NASCAR perspective, this would mean that racetracks within the state can offer legal sports betting themselves, including mobile wagering.
While the current schedule is still in flux due to the COVID-19 outbreak and indefinite postponement of racing, NASCAR's Cup, XFINITY and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series each visit Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway, both located in Virginia.
We'll continue to update this article as more details of Virginia's sports betting bill and Northam's recommendations become available.
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