NASCAR and IMG Arena launch global sports betting partnership

NASCAR and sports betting service and content hub IMG Arena announced Wednesday that the latter has licensed official assets to create a virtual sports betting game that replicates some of NASCAR’s most iconic tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Watkins Glen International.

The virtual product, created by Leap Gaming, will be offered to sports betting operators around the world. This deal expands IMG Arena’s growing portfolio of virtual sports betting products, which now includes tennis, football, cycling, horse racing, speedway racing and greyhound racing.  

In addition, NASCAR and IMG Arena have formed a long-term partnership that will provide international sports betting operators the ability to live-stream NASCAR Cup Series races for the first time. Cars returned to the track on May 17th at Darlington Raceway, and the remaining 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season will be available to betting operators outside of the U.S. and Canada. 

“IMG Arena is the leading partner for global sports and entertainment media. We are excited to work together to provide a global audience the ability to engage with our sport virtually and in real-time,” said Scott Warfield, Managing Director of Gaming, NASCAR. “The international sports gaming landscape is mature and vibrant, and this partnership allows us to offer compelling products that further enhance our international footprint.”

“Adding NASCAR to our client roster is a proud achievement. The brand is renowned in sport and entertainment with the high-octane race series providing must-watch, appointment-viewing content for more than 70 years,” said Freddie Longe, Executive Vice President and Managing Director at IMG Arena. “The partnership significantly bolsters our streaming and official virtual sports offering with a product that we expect to be popular in a number of different markets.”

This partnership comes on the heels of an announcement made earlier this year introducing Penn National Gaming as NASCAR’s first authorized gaming operator in the United States. The partnership centered around a free-to-play, mobile game named NASCAR Finish Line, which offers users the chance to win a $25,000 jackpot every race.

Headquartered in London, IMG Arena works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live streaming and on-demand virtual sports products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. Its ground-breaking data collection system ensures that the fastest and most accurate sources of data are delivered live from the action to the end user in less than a second.

In the past year, NASCAR announced a series of agreements to prepare the industry and its fans for the rapidly growing sports betting landscape in the U.S., including its first authorized gaming operator, an exclusive data partnership, an integrity partner to safeguard and protect the sport, and unique content deals. Furthermore, the sanctioning body granted all teams and tracks the ability to sell marketing sponsorships to sports betting companies and licensed sportsbooks.