The Las Vegas Motor Speedway opened for business in 1996. Two years later, the stars and cars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolled onto the 1.5-mile oval, located in the foothills north of the neon skyline. Every spring since nearly 140,000 fans roll into the desert for three days of NASCAR racing. This weekend they're back again for the Shelby American 400-miler.



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Meanwhile, down on The Strip those fans have stampeded into the casinos to place their bets on that weekend's race. Okay, maybe not that last part. Since the 1990's, NASCAR has moved from a regional to national sport, passing the NHL in popularity and trailing only football, basketball, and baseball when it comes to TV audience and merchandise sales. But the people who run the sports books of Vegas believe -- at least they hope -- that it is still in its infancy when it comes to getting some real traction in the betting world. "It's just not a huge draw," a Vegas sports book window attendant told me last fall, asking not to be identified because "the bosses don't like us to talk too much". "We'll get a long line early the morning of our race here in Vegas, fans before they head out to the track. It's cute, everyone all dressed up in their NASCAR gear. But year round, it's nothing compared to other sports." The she paused and smiled slyly, "Those who do play find that it can be good business for the player. Good luck, sir."

Source: The current status of gambling in today's NASCAR