Greg Olsen makes $100 ceremonial bet on Bubba Wallace to win NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Taylor Young
·2 min read
Greg Olsen makes $100 ceremonial bet on Bubba Wallace to win NASCAR Cup Series Championship

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Just minutes after sports betting became legal in North Carolina, some sportsbooks wasted no time competing to draw in customers.

“I think a lot of people have been excited about this for a long time and here we are,” former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said Monday.

Just minutes after the clock struck noon, Olsen placed DraftKings’ ceremonial first bet in the state.

“Just so you know I am not lying to you,” Olsen said while showing a crowd in the NASCAR Hall of Fame his phone, “Bubba Wallace winning the cup race.”

The $100 bet was celebrated after years of a back-and-forth over the legality of online sports betting. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the sports wagering bill into law last June, giving the state’s lottery commission one year to create guidelines before announcing a start date.

Legal sports betting in North Carolina begins Monday at noon

Now that it’s live, DraftKings Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Elbaum says responsible sports betting will only increase fan engagement in a state that’s already recognized for its avid dan-base.

“The sports calendar in North Carolina is like nothing else in the country. The love for NASCAR, the love for March Madness, the love for NBA, the love for NFL… A lot of states have one, two, three of those things. Very few have all of them,” Elbaum said.

“I think that this is really exciting. I think that anything that can be done in a responsible way that just improves that fan engagement, that fan experience of not only following their die-hard team but just following the leagues, following the different drivers, following whatever the case may be. I think is good for everyone,” Olsen said.

ECU professor monitoring gambling addiction ahead of the first legal bets

If Olsen is accurate in his bet that Bubba Wallace wins the cup championship, he will take home more than $4,000.

“I hope he feels a lot of pressure now. Like I hope that he is right now in the gym grinding,” Olsen said.

As much as excitement filled the NASCAR Hall of Fame following Olsen’s bet, there were also constant reminders of the dangers of gambling addictions.

State Rep. Zack Hawkins, a proponent of legalizing online sports betting, says $2 million will be given to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to support sports gambling hotlines.

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