Daytona 500 Victory For Chumba Casino Car Owned By Michael Jordan Comes At Key Moment For Sweepstakes Casinos

By Bill Speros

Feb 15th, 2026 8:20 PM EST

Michael Jordan and Tyler Reddick celebrate on Victory Lane Sunday after the Daytona 500. (USA TODAY)

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Michael Jordan, 23XI Racing, Tyler Reddick, and Chumba Casino all hit the jackpot in the Daytona 500 Sunday.

Reddick and the No. 45 Chumba Casino Toyota emerged from a crash-filled and chaotic final lap to earn themselves and their team their first victory in the "Great American Race." Chumba was one of two social, or “Sweepstakes Casinos” that operate on a dual-currently platform, with a car in the race Sunday. The other was Modo Casino.

Jordan, a notorious gambler in his own right, and 23XI Racing had four cars in the race Sunday. Jordan owns the team in part with driver Denny Hamlin. The lead driver in the 23XI Racing stable, Bubba Wallace, finished 10^th after flirting with the lead late.

"Just incredible how it all played out. Just true Daytona madness," Reddick, who was +3000 to take the checkered flag before the race, said after the win. "I've already lost my voice from screaming. Never thought I'd be Daytona 500 champion."

The victory was worth roughly $1.56 million. The end was wild. Chaos reigned on the final lap as leader Carson Hocevar wrecked entering Turn 1 after contact with Erik Jones. The No. 43 car spun and took Hocevar’s teammate and No. 71 Modo Casino driver Michael McDowell with him. Reddick would lead the race for less than 5 seconds. But it was the most important five seconds of the day.

NASCAR Officially Steers Clear Of Sweepstakes Casinos

The race delivered another classic NASCAR super-speedway finish. Having a so-called "sweepstakes casino" as a sponsor in victory lane at the "Stock Car Super Bowl," however, was a bit awkward.

NASCAR does not work directly with any sweepstakes casino operators. NASCAR, however, enjoys deep, direct ties in the gambling space. It partners as official state licensees with theScore Bet in Arizona, and DraftKings in North Carolina. NASCAR's official sports operators also include BetMGM and FanDuel. The series partners with PENN Entertainment’s Hollywood Casino in Kansas. And with Hard Rock Bet here at Daytona International Speedway, home of the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 in the summer.

Drivers and teams, meanwhile, are free to partner with any operators in the gaming space, save for off-shore casinos and sports books.

“Where we've been able to get them off of doing partnerships in that space. But the sweepstakes one, our stance is that we won't do a partnership in that space. It's a bit more gray to put it in the best possible way, but they (drivers and teams) can do partnerships in that space,” NASCAR Managing Director of Sports Betting Joe Solosky told Bookies.Com Sunday before the 500.

The confetti-covered No. 45 Chumba Casino Toyota now sits on display at the Daytona Experience for the next year. Meanwhile, sweepstakes casinos continue to race at full speed, where the law allows. And NASCAR, for now, is going along for the ride.

“My team's direction has steered NASCAR as a league away from doing any partnerships in the sweepstakes space. You will not see NASCAR have a partnership with Modo, Chumba, et cetera," Solosky said. "Our teams are able to do those partnerships. We work really closely with the teams that are in the space doing those deals, and we kind of let them know about the regulatory landscape, but it's not a category where we can tell them that they can't."

Sweepstakes Casinos Under Caution Flag Nationwide

The win comes at a crucial time in the sweepstakes casinos space.

The dual-currency model, where so-called “Gold Coins” are switched over to real money after play, originally raced out to become a mutli-billion industry. Operators drive through a  loophole in multiple states that had no such laws on the books against dual-currency play.

 However, lawmakers and regulators have begun to close the gap after being more than a lap down, or more.

California and New York banned the dual-currency model last year, as in Connecticut, Montana and New Jersey. Last month, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last week shut down “multiple illegal online sweepstakes casinos”. A release from his office listed nearly 40 websites that received cease-and-desist letters and “indicated their intent to comply.”

Meanwhile, the founder of Chumba Casino’s parent, VGW, Australian billionaire Laurence Escalante took a leave of absence earlier in 2026 and faces multiple criminal charges.

Legislators in Massachusetts, Mississippi, Indiana, Maryland, Iowa, Louisiana, Virginia and Hawaii have filed or re-filed bills that would either ban the dual-currency model or sweepstakes all together. Some are part of wider pieces of legislation that would legalize iGaming.

Chumba Hits Jackpot With 23XI Racing Patnership

Reddick spoke to Bookies.com before the 500 about his sponsor. Reddick said his play on Chumba is limited to the free coins. “The slots are fun, but I enjoy the table games, mainly blackjack,” he said. “But I haven’t had a lot of luck at it.”

His luck changed Sunday. Reddick struggled last season and didn’t win a race. "Last year was really hard for all of us, hard for me," said Reddick, whose his newborn baby wrestled with serious health issues, after the race. "When you're a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, it's expected you win every single year

.Reddick remains a believer in his sponsor.

“They’re an enthusiastic group about racing,” Reddick told Bookies.com at NASCAR Media Day. "They like to do things differently and get outside the box. I feel like everything we do is different, but in a way that’s better.”

Chumba Casino’s paint scheme return numerous times this season for an expanded number of races with Reddick and the No. 45 team. Chumba Casino will also continue to support Wallace and the No. 23 team at select races.

When Chumba re-upped with 23XI Racing this year, Ben Whitford, Chief Marketing Officer at VGW, said in a press release that the partnership had an “incredible first year,” which was highlighted by a win the Brickyard 400.

“Expanding our presence with Tyler and continuing our support of Bubba allows us to connect with NASCAR fans in bigger and more engaging ways, from on-track moments to unforgettable fan experiences and giveaways," the release said.

He nailed it on that one.

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