Expanded Partnership
Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team, 23XI Racing, has expanded its partnership with Chumba Casino for the 2026 season, giving the brand a bigger footprint across more races, and its first-ever appearance at the Daytona 500. That’s not just another sponsorship. It’s a debut on NASCAR’s biggest stage.
It’s a bold move at a complicated moment. While sweepstakes casinos are getting squeezed in courts and legislatures, Chumba is leaning into the spotlight, not away from it.
A Bigger Deal, a Bigger Stage
The expanded partnership puts Chumba Casino on 23XI Racing cars for more races this season, with Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace carrying the branding. The spotlight hits early. Reddick will drive the No. 45 Chumba Casino Toyota XSE in the season-opening Daytona 500.
That’s not just another race. It’s the Super Bowl of stock car racing — and the first time Chumba Casino has ever appeared on a car at Daytona.
The branding goes beyond the paint job. Chumba will also feature on driver suits and plans a series of “fun and free giveaways” aimed at NASCAR fans throughout the season. VGW, Chumba’s parent company, says last year’s sponsorship delivered strong results, highlighted by a Brickyard 400 win and solid fan engagement.
From Chumba’s point of view, this isn’t damage control. It’s expansion.
The Legal Cloud Hanging Over the Industry
Sweepstakes casinos are facing a rough stretch. Six states, including California and New York, passed laws banning the model outright last year. Alabama is currently flooded with lawsuits targeting sweepstakes operators, with more than 40 cases now active. Iowa has a bill on the table, while other states are circling.
Chumba still operates in most of the U.S. however, but the list of restricted states is growing. And that’s what makes the NASCAR expansion notable. Instead of shrinking from public view, Chumba is increasing it.
Why NASCAR, Why Now?
Online advertising has become much harder for sweepstakes casinos. Google now classifies them as gambling, which cuts off one of their main ways to reach new players. As a result, sponsorships and real-world marketing matter more than they used to.
And that’s where NASCAR comes in. It offers national exposure, a dedicated fan base, and far fewer restrictions than online ad platforms. A logo on a race car doesn’t need approval from Google or anyone else.
When digital ads close off, brands look elsewhere. For Chumba, that means putting its name on the track instead of a screen.
The Celebrity Factor, and Why Jordan Is Different
The timing of the deal also matters. Celebrity gambling promotions are getting a lot more scrutiny, especially after Drake and Adin Ross were named in a federal lawsuit over their promotion of Stake, another sweepstakes-style platform. The lawsuit focuses on how those promotions were presented to viewers, and whether their streams encouraged unlawful gambling.
Jordan’s situation is different. He isn’t livestreaming games, hyping wins, or encouraging fans to play. His connection comes through team ownership and a sponsorship deal, not hands-on promotion.
That lowers the legal risk. But it doesn’t make the partnership invisible. Still, as sweepstakes casinos face more pressure, any partnership involving a name like Jordan is going to draw attention, whether he’s actively promoting the product or not.
Why This Looks Familiar
Chumba’s NASCAR expansion doesn’t stand alone. It fits a similar pattern across the sweepstakes industry.
As legal pressure builds, operators aren’t just fighting back in court or at the state level. Many are changing how they show up in public. There’s less emphasis on digital ads and more on real-world visibility through sports sponsorships, live events, and partnerships that feel more like mainstream entertainment.
The goal is obvious: look less like a legal gray area and more like a familiar brand.
Whether that strategy works is still an open question.
What Comes Next
For 23XI Racing, the deal brings funding and fan engagement. For Chumba, it brings exposure at a time when exposure cuts both ways.
The real question isn’t whether Chumba can sponsor a NASCAR team, it’s whether sweepstakes casinos can keep operating in their current form as legal pressure builds.
For now, Chumba is betting that visibility helps more than it hurts. The Daytona 500 will make that bet impossible to miss.
Blaise Luis
