Sunday will mark the end of an era in North Carolina.
Barring a legislative setback or regulatory reversal, Super Bowl LVIII will be the last Big Game without legal online sports betting in the Tar Heel State.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission announced last month that mobile event wagering will officially launch on Monday, March 11 — in time for marquee college basketball action, but a little too late for this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Next year, however, should be different, with at least a handful of online sports betting apps and sites available in North Carolina. Licensed operators can start signing up customers as early as March 1, although wagering will not begin until ten days later.
Online Sports Betting to Start in North Carolina on March 11 https://t.co/D8NtvOjxLf
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) January 24, 2024
One online operator that intends to be live on Day One of online North Carolina sports betting is Caesars Sportsbook. Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced last week that it is expanding its partnership with North Carolina’s Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to include access to the state’s soon-to-open mobile wagering market.
Caesars also runs two of the three retail sports betting sites in North Carolina, the only places in the state where residents can legally wager on this year’s Super Bowl.
There is a Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in the western part of the state. The third retail sportsbook open for Super Bowl business in North Carolina is at the Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, west of Charlotte.
“Our relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has spanned more than two decades,” said Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, in a press release. “Expanding this longstanding partnership allows us to build on the premier sports wagering experience enjoyed at our in-person sportsbooks by bringing a responsible way to enjoy sports at a deeper level to the hands of North Carolinians 21 and older across the state.”
An expensive cave dwelling
Again, the three casinos house the only legal sportsbooks in North Carolina, at least for now. Sports wagering is offered at the facilities via gaming compact agreements between the Native American tribes that own them and the state government.
In other words, North Carolina residents will have to do a bit of driving this year if they want to legally wager on the Super Bowl, although sticking around to watch the games might cost you.
On Tuesday, for example, reservations for "Bar Top Seating" and "Premium Main Level Seating" were going for $150 per guest on the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River website. A "4 Top Table" could be booked for $600 and a "Large High Top Table" for up to six guests cost $800 to reserve. "Small VIP Seating" for up to four guests will run you $1,500.
At Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, $4,000 can reserve you a "Fan Cave," which offers guests "a massive 85” HDTV plus two 43” 4K TVs, and convenient access to betting stations," the facility’s website states. A seat at the bar was retailing at $200 on Tuesday, while seating for up to two guests at a cocktail table cost $500 to reserve.
Our #SBLVIII Prop Betting Menu is LIVE!
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) February 1, 2024
Eligible sports fans can get closer to the action with prop bets on thousands of game markets, SGPs, in-game and play-by-play betting, FireBets & more.
*Some prop bets, including coin toss, are prohibited in some states. pic.twitter.com/EhvN37RCmt
Still, those who make the trek should have access to the bulk of the Super Bowl LVIII wagering menu that Caesars published last week at the sportsbook kiosks. That menu includes a bunch of prop markets for the Big Game.
“Complementing the many features on the Caesars Sportsbook app are popular prop betting markets like the outcome of the coin toss, who will be the game’s first touchdown scorer, who will be named Super Bowl LVIII MVP, and more,” the company noted in a press release. “The Super Bowl LVIII Prop Betting Menu also features prop bets with longer odds, like whether a non-quarterback will throw a touchdown, which hit big for bettors in the 2022 Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.”
