What is perhaps the biggest — and maybe final — state launch of online sports betting in 2024 is here.
After months of work by lawmakers and regulators, North Carolina is scheduled to officially debut statewide mobile sports wagering at noon ET Monday.
And, as with every state launch, there are some unique features of the Tar Heel State opening. What was true in, say, Vermont or Kentucky, is not necessarily the case in North Carolina, which will be the biggest state to launch mobile wagering since Ohio on New Year’s Day 2023 (unless you count the relaunch in Florida late last year).
Here, then, is the Covers rundown of what you need to know for the start of online sports betting in North Carolina.
What’s happening today?
Online sports betting will launch across North Carolina. While there has been legal sports betting in the state since 2021 at a few Native American-owned casinos, statewide mobile wagering will only go live at noon on Monday.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed an online sports betting bill, H.B. 347, into law on June 14, 2023. That legislation gave state regulators a year to issue licenses, which they've now done.
How old do I have to be to bet?
You have to be 21 or older to wager.
Who can I bet with?
There should be several online sportsbooks launching at the earliest possible moment. The North Carolina State Lottery Commission issued eight mobile sports wagering licenses late last month, teeing up those operators to start taking action as early as today. Those eight are:
- Caesars Sportsbook (which is already live with a retail and mobile presence on the lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
- FanDuel
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- Fanatics
- bet365
- ESPN BET
- Underdog Sports
What can I bet on?
A lot, to be honest. As the lottery commission says on its website: “The new law authorizes waging on professional sports, college sports, electronic sports, amateur sports, or any other event approved by the Commission [as] well as horse racing, both live and simulcast races.”
North Carolina’s sports betting law also allows for “single-game wagers, teaser wagers, parlays, over-under, moneyline, pools, exchange wagering, in-game wagering, in-play wagers, proposition wagers, straight wagers, and any other wager approved by the Commission.”
And, unlike in some other places, there are no restrictions on wagering on in-state colleges, such as Duke.
However, it should be noted that parimutuel wagering on horse racing is not yet ready for launch in North Carolina. Setting that up will be among the next orders of business for state regulators.
The state lottery commission has said it expects to approve new online sports betting licenses in the future as well. There will also be additional brick-and-mortar sportsbooks opening in the state at or near its professional sports venues, such as PNC Arena and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Those have yet to be authorized.
What if I don’t want to bet?
You don’t have to! Just because online sports betting is now available, it doesn’t mean you have to partake. Furthermore, if you’re concerned about your gambling and the risks of addiction, you can take that right off the table by enrolling in North Carolina’s “voluntary self-exclusion program,” which will allow players to ban themselves from sports wagering for a certain amount of time. You can find more information about that here.
For those who choose to bet but may find it hard to stop, there is assistance available at all hours of the day. Problem gambling help can be found by calling 1-877-718-5543, texting "morethanagamenc" to 53342, and with a live chat feature at morethanagame.nc.gov.
How do I register?
If you do want to bet, it’s also worth noting that operators are offering North Carolinians several bonuses and promotions for signing up.
“At this stage, headline new user sign-up offers appear slightly ahead of levels seen during the recent launch of Kentucky [in September],” analysts from investment banking firm Jefferies said in a note published Sunday. “By operator, we observe the highest headline promos at FanDuel and DraftKings ($300 bonus), followed by ESPN Bet ($225), BetMGM ($200) and bet365 ($100).”
