Online sports betting is officially live in North Carolina, making it the 30th U.S. state to launch mobile wagering.
Eight online sports betting sites began accepting action in the Tar Heel State at around noon on Monday, the start time selected by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission.
The regulator issued eight mobile sportsbook permits on Feb. 29 that enabled holders to begin accepting sign-ups on March 1 and then commence wagering operations on March 11.
? NEW: Mobile sports betting is now live in North Carolina, making the Tar Heel State the 31st U.S. jurisdiction with legal online wagering.
— American Gaming Association (@AmericanGaming) March 11, 2024
Check out AGA's interactive sports betting map for a full view of the American sports betting landscape ? https://t.co/0EiYY2I31S pic.twitter.com/6sCnFxHFNn
North Carolina’s eight authorized online sportsbooks (and their partners) are:
- Caesars (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians)
- FanDuel (Carolina Panthers and PGA Tour)
- BetMGM (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
- DraftKings (NASCAR)
- Fanatics (Carolina Hurricanes)
- bet365 (Charlotte Hornets)
- ESPN BET (Quail Hollow Club)
- Underdog Sports (Sedgefield Country Club)
Caesars was technically live already in North Carolina, albeit only on the lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, where the operator also runs two brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
“The expanded launch of our Caesars Sportsbook mobile app serves as an opportunity for fans to get a little closer to the sports they love, and we look forward to providing a best-in-class mobile sports wagering experience to more North Carolinians that pays homage to the sports excellence that is engrained in the state’s history,” Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, said in a press release on Monday.
A method to the madness
North Carolina is now the 31st jurisdiction in the U.S. with legal online wagering (30 states plus the District of Columbia) and is the biggest market to launch mobile event wagering since Ohio in early 2023, unless you count the relaunch of Hard Rock Bet in Florida late last year.
As the ninth-most populous state in the U.S., North Carolina’s launch opens a significant new market for online sports betting operators. And, given the trouble legal sports betting bills are facing in legislatures this year, North Carolina may be the last state to launch mobile wagering in 2024.
Online sports betting in North Carolina is also launching just in time for the most crucial stretch of the college basketball season, an especially popular period for sports bettors and perhaps even more so in the hoops-crazy Tar Heel State.
The Monday start permits plenty of opportunity to wager on the upcoming ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament and the March Madness that will follow.
More to come?
The launch is the culmination of months of work by lawmakers and regulators in North Carolina, as Gov. Roy Cooper signed an online sports betting bill into law last June. The governor tweeted a video of himself on Monday saying he was wagering on the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes to win this year’s Stanley Cup.
Sports betting is now legal in North Carolina, and I’m taking the @Canes to win the Stanley Cup. - RC pic.twitter.com/tPHn7IGDtM
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) March 11, 2024
Operators must pay a $1-million licensing fee in North Carolina and a $1-million renewal fee every five years. The online sports betting companies must also pay the state 18% of their gross wagering revenue.
“Overall, the Commission has received nine applications for interactive sports wagering operator licenses,” the regulator said on Feb. 29. “The Commission expects to approve additional licenses in the future.”
Also yet to be authorized are additional brick-and-mortar sportsbooks that will be permitted at or near professional sports venues in the states, such as PNC Arena and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
