North Carolina Set To Launch Mobile Sports Betting With 8 Apps Awaiting Approval

Mobile sports betting is inching closer to being legal in North Carolina on March 11, with eight companies that provide sports betting apps “moving towards” being licensed, according to a state official.

On Wednesday, Sterl Carpenter, deputy executive director of Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting, told the State Lottery Commission that eight mobile sports betting operators are in line for a license.

At the commission meeting, Carpenter did not name the eight operators, but the following applicants have been previously identified. Sports betting operators are required to meet a state compliance and approval process before they can go live on March 11.

• Betfair Interactive U.S. (FanDuel)
• BetMGM
• Crown N.C. Gaming (DraftKings)
• FBG Enterprises North Carolina (Fanatics)
• Hillside North Carolina (Bet365)
• Penn Sports Interactive (ESPN BET)
• Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Cherokee (Caesars)
• Underdog Sports Wagering

On March 1, bettors who are at least 21 years old can begin to register on mobile apps that have been approved, giving the state one week from this Friday to sign off on the initial operators.

The commission on Wednesday approved a self-exclusion program allowing people to take “a break” from betting on sports and horse racing by activating a feature to block their accounts.

ACC, March Madness Tournament Schedules 

Starting at noon ET on March 11, people can use mobile devices to wager on college and pro sports in the state and on horse races. In-person sports betting at brick-and-mortar sites will begin after that at an as-yet undetermined date.

Mobile sports betting is beginning in North Carolina in time for the March 12 start of the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament in Washington, D.C., and for the March Madness tournament that tips off several days later at arenas around the country.

North Carolina is home to one of the most intense NCAA basketball rivalries in the nation, pitting the Duke Blue Devils against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Both are in the Top 10 in the Associated Press and USA Today rankings.

Below are key dates: 

March 12-16: ACC Men’s basketball tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

NCAA Men’s March Madness basketball tournament

March 17: Selection Sunday

March 19-20: First four

March 21-22: First round

March 28-29: Sweet 16

March 30-31: Elite Eight 

April 6: Final Four in Glendale, Arizona

April 8: NCAA championship game in Glendale, Arizona.

In addition to statewide interest in the basketball tournaments, fans and bettors in North Carolina also are focused on college baseball. 

The collegiate baseball season began Feb. 16, with North Carolina having five teams in the USA Today preseason poll, including No. 1 ranked Wake Forest.

Currently, in-person sports betting is legal at the state’s three tribal casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Catawba Two Kings Casino.