North Carolina Sports Betting: A Comprehensive Guide

North Carolina sports betting was legalized in June 2023, after sports betting House Bill 347 was passed, and Governor Roy Cooper signed it into law, which means North Carolina residents over the age of 21 will be able to bet on professional and college sports by computer, mobile app or in-person.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC) is now responsible for overseeing the process, and it can issue up to 12 interactive sports betting licenses to operators.

Nine companies have applied to be operators in the state, and six of those - including DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook, BetMGM North Carolina Sportsbook, ESPN BET North Carolina Sportsbook, and FanDuel North Carolina - have already announced partnerships, but the licenses are yet to be granted.

As well as generating huge tax revenue, there is likely to be an increase of jobs and tourism to the area as a result of North Carolina Sports Betting getting off the ground, as those living in neighboring states could be tempted to head over to the Tar Heel state to take advantage of North Carolina Sportsbook promos.

For now, sports betting enthusiasts can only gamble at the state's three casinos, but when legal betting gets the go ahead in North Carolina, it is expected to a big boost to the local economy.

The state will tax the betting operators, and will put such revenue back into infrastructure and education, as well as addiction treatment programs, among other areas.

The state's foray into legal betting also looks set to be a big benefit to North Carolina's sports culture, with fans of the likes of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team and NHL side Carolina Hurricanes able to bet on their team's matches in the future.

And those heading to the Quail Hollow Club for the PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship will also be able to place a wager on which golfer they think will win the tournament.

The Legislative Journey of North Carolina Sports Betting

 The legalization of North Carolina Sports Betting goes back to 2019, when retail sports betting at tribal casinos became legal.

Senate Bill 154 went through the Senate with a 43-7 vote in favor, and the House then voted 90-27 in favor and Cooper signed it into law.

In-person sports betting in North Carolina has been available to those visiting Cherokee’s Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprises and the Catawba Two Kings Casino since 2021.

The first retail sportsbook in the state was Caesars NC Sportsbook, which opened in May 2021, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.

Another Senate Bill, SB 688, was passed through, with a 26-19 vote, to allow between 10 and 12 online North Carolina Sportsbooks to launch.

Initial signs seemed good when the bill arrived in the North Carolina House in 2022, but hopes of North Carolina betting apps being used in 2022 were eventually quashed in June that year, when the House voted 50-51 against it.

One of the issues was several lawmakers in the state were not morally keen for the introduction of legal sports betting and mobile betting on North Carolina sportsbooks.

But those in favor of the bill were keen to increase tourism and jobs in the state, as well as revenue.

However, the vote meant it would be at least another year before online sports betting in North Carolina could become a reality, which it did when House Bill 347 was passed and signed into law.

North Carolina sports betting is expected to begin in the first half of 2024.

However, some still have concerns about underage mobile betting and other worries about vulnerable individuals becoming hooked on gambling.

Earlier this year, the North Carolina Lottery Commission approved a new set of rules to govern the North Carolina sports betting market via a 256-page document.

Economic and Social Impacts

Each of the North Carolina sports betting license holders' gross gaming revenue is set to be taxed at 18%, after the Senate raised it from the House's 14% suggestion.

According to North Carolina law, this is "the total of amounts received by an interactive sports wagering operator from sports wagers as authorized under this Article, less the amounts paid as winnings before any deductions for expenses, fees, or taxes".

However, in neighboring Virgina the tax rate is 15%, while in neighboring Tennessee the state taxes operators based on the total amount bet.

North Carolina sportsbook operators must also have a written agreement with a sports team, venue, or a league to be permitted to launch North Carolina Sportsbooks.

Sports betting operators in the state will also have to stump up a $1 million licensing fee, with a further $1 million renewable fee due after five years.

According to the North Carolina General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division, sports betting in the state is expected to generate $64.6 million in taxes in its first year, and up to $100.6 million in the fourth year of online sports betting in North Carolina being legalized.

Of the funds generated by the state from legal sports betting, $2 million will be invested into The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) for gambling addiction education and treatment programs.

North Carolina Amateur Sports will be the beneficiary of a $1 million grant to put towards a program to increase youth sports opportunities.

What's more, $1 million will be given to North Carolina Youth Outdoor Engagement Commission grants, and the state will pump $300,000 each into 13 state universities every year to support their athletic departments. There will also be up to $500,000 put aside for NCLC expenses.

After that, 50% of any remaining proceeds will go to the state's General Fund, 30% to the North Carolina Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, and 20% distributed equally to the aforementioned 13 universities to increasingly support their athletic departments.

Sports Culture Impact

Governor Cooper recently admitted he wants to have North Carolina sports betting up and running in time for the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, with Selection Sunday scheduled for March 17, and the tournament due to begin on March 19.

If that becomes a reality there could be a big basketball boom in North Carolina.

However, football could be affected adversely, because legal sports betting will not be in the Tar Heel state in time for the Super Bowl on February 11, meaning NFL fans in the state won't be able to use the likes of DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN BET and Fanatics sportsbooks to place a bet on football's showpiece event in 2024. 

But one positive for football fans in North Carolina is the Caesars app will have live NFL streaming.

College sports in the state look set to hugely benefit from sports betting being legalized, especially with the news that the state will invest $300,000 each into 13 state universities every year to support their athletic departments, and 20% of remaining tax revenue will also be distributed equally to the 13 universities to increasingly support their athletic departments.

One of those to benefit will be University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

The university's athletic director Dick Christy recently told Spectrum News: "That's a game changer for small-town athletics. It makes a big difference in how we stabilize our operating budget, makes a big difference in how we structure health and safety requirements and just the ability to affect our local economy."

In a recent interview with WUNC North Carolina Public Radio, Dick Christy gave some thoughts about the tax revenues being invested in athletics in the state of North Carolina:

“I'm not an expert on it, but through the process – what I was told – there's so many other states that have legalized (gambling) at this point, they have a lot of good reference information to look at similar states and similar metros and see what that build up time was for adoption. So, they have projections now they're showing as high as $1.8 million. So obviously, for our departments, we're hoping that that's true, but we can't take that to the bank until we actually get the get the process up and running.”

“Historically, for the UNC System, athletic funding was restricted only to the Intercollegiate Athletic Fee. And you only paid that fee if you were a full-time face-to-face student. As students continue to change the way they received their education, less and less students are paying the athletic fee. And without some legislative change to allow for other resources to support athletics, I mean, it's been a number of schools that have been forced into a position where they've tried to reduce their number of sport offerings. That's not because we don't love athletics; that's because there's just not a sustainable way to fund it under the existing funding model. So, this was just a huge, huge example of leadership and hand holding across the aisle, and the UNC System working with the legislature. We’re so appreciative that they saw the need, executed the economic impact study and said, ‘Okay, yeah, this makes sense and this is where we need to invest right now.’”

With this, North Carolina is joining the growing list of states embracing sports betting. Players expect the March Madness Betting Sites to be up and running for the go date; this would mark a pivotal moment for sports enthusiasts across the state, offering them a legal and regulated avenue to place bets on one of the most anticipated events in college basketball.

How North Carolina Bettors Will Be Able to Participate

When the operators' licenses are confirmed, then North Carolina sports betting enthusiasts can start to sign up to the likes of DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook, BetMGM North Carolina Sportsbook, ESPN BET North Carolina Sportsbook, and FanDuel North Carolina Sportsbook, where there will no doubt be North Carolina sportsbook promotions aplenty. 

Creating Sportsbook Accounts

For each Sportsbook simply:

1. Click "sign up" on the website or app

2 Make your first deposit

3. Choose a sport and select a market to bet on

4. Enter how much you wish to bet and submit your bet slip

Legal Betting Age

North Carolina residents over the age of 21 will be able to bet on professional and college sports by computer, mobile app or in-person.

Events Allowed To Bet On

There will be a huge number of sports betting markets to wager on, including football, basketball, baseball, golf, hockey and soccer, and many more.

How Betting Odds Work For Beginners

- American odds, as the name suggests, are commonly used in the US and give you a triple-digit number with either a (-) or (+) symbol. The whole American odds system is based on A$100.

- For example, the numbers next to a (-) sign tell you how much you need to bet to win A$100. If you're browsing the best football betting sites and you fancy a team to win at odds of -200, you need to wager A$200 to win A$100 in profit.

- Following a winning bet on these odds, you’d have A$300 in your account (your stake and your wager).

- The (+) symbol next to the numbers tells you how much you can win by betting A$100. If you wager A$100 on odds of +200, you get A$200 in profit. After this bet, you’d have A$300 in your account (your stake and your profit).

Importance Of Responsible Gambling

First-time North Carolina bettors should also bear in mind it is important to practice responsible betting.

Punters should only bet what they can afford to lose, and if they are wagering and the fun stops, they should stop betting.

Comparing North Carolina With Other Legalized Betting States

North Carolina sports betting doesn't have restrictions on games featuring in-state colleges, unlike some other states, such as Vermont.

College sports is an important part of North Carolina's sporting landscape, and it is set to benefit heavily thanks to legal betting in the state.

While North Carolina could one day regret not implementing stricter college betting regulations like some of the other states, some North Carolina punters may be more familiar with sports betting regulations than residents of other states who have welcomed such betting for the first time.

That's because in-person sports betting is already allowed at certain locations.

One positive for North Carolina compared to other states is the amount of revenue it looks set to generate.

As discussed, the North Carolina sports betting license holders' gross gaming revenue is set to be taxed at 18%, after the Senate raised it from the House's 14% suggestion.

That is higher than nearby Virgina's 15% tax rate, while neighboring Tennessee taxes operators based on the betting handle. 

What's more, Michigan taxes its online sports betting operators at 8.4%, and Ohio, which launched sports betting in January 2023, doubled what it taxes operators within six months.

The state started with a 10% tax rate, but that has now increased to 20%.

Should things go the same way in North Carolina, then perhaps the Tar Heel state could follow suit and up its rates within the first year?

Technology and Security

The introduction of sports betting in North Carolina looks set to hit the gambling industry at an interesting time for technology advancements, with some industry experts predicting AI technology could be introduced into betting on a grand scale within the next three to five years.

Katherine Baker, partner at Nelson Mullins and chair of the firm’s Gaming Industry Group, told local website NCSharp: "Over the next three to five years, I can see the sports betting industry focusing on incorporating AI technology to enhance the customer experience.

"I think we’ll also see more omnichannel offerings, [such as] adding media and retail elements and other fan engagement tools to sports betting platforms and tying everything back to attendance at live sporting events."

The top mobile betting operators with North Carolina sportsbooks are well versed in running secure betting apps.

For example, BetMGM uses SSL encryption to secure data in transit, and the company's app also has a secure backend, and authentication.

What's more, the Caesars app has firewalls protecting its servers - as does the Bet365 Sportsbook app - and there are controls in place in case of any data breaches.

FanDuel is even in partnership with organization HackerOne, which runs a bug bounty program to keep up to date with any potential issues and ensure customers' data is secure.

For anyone concerned about security measures on sports betting apps, creating a strong password is often a good place to start.

For the time being, the NCLC has already made moves to ensure operators' technology will be up to speed come launch day. 

On Wednesday, January 10, the Commission approved, via a virtual meeting, rules for prospective operators to follow for a certificate of compliance, and the use of two independent test laboratories for operators to use to evaluate gaming equipment, software, and processes for compliance with state law and commission rules.

Looking Ahead: What’s in Store for North Carolina

Unless you're hoping to place a bet on this year's Super Bowl, North Carolina's advance into sports betting looks to be arriving at just the right time.

The tax rate seems to be set at a rate which will generate significant revenue for the Tar Heel state, especially when compared to several other states.

That will then filter down to improving the local sporting landscape, with part of the funding due to go to college athletic departments, youth sports, and go into helping to promote responsible gambling.

The future also looks bright for North Carolina in terms of the sports betting industry.

The state may well be heading into mobile betting at an ideal time, as it will be well established in the next three to five years, when AI, virtual reality and immersive betting experiences could be the norm in the betting industry. It's an exciting time to be a North Carolina sports betting enthusiast, but responsible gambling should be maintained at all times.

Additional Resources

- The North Carolina Problem Gambling Program (NCPGP) provides and supports effective problem gambling prevention, education, outreach and treatment services throughout North Carolina.

North Carolina Problem Gambling Helpline: 877-718-5543

- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) also supports gambling assistance program More Than a Game:

-        Phone: 877-718-5543

-        Text: Send phrase morethanagamenc to 53342

-        Live chat: morthanagame.nc.gov

- North Carolina Education Lottery’s Play Smart program - https://nclottery.com/playsmart-play-smarter

Support Services

- The National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-GAMBLER. (CO, DC, IL, IN, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY)

- The National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-522-4700) is available 24/7 and is 100% confidential

- The National Council on Problem Gambling offers text services at 800-522-4700 as well as chat services through their website https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/chat/

- Gamblers Anonymous is an organization that helps individuals recover from gambling problems. 24/7 gambling problem hotline at 855-222-5542.

- Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, DC, IL, IN, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY)