North Carolina

It took a lot longer than many expected, but online sports betting is finally legal in North Carolina. On March 11, 2024, mobile wagering was officially launched in the Tar Heel State, allowing residents to place a wager either in person or on one of the eight betting apps available.

North Carolina residents can wager on professional and collegiate sports without any restriction. This includes the option to bet on in-state colleges, so the ability to bet on the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels is available.

Once mobile betting became available in the state, bettors could also wager on eSports. However, wagers on politics and entertainment-based events like the Emmy Awards are still prohibited. Amid all the back-and-forth and waiting for mobile betting to go live, residents in NC still had access to daily fantasy sports apps and social sportsbooks, all of which allow some great entertainment for all sports fans in the state.

Horse race betting, especially in online and mobile landscapes, is, however, still a work in process in North Carolina. Online horse racing wagering is fully legal under the current gambling legislation. Still, as none of the advance deposit wagering operators (racebooks) have applied for an local license, it's safe to say that the NC horse racing betting market isn't yet operational.

Online sports betting in The Tar Heel State

Sports betting has been legal in North Carolina since 2019, but to a minimal extent. When Governor Roy Cooper signed SB 154, it officially made sports betting legal on tribal lands. Eventually, in 2021, the state was able to take its first legal sports wagers at Harrah’s Casinos. The following year, in 2022, SB 688 was introduced as a bill that would legalize online sports betting if passed. While the bill passed the Senate without a problem, the House had some issues with its regulations, which eventually led to its failure.

It wasn’t until 2023 that the House and Senate agreed on a bill, which led to HB 347 being passed, introducing online sports wagering to North Carolina. The rules of this bill have changed since it was passed, but the state could still get online sports betting up and running before the set deadline. After an extended preparation period, mobile betting officially went live on March 11, 2024.

Initially, there were supposed to be 12 online sportsbooks, but the State Gaming Commission changed the rules late in 2023. They now require operators to come to a written agreement with a pro sports organization in NC. In total, 11 of these pro sports organizations can be partnered with.

Many sportsbooks have already formed partnerships, such as BetMGM partnering with the Charlotte Motor Speedway and DraftKings partnering with NASCAR. Seven operators applied for a license, so other operators with partners include FanDuel, ESPN Bet, and the Fanatics Sportsbook.

The state was required by law to have online sports betting up and running before June 8, 2024, so they were able to beat that deadline by a few months and give NC residents access to eight mobile betting apps right from the beginning.

All legal NC sports betting apps in 2024:

Sports betting & gambling legislation in NC

As the sports betting scene begins to expand in North Carolina, bettors need to remember the rules and regulations laid out in the state’s sports betting bill. The biggest of those rules is the legal betting age in the state, which is set at 21. One of the nicest aspects of online betting in NC is that remote registration is fully available, so bettors who are 21 and up can create mobile betting accounts from anywhere in the state.

The North Carolina Education Lottery will oversee all online betting rules and regulations, while currently, all retail sports betting is regulated by the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission. Whether a bettor places a wager online or at a retail location, they will still be subject to the same tax rate on their winnings, which is 5.25%.

Online betting was at the forefront until recently, so discussions around iGaming were put on the back burner. However, with mobile betting now live, those discussions could resume in the near future. Since the lottery is active in the state, the two biggest markets still illegal in NC are online casinos and online poker.

Most recent updates from the NC sports betting scene

• November 19, 2024: Coming off a bye week, the Carolina Panthers will host the Chiefs as (+11) point underdogs.

• November 13, 2024: Despite being favored by (-6) and getting 26 points from Cooper Flagg, the Duke Blue Devils fell to Kentucky in the Champions Classic.

• November 5, 2024: In his first game in a Duke uniform, highly touted freshman Cooper Flagg scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds. The Blue Devils are (+125) to win the ACC regular season title and (+1000) to win the National Championship.

• October 29, 2024: Searching for their second straight win, the North Carolina Tar Heels will head on the road to FSU, where they are favored by (-2.5).

• October 25, 2024: Bryce Young will be back under center for the Panthers this weekend when they play in Denver as (+10.5) point underdogs.

• October 22, 2024: The North Carolina Tar Heels were ranked 9th in the first AP college basketball poll. The Tar Heels are (+1800) to win the National Championship and (+400) to reach the Final Four.

• October 9, 2024: Fresh off taking another notch in the loss column, the Carolina Panthers will host the Atlanta Falcons in week six as (+6.5) point home underdogs.

• October 4, 2024: Looking to get back in the win column, the Carolina Panthers will head on the road to Chicago to take on the Bears as (+3.5) point underdogs.

• September 27, 2024: In anticipation of Hurricane Helene, the game between App State and Liberty in Boone has been canceled and will not be made up. All bets will likely be voided since it will not be rescheduled.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

With sportsbooks still waiting to be implemented at the state's pro sports venues, bettors currently have the option to place legal sports wagers at three retail locations. All three locations are tribal casinos, but two of them, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, are operated by Caesars Sportsbook.

When pro venues can open up sportsbooks, there will be 11 more retail locations available, including the Charlotte Hornets arena, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Carolina Panthers stadium.

Sports betting in neighboring states

There is a 50-50 split when it comes to legal sports betting in North Carolina’s surrounding states. Both Virginia and Tennessee passed an online sports betting bill well before NC managed to get one over the finish line. At the end of the day, though, despite it taking a while, North Carolina still beat Georgia and South Carolina to the party.

You can click on GA and SC in the box below to find out more about why they remain behind when it comes to sports betting.

Sports betting revenue impact on North Carolina's economy

To obtain a license in North Carolina, operators must pay a $1 million licensing fee for five years. The tax rate in NC is currently set at 18%, which applies to both online and retail businesses.

While legal sports betting has been around for a few years in North Carolina, we had to wait until 2024 to receive the first monthly revenue report for sports betting in the state's history. With mobile betting now active, we will have an understanding of how well the state does when it comes to handle, revenue, and tax income.

Just after one month of mobile betting, it is safe to say that NC has the potential to be one of the highest-earning states on a consistent basis. Even with online betting being legal for just three weeks in March 2024, the state still saw over $659 million in handle, which was the second-highest total out of any state with legal sports betting that month.

North Carolina sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: March 2024 ($659,308,541)

• Revenue: April 2024 ($105,251,673)

• Tax income: April 2024 ($15,787,751)

Latest NC sports betting revenue report breakdown (September 2024)

• Total betting handle: $575,398,078

  • Cancelled/Void wagers: $3,775,759

• Winnings Paid to Players: $501,559,590

  • Hold: 12.18%

• Gross revenue: $70,062,945

• Tax revenue for the state: $12,611,330

Reported by the North Carolina Lottery Commission.

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

NC sports betting revenue in 2024

A full breakdown of North Carolina's monthly betting handle, revenue, and tax income regarding the 2024 calendar year is presented in the table below. The bracketed percentage visible next to each monthly handle and revenue indicates the change compared to the previous month.