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 pari-mutuel horse betting, so there is certainly no shortage of gambling options in the state.

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

• September 12, 2024: Wake Forest is set to play their first-ranked opponent of the season. The Ole Miss Rebels will head into Wake Forest, and the Demon Deacons are (+22.5) point underdogs.

• August 30, 2024: While they were able to win their season opener 19-17, the North Carolina Tar Heels lost quarterback Max Johnson to a leg injury, as he was carted off the field in the third quarter.

• August 27, 2024: The Duke Blue Devils have named Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy the starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Duke is currently (-23.5) point favorites in their week one matchup against Elon.

• July 15, 2024: Three former Wake Forest University baseball players were selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Chase Burns was selected 2nd overall by the Reds.

• July 9, 2024: HB 967, which was a bill designed to ball betting on college player props, has stalled and will unlikely be addressed in 2024.

• June 27, 2024: With the sixth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Tidjane Saluan. He is currently (+1200) to win Rookie of the Year.

• June 18, 2024: Following a loss to Florida State, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been eliminated from the 2024 College World Series.

• June 11, 2024: The NC State Wolfpack baseball team has secured a trip to Omaha for the 2024 College World Series. They will play Kentucky in the first round and are currently (+900) to win the title.

• June 10, 2024: By defeating West Virginia in the super-regionals, the North Carolina Tar Heels will advance to the 2024 College World Series, where they are (+600) to win it all.

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)

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.