NEWSLETTER
Several states across the country have started to legalize sports betting, and North Carolina is one of the newest. The top sportsbooks and betting sites are going after new legal sports betting markets to gain new users, and NC sports betting is next.
What about sports betting in North Carolina? When will online sports betting come to the Tar Heel State? The North Carolina Lottery Commission approved sports betting licenses for several sportsbooks and North Carolina launched online betting on March 11, 2024.
Here’s what you need to know about what’s legal in North Carolina and North Carolina sports betting.
North Carolina Sports Betting Promo Codes
North Carolina sportsbooks are live and online! This means bettors can claim great promo codes from the top sportsbooks like DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and more. Take a look at the great sportsbook promo code offers in NC below.
Fanatics Sportsbook
BetMGM
FanDuel
DraftKings
bet365
ESPN BET
Caesars Sportsbook
Is Sports Betting Legal in North Carolina?
Yes, North Carolina sports betting is legal. The practice has been legal at retail sportsbooks within tribal casinos since 2019, with the first retail sports betting lounges launching in May 2021. Players can bet using online sports betting options thanks to a March 11, 2024, launch.
Governor Roy Cooper signed HB 347 on June 14, 2023, which legalized online sports betting. This bill comes after being passed by the North Carolina House of Representatives and making it through the North Carolina General Assembly. Online sportsbooks launched in the Tar Heel State on March 11, these include FanDuel North Carolina, DraftKings North Carolina, Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina, ESPN BET North Carolina, BetMGM North Carolina, Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina, bet365 North Carolina, and Underdog Sports North Carolina (its first state).
There are two Caesars Sportsbooks for retail sports betting in the western part of North Carolina. They are both part of the tribal casinos Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Caesars announced a partnership expansion with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina to bring mobile sports betting to the state.
Another option in North Carolina for retail sports betting is a third tribal casino called the Catawba Two Kings.
The state legalizing online sports betting brings North Carolina residents in step with dozens of other states that have legal sports betting options and mobile sports wagering.
Read More: Does Legal Sports Betting Benefit NC?
Latest North Carolina Sports Betting News
North Carolina sports betting went live on March 11, 2024. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 347 into law in June 2023 which authorized sports betting, paving the way for legal online sports betting.
Prior to that bill, retail sports betting was allowed on indigenous North Carolina land like Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and others, but this sports betting bill now puts mobile sports betting — whether that be on college sports, horse racing, or the Carolina Hurricanes — under the purview of the North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC).
The NCLC will regulate sports betting in North Carolina with everything from online sports betting and retail sports betting on indigenous lands to pari-mutuel horse racing wagering falling under its jurisdiction.
The North Carolina House voted in favor of the latest sports betting bill.
In March, the House passed a bill in North Carolina that permits betting on professional and college sports via mobile devices, starting in January. This came less than a year after a similar sports betting bill was narrowly defeated by a single vote.
With Gov. Cooper’s signature, North Carolina moved one step closer to legalized sports betting, outside of indigenous lands.
Online sports betting would allow bettors to wager on their favorite North Carolina sports from anywhere in the state. There will be several sportsbooks available, as the state budget released in early October retracted the bill’s original restriction on the number of sportsbooks allowed in the state.
According to the NC Lottery Commission, 14 operators have requested materials to file for sports betting licenses. The application period closed on Dec. 27.
A Massive Overhaul in North Carolina Sports Betting
The House Sports betting bill will drastically reshape the legal sports betting options for sports fans throughout North Carolina. Rules for sports betting laid out in the North Carolina budget declares that for a mobile sportsbook to launch in the state, they must partner with a North Carolina professional sports team or organization.
Origindeclaree bill allowed up to 12 online operators and eight retail locations to take sports bets. With eleven of those being in the state, that meant only a maximum of 12 mobile sportsbooks could come to North Carolina in 2024 and beyond.
However, the new state budget in early October changed the restriction from 12 to 11. Pro teams and venues now have the power to approve sportsbooks instead of the NC State Lottery Commission.
Currently, North Carolina sports betting is restricted to tribal casinos like Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Catawba Two Kings Casino.
Mobile sports betting could’ve technically come to North Carolina as early as Jan. 8 of next year (notably the day of the College Football National Championship Game) according to the recently passed house sports betting bill, though the announced date is now March 11.
That being said, North Carolina sports betting will be officially launched no later than June 14 of next year according to the bill. So, online sports betting will be available to Tar Heel fans by next summer.
Another critical change is the allowances within the North Carolina house sports betting bill.
In the previous iteration, wagering on college sports in North Carolina was not allowed — college sports betting is in Houseewhat gray area in the U.S. as some states allow it completely, while others have specific restrictions around player props and still others have banned it entirely even though they allow for professional wagering.
However, HB347 makes it clear that college sports betting, and betting on college events more generally, is legal under the recently passed North Carolina legislation. NC sports betting will likely thrive even more with college sports being an available betting option in the state.
It’s not clear yet how big of a market North Carolina mobile sports betting will be once it’s live, but sports betting revenue has been a massive factor in legalization across the country with states like Illinois and New York using the money to fund education.
The journey to make sports betting legal in North Carolina has been arduous and stalled out at times, so we’ve compiled a list of the most important dates throughout this legislative process, documenting the lengthy process of mobile sports betting in the state and North Carolina sports betting more specifically.
Important Recent Dates in North Carolina Sports Betting
Here are the latest updates on NC sports betting:
📅 March 11th: North Carolina sports betting launches online in the state giving bettors the opportunity to place online wagers with their favorite sportsbooks.
📅 March 1st: Pre-registration goes live for North Carolina online sportsbooks.
📅 January 30th: Caesars Sportsbook expands its relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to bring mobile and online betting to the state of NC.
📅 January 24th: North Carolina Lottery Commission approves March 11, 2024, as launch date for mobile sports betting launch in the state.
📅 January 22nd: Underdog confirms partnerships with McConnell Golf, which owns and operates Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club, host of the PGA’s annual Wyndham Championship.
📅 January 5th: DraftKings NC and BetMGM NC announce partnerships with NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway, respectively.
📅 December 29th: The state lottery commission unveiled the seven operators that submitted license applications by the Dec. 27 deadline (DraftKings NC, FanDuel NC, BetMGM NC, ESPN BET NC, Fanatics Sportsbook NC, bet365 NC, and Underdog Sports NC). These states will be able to go live as soon as North Carolina launches online sports betting as long as they receive licenses.
📅 December 21st: On the Ovies and Giglio OG Live Podcast, Gov. Roy Cooper announces his goal to launch online sports betting in North Carolina in time for March Madness.
📅 December 18th: Fanatics partners with the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s the fourth operator to partner with a professional team or facility in North Carolina.
📅 December 13th: The NC Lottery Commission approves rulemaking package No. 2, which will require operators to stay away from specific marketing language and only advertise to people 21+. Additionally, the approved rules will permit operators and affiliates to work together.
📅 December 11th: FanDuel Sportsbook sets up partnership with PGA Tour so it can enter the North Carolina sports betting market.
📅 December 6th: The North Carolina Lottery Commission’s sports betting committee revokes a previous rule that prevented operators from putting their branding on sports facilities.
📅 December 5th: It’s announced that the Charlotte golf course Quail Hollow Club has a partnership with ESPN BET, which opens the door for the operator to obtain an online sports betting license in NC.
📅 November 29th: North Carolina Lottery Commission Chairman confirms the state will not have sports betting live by Super Bowl LVIII in February.
📅 November 20th: bet365 is announced to be the “Official Mobile Sports Betting Partner of the Charlotte Hornets.” This partnership means that bet365 North Carolina will be live once sports betting launches in the state. Read More.
📅 November 16th: The NC Lottery Commission approves the first set of rules for the state’s mobile sports betting market. These rules remove a definition of fantasy sports contests that would’ve prevented operators like PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy from being able to offer pick’em-style fantasy games. The rules also approved wagering on major sports across multiple leagues.
📅 November 14th: The North Carolina Lottery pick ’em-style contests the state will not be launching sports betting on January 8, 2024.
📅 November 7th: North Carolina Lottery Commission’s sports betting committee approves a second rules notice including advertising language, problem gaming, and more.
📅 October 27th: The state lottery commission holds a public hearing to discuss the proposed sports betting rules. Reps from PrizePicks and Underdog speak on the rules prohibiting pick’em contests.
📅 October 16th: Catawba Nation CEO asks developer Sky Boat Gaming to cease the “holding hostage” of its casino resort development project, which is the planned rebuild of the temporary Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain.
📅 Early October 2023: The new state budget introduces procedures that eliminate the cap on the number of betting operators NC can have. The new budget also transfers the power to approve sportsbooks from the NC State Lottery Commission to pro teams and venues.
📅 Late September 2023: The state alters its limit on the amount of sportsbooks allowed in the state from 12 to 11. To take part in NC sports betting, a mobile sportsbook must partner with one of the 11 professional NC sports teams/organizations (NBA, NHL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, NFL, etc.).
📅 Early September 2023: The North Carolina State Lottery Commission adds two new associate attorneys to help develop new rules and regulations for sports betting licenses. It also hires Gaming Laboratories Inc. to assist with the sports betting launch.
📅 August 2023: Potential sportsbook applicants begin registering online to receive updates on important North Carolina sports betting information.
📅 July 28th: Sterl Carpenter named Deputy Executive Director of gaming compliance and sports betting in North Carolina.
📅 June 14th: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB347 which allows for online sports betting, with a slated launch in early 2024. Mobile sports betting is now legal in North Carolina. Additionally, the NC State Lottery Commission starts to implement the new law by creating a web page to publish updates.
📅 Late March 2023: The North Carolina House voted in favor of the latest sports betting bill HB 347. The bill now heads to the state Senate.
📅 March 2023: A new sports betting bill titled HB 347 was filed by Rep. Jason Saine. The bill planned to authorize up to 12 North Carolina sportsbooks for online betting.
📅 February 2023: Senator Phil Berger believes there is enough support for online sports betting in the state of North Carolina.
📅 December 2022: One of the top retail sports betting locations in the state of North Carolina, the Catawba Two Kings Casino, faced hefty fines after a federal investigation. The investigation determined the casinos didn’t get approval for a management contract.
North Carolina Online Betting Sites
With legal online sports betting in the Tar Heel State, there are several North Carolina sports betting apps that earned sports betting licenses. bet365, ESPN BET, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel were some of the early sportsbooks to form partnerships. Underdog Sportsbook has confirmed its partnership with McConnell Golf, which owns and operates Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club, host of the PGA’s annual Wyndham Championship. Underdog plans to launch in North Carolina on Day 1, which would be their first state under the name Underdog Sports. Once North Carolina sports betting is live, make sure to use our betting guide to help you out.
Here are a few of the top sportsbooks in the country that are available in North Carolina sports betting. There are plenty of lucrative North Carolina sportsbook promo codes available at these sites as well.
BetMGM
BetMGM is a popular sportsbook known for its range of solid features that include live sports betting and the ability to edit bets in your bet slip.
It is a great option for bettors looking for great odds on professional sports, prop bets, and more. BetMGM also offers solid promotions to get started betting. They will likely come to North Carolina at the beginning of NC sports betting for mobile sportsbooks.
BetMGM has announced a partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway that gives the sportsbook operator access to mobile sports betting in the state in the near future.
FanDuel
FanDuel is a well-regarded and trustworthy sportsbook. It is known for having great live sports betting options making it one of the industry’s best.
It’s an excellent option for bettors searching for betting odds and the famous same-game parlay that FanDuel has put on the map. Take advantage of the welcome offer Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets! as you’ll get the bonus bets regardless of the outcome of your first $5+ wager.
The operator has a partnership with the PGA Tour to remain licensed in North Carolina. FanDuel is also the official sports betting partner of the Carolina Panthers.
ESPN BET
ESPN BET NC partnered with the Charlotte golf course Quail Hollow Club, meaning the operator was able to acquire an online sports betting license in the Tar Heel State. This rebranded sportsbook from PENN Entertainment is live and dishing out a great bonus in North Carolina.
bet365
bet365 is another North Carolina online sportsbook as it’s the “Official Mobile Sports Betting Partner of the Charlotte Hornets.”
Fanatics Sportsbook
The mega sports brand Fanatics launched their mobile sportsbook in 2023, and they’re already expanding to many states in the country. Fanatics Sportsbook now brings their generous new user promo to North Carolina.
Fanatics Sportsbook announced its partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes to secure access to the mobile betting market in the state.
DraftKings
DraftKings is a widely used and reputable mobile sports betting platform that offers a variety of features, including a rewards program that allows users to earn bonuses, odds boosts, offers, promotions, and more.
Additionally, DraftKings provides users with solid odds that compare well with the rest of the legal sports betting industry. The operator’s partnership with NASCAR helped facilitate its entry into the NC online sports betting market.
Caesars
Caesars is known for having a great VIP loyalty program. You can start earning money on your spread bets, moneylines, and more right off the bet. It’s one of the best legal sportsbooks out there as you can get promotions, offers, bonuses, and more as you bet.
Also, they are already partnered with tribes in the state. It has a partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians which has helped facilitate its entry into the legal online sportsbook market.
Underdog Sportsbook
While previously specializing in the DFS realm, Underdog is expanding its horizons. North Carolina will be one of the first states to get the Underdog Sportsbook product, so stay tuned for more details. The operator’s partnership with McConnell Golf helped secure market access.
Daily Fantasy Sports in North Carolina
Participating in daily fantasy sports competitions is lawful in North Carolina, as the state has not enacted any legislation regulating or taxing DFS contests. Likewise, North Carolina has not banned these contests either.
As a result, individuals can enjoy the popular games provided by DFS operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel while located in the state of North Carolina.
Popular Sports Teams in NC
There are great options to bet on teams in the state of North Carolina at the top sports betting locations. Now that North Carolina online mobile sports betting is available, the top sportsbooks in the state will be flooded with bets on the state’s top college and professional sports teams.
There are the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and Carolina Hurricanes in professional sports. In terms of colleges, there are several Division I choices such as Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and more.
We even have Carolina Panthers odds for the 2023-2024 season that’s going on right now in the state of North Carolina.
For now, it looks like betting on college sports is okay. There is no word if an online sports betting bill would place restrictions on in-state college teams like a few other states have done. We will have to wait until they launch North Carolina online betting to get all the details.
College basketball fan or bettor? We broke down Duke vs UNC and which all-time team would win. Check out the Duke-UNC matchup.
Bet Types with Legal Sportsbooks
There are plenty of betting options and markets for those looking to wager at retail locations in North Carolina. Here are some of the bet types you might see while betting on sports in the state.
Moneylines
A moneyline bet is a wager on which team will win the game straight up. You’re betting on the winner. Favorites are usually listed with negative odds while an underdog will have positive odds.
Point spreads
When you make a point spread bet, you’re betting on the margin of victory or defeat. Each team is given a point value to balance the odds. Point spreads allow you to bet on either team, even if one is heavily favored to win.
For example, you might see the Charlotte Hornets are -5.5 point favorites vs the Chicago Bulls. The Hornets would need to win by six points or more to cover the spread.
Betting lines for point spreads usually come with odds around -110 on both sides. A $110 bet would win $100. Point spreads are one of the most popular bet types.
Totals
When you make a total bet, it’s also known as an over/under bet. You’re betting on the total number of points that both teams will score in the game. The sportsbook will set a line on how many points they think will be scored.
For example, the total for the Atlanta Braves vs Chicago Cubs game is 7.5 runs. For an over bet to win, at least eight runs or more need to be scored in the game. If the game ended 6-4, it would be an over because 10 total runs were scored.
Props
A prop bet is a wager on a specific outcome within a game. Keep in mind, the outcome is not necessarily tied to the final result. Some people find these bets more enjoyable. Sportsbooks offer props on different outcomes for players, teams, and games.
There are a variety of outcomes such as how many points a player will score, how many rebounds a player will have, how many touchdowns a QB will throw for, and more. For example, LaMelo Ball might have his over/under for points set a 21.5. You are betting whether he will be over or under that mark in the game.
Futures
A futures bet is looking at an event or outcome down the road. Betting on which team will win the championship or what player will win the NBA MVP. These odds change throughout the year based on performance, injuries, and more. You can track futures of major sports teams and players on the top online sites throughout the year.
Parlays
A parlay bet is when you combine multiple outcomes into one single bet slip. This gives you a boost in odds but comes with a catch. To win a parlay, all of the bets have to win. With each leg you add to the parlay, the probability of winning the bet goes down.
For example, you can select three NFL teams each to win on a Sunday in the fall. If any of the teams lose, your bet loses. If all the teams win, you receive your payout based on the odds. Make sure to try one out when North Carolina sports betting comes in 2024.
Live Betting
There has been a boom in live betting as sports bettors enjoy placing wagers as an event happens. The odds and lines quickly changed based on the action. There are all sorts of live betting options from traditional bets to props and more. You can bet on what will happen on the very next play and more.
More North Carolina Sports Content
Looking for more on North Carolina sports? Check out more of our North Carolina sports content.
College Sports
- UNC vs Duke. Which all-time NCAAB team wins?
- Duke basketball national titles, Final Four history
- NC State basketball national titles, Final Four history
- UNC basketball national titles, Final Four history
- Ranking the top 10 UNC players of all time
- Ranking the top 10 Duke players of all time
- Best North Carolina College Basketball Player Ever
MLB
NBA
- Best Charlotte Hornets players of all-time
- Best NBA players born and raised in NC
- Best NBA players from UNC/NC schools
NFL
- Best Carolina Panthers players of all-time
- Best NFL players born and raised in NC
- Best NFL players from UNC/NC schools
NHL
More
North Carolina Online Sports Betting FAQs
Here are some FAQs regarding NC online sports betting:
Is there legal sports betting in North Carolina?
Yes. You can make sports at retail sportsbooks in the state and online sports betting launched on March 11, 2024.
What are the best North Carolina sports betting sites?
Some of the best North Carolina online sports betting sites include DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, bet365, and Caesars. The state also has great options like Fanatics Sportsbook and ESPN Bet along with Underdog Sports.
Can I bet on sports betting apps in North Carolina?
Yes! Thanks to the launch of online sports betting in the state of North Carolina on March 11, 2024, you can now bet with sports betting apps within North Carolina borders.
What are the top teams to bet on in North Carolina?
North Carolina has a few professional sports teams and many major Division I colleges. In pro sports, you can bet on the Panthers, Hurricanes, and Hornets. In the college ranks, there is Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and more.
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