North Carolina Preparing for Legal Sports Betting

In the first half of 2024, sports betting will be legal in North Carolina. Though the year is almost over, there are still some unanswered concerns regarding the Tar Heel State’s mobile gambling industry. Above all, when will it be legal for North Carolina sports betting apps to launch? Although there isn’t a set date for their launch, mobile operators who want to be included in the initial wave of the launch should submit their applications by December 27.

Although legislation mandates that sports betting companies be able to operate by mid-June, lottery authorities have stated that mobile wagering won’t be operational by the Super Bowl on February 11. As a result, the mobile market in North Carolina will launch sometime between mid-February and mid-June.

According to North Carolina law, in order to offer their sports betting sites, sportsbook operators must collaborate with professional sports teams or venues. A few alliances between operators and teams or venues have been revealed, such as the one between bet365 North Carolina and the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA.

“We are excited to announce this partnership with bet365,” Hornets Sports and Entertainment Chief Revenue Officer Jacob Gallagher said in a press release. “Since the day Governor Cooper signed sports wagering into law at Spectrum Center in June, we sought a partner that would help us provide our fans with new, additional opportunities to engage with their favorite sports teams. We are confident that bet365 is a great fit with our organization and can help us do that.”

ESPN BET is bringing its new sportsbook to North Carolina in collaboration with Quail Hollow Club, a PGA Tour facility. Over ten states saw the formal launch of ESPN BET last month. It was revealed last week that North Carolina is collaborating with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Through an existing agreement with the PGA Tour, FanDuel North Carolina is able to offer mobile wagering in the Tar Heel State.

BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and DraftKings are all anticipated to launch in North Carolina in 2024, despite not having announced any collaborations as of yet. Each of those three operators is well-established across the country.

Check out the latest sports betting odds at Caesars.

BetRivers, which operates in over a dozen states, is one of the other potential competitors. It’s probable that as Hard Rock Bet grows across the country, it will make an effort to obtain a license in North Carolina. The largest state in which Hard Rock Bet operates, Florida, is where it went live with its monopoly.

Reputable sportsbooks that are expanding their mobile presence across the country include SuperBook Sports and Circa Sports. They may enter the North Carolina market, despite the fact that each of those businesses has launched their products gradually.

Theoretically, a more regional operator with connections to North Carolina would try to break into the state’s mobile betting industry. When operators formally submit their license applications later this month, information regarding the early entrants into the market should become clear.