There is a possibility that online sports betting will start by March.
There will be no legal online Super Bowl betting in North Carolina in February but there is a possibility that North Carolinians could be able to put down a bet on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament starting in March. The North Carolina State Lottery Commission just didn’t get enough time to be able to pull off starting gambling operations on January 8th, which was the earliest day that North Carolina law allowed for the start of sports betting online. Governor Roy Cooper signed the sports betting bill into law on June 14th, 2023. It took four years for the state legislature to approve a sports gambling bill. There is in-person sports gambling at two tribal casinos in the western part of North Carolina and a third tribal casino takes bets is west of Charlotte.
The bill authorized up to 12 legal online sportsbooks, as well as eight in-person sportsbooks at professional sports venues in the state. Each license carries a $1 million fee for five years as well as an 18% tax. Seven sportsbooks applied. Bet365 has a partnership with the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets ownership. ESPN Bet has a deal with the Quail Hollow golf course. Fanatics has a marketing partnership with the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes. FanDuel and the PGA Tour have a betting partnership. BetMGM, DraftKings and Underdog Sports could be looking for partners. David Tepper’s two sports properties, the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC, are without a partner at the moment. NASCAR, the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League, the North Wilkesboro Speedway and the Sedgefield Country Club are seeking betting partners. All the sportsbooks must be live by June 15th. Vermont will be entering the legalized sports gambling business on January 11th, only 12 states have not approved sports gambling.
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