North Carolina sports betting

North Carolina sports betting is now legal. The catch? Sportsbooks in NC won’t launch until sometime in 2024. 

North Carolina are set to launch in the first half of next year after the regulatory and licensing process is complete. On this page, we’ll cover the important details pertaining to NC sports betting and look at the future state of the market.

Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law on June 14, 2023. The development came after a long legislative process, which involved the bill bouncing back and forth between the state Senate and House a few times. 

The law expands North Carolina gambling options well beyond what it already allows. Here’s what it allows for:

The retail sportsbooks can be opened in a professional sports facility or somewhere within a 1.5 mile radius of the location. Some possible locations for new retail sportsbooks in North Carolina are:

North Carolina will tax sports betting operators at a rate of 18%. The state’s sports betting market will be overseen by the North Carolina Lottery Commission.

The timeline for NC sports betting is hazy at the moment, mainly because there’s a big window during which the market can launch. 

The launch window for North Carolina online sportsbooks is from January 8, 2024, to June 14, 2024. In other words, it’ll be six months to a year from the bill’s signing before sportsbooks can launch.

North Carolina sports betting stands to make a big splash, even compared to already-legal markets nearby. One quick look at the population compared to its neighbors tells the story quite well:

What does that mean? Well, primarily, it means operators will be champing at the bit to go live in North Carolina. It’s a populous state with millions of dedicated sports fans. 

Among the top contenders to pursue a North Carolina sports betting license are:

Caesars is at the top of the list because it already has two retail sportsbooks in the state: one at Harrah’s Cherokee and another at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

Others may enter the fray as well. PointsBet, whose US assets were recently purchased by Fanatics, might try for a license. The same goes for Bet365, Sports Illustrated, and a few other operators.

NC sportsbooks will compete with one another for your attention and business as a sports bettor. One way this will take shape is in the form of welcome bonuses. We don’t yet know what the opening promos will be at North Carolina sportsbooks. That depends on which operators get a license, how the state Lottery Commission regulates bonuses, and a few other factors. 

Based on welcome bonuses in other states, it’s likely that NC sports betting sites will offer certain bonuses. These types are the most common.

Deposit matches are pretty much what they sound like. Make your first deposit, and the sportsbook will match all or part of it in bonus credit up to a maximum. 

For example, DraftKings offers a 20% deposit match up to $1,000 in many states. That means a $5,000 bonus gets you the full match. 

Deposit matches were once the most common bonus type, but they’re becoming more and more rare as sports betting expands. It’s likely that a few NC sportsbooks will offer such a bonus, but it won’t be the most readily available type. 

By far the most common bonus type is the second-chance bet (or first bet insurance). Place your first wager with a sportsbook. If you win, you keep the winnings and the bonus expires. If you lose, the sportsbook will return your wager in bonus credits up to a maximum amount. 

Caesars is known for offering first bet insurance up to $1,250 in markets where it operates. FanDuel, BetRivers, and BetMGM also have second-chance bets of varying amounts. 

North Carolina sports bettors can expect first bet insurance or second-chance offers at many of the state’s sportsbooks once they go live. 

You might see a bonus that says something like this: “Bet $5, get $200 in bonus credit instantly.”

DraftKings is known to offer that very bonus as an alternative to its deposit match from time to time (you can only claim one welcome bonus). These bonuses are great for new or casual bettors who don’t want to make a hefty deposit just to earn some bonus money. 

One major thing to note: sports betting bonuses give you bonus credit, not cash. That means the bonus you earn won’t be withdrawable. You need to bet with it before it becomes withdrawable. 

The extension of this idea is playthrough requirements, which vary by sportsbook. This is the amount you must bet to clear $1 of your bonus credit at a given sportsbook. BetRivers offers a 1x playthrough, so if you get a $100 second-chance bonus at the sportsbook, you’ll get $1 worth of credit for every $1 you bet. Other sites may have higher requirements, sometimes reaching up to 15x or 20x. 

Always read the terms and conditions to understand how to claim your bonus.

North Carolina sports betting sites have yet to go live, but you can prepare for launch by brushing up on the sign-up process. Here’s how you’ll be able to create an account at NC sportsbooks. 

The process from start to finish is relatively simple, and will only take a few minutes. The details are required to confirm your age and identity and to prevent you from creating duplicate accounts. 

We recommend signing up for multiple sportsbooks. That way you can claim multiple welcome bonuses and compare odds to get the best possible payout on any bet you wish to make.

North Carolina has a thriving sports scene, with three professional teams:

It’s reasonable to assume these teams will seek out lucrative partnerships with sports betting operators in the state, resulting in new sportsbooks being constructed in their arenas.

There are also myriad college teams in North Carolina:

…and many others. North Carolina’s sports betting law allows betting on college teams; great news for NCAA fans in the state.

Numerous responsible gambling programs are available to NC bettors. 

More Than A Game has various resources, including:

The NCPGP gives support to problem gamblers and has many prevention initiatives.

Now that NC sports betting is signed into law, all you have to do is wait. News will certainly emerge in the near future about licensing, regulations, and a potential launch date. 

The North Carolina Lottery Commission will begin the hard work of setting forth rules, regulations, and a licensing process for the state. There will then be an application process and rigorous evaluation of the potential operators looking to join the market.