CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mobile and online sports betting in North Carolina began to take off Monday as several licensed gambling operators began accepting bets nine months after legislation allowing such activity in the state became law.
what you should Know
People in North Carolina now have more chances to bet as sports betting has begun across the state
Several government-licensed gambling operators began accepting bets via smartphones and computers at noon Monday from adults within the state
North Carolina officials passed a law last year that directed the North Carolina State Lottery Commission to set rules and accept applications for licensees; Eight licenses were issued and each of the companies associated with them began operations on Monday
Personal betting on sports betting and horse racing is also now allowed, but does not start right now
Some of the interactive sports betting operators, which include big names in the growing field of legalized gambling, and their affiliates held special events to highlight the new gambling opportunities in the nation’s ninth largest state. North Carolina is now the 30th state, along with the District of Columbia, to offer mobile sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.
Registered customers within state borders can bet on professional, college or Olympic sports.
DraftKings’ Bubba Wallace NASCAR car is displayed outside the NASCAR Hall of Fame during an event celebrating the launch of mobile and online sports betting in North Carolina, Monday, March 11, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco )
“North Carolina has been a state that we’ve really been dying to get into for a couple of years now,” DraftKings chief commercial officer Jeremy Elbaum said at a public event at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, where retired Carolina Panthers player Greg Olsen made a ceremonial online debut bet. “The way the sports calendar works here, the love for the college, the love for NASCAR specifically and obviously the other major sports, made this a key state for us.”
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission, targeted in the June 2023 law that allows games to license operators and set rules, announced several weeks ago that mobile and computer wagering would begin Monday at noon. The opening date — on the eve of the popular Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament — was not missed by sports enthusiasts.
Gov. Roy Cooper, who signed the sports betting bill passed by the General Assembly and is an ardent fan of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, said he had bet on the team winning the Stanley Cup later this year. He said all monetary winnings will go to the team’s charitable foundation.
“Legalizing sports betting will provide a significant boost to North Carolina’s economy and allow our thriving sports industry to continue to grow,” Cooper said as he played a video taken before kickoff of him walking on the ice at PNC Arena of the team in Raleigh.
The commission announced the eight initial licensees on February 29. The day after that, these operators began creating accounts for players 21 and older and accepting cash deposits. This prompted a flurry of TV and social media ads from gambling operators trying to attract customers with financial incentives.
In addition to DraftKings, initial sports betting licenses were granted to BETMGM and Underdog Sports Wagering; companies that do business like FanDuel Sportsbook, Fanatics Sportsbook, bet365 and ESPN BET; and an organization affiliated with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which with Caesars Sportsbook already operates in-person sports gambling at the tribe’s two western North Carolina casinos and now offers mobile betting. All eight operators were working Monday, the lottery commission said.
A late 2023 amendment to the law stated that most applicants for interactive betting companies had to enter into an agreement with a professional team in the state or certain professional golf or auto racing venues or governing bodies to obtain a license. For example, DraftKings has an agreement with NASCAR, while Fanatics Sportsbook is affiliated with the Hurricanes.
The law also allows in-person betting in future sportsbooks that will have to be located at or near certain major sports or motoring events. The commission said they will be opened on a case-by-case basis as operators meet the requirements. Provisions in the law for the commission to regulate horse racing betting across the country and set rules for live horse racing will also be implemented in the future.
The legislation would tax sports betting at a rate equal to 18% of gross betting revenue minus distributed winnings. Revenue could top $100 million a year within five years, according to a legislative branch analysis.
The government’s share will go in part to athletic departments at 13 schools in the University of North Carolina system, amateur and youth sports events, and gambling education and treatment programs. Some licensees have talked about “responsible gaming” features in their betting apps.
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