North Carolina Sports Betting

Although sports betting in North Carolina is still very much illegal, the proposed Senate bill 688, championed by two senators, Paul Lowe and Jim Perry, would allow up to 12 online betting licenses. Additionally, the bill would permit sports facilities that organize professional events with capacities of over 17,000 fans to build wagering platforms via mobile devices or PC websites. This could include the arenas and stadiums that house the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. It has become a growing trend around the country to organize sportsbooks at professional sports sites.

Both senators advocate for the bill to become law on October 1st. Fortunately, lawmakers in North Carolina are still in session until July 30th, which gives them sufficient time to proceed with the bill. Interestingly, there was a similar case in March 2019 where the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians got to sign a new gambling compact with Governor Roy Cooper. The arrangement gave them the chance to offer retail brick-and-mortar betting in NC. The problem was that it took almost two years before they were officially allowed to accept retail sports wagering.

The proposed Senate Bill 688 will regulate and authorize legal sports betting in North Carolina since sports bettors will now have limited access to wagering through sportsbooks. Currently, the state has only two tribal casinos where legal sports betting can happen, or bettors can partake in casino games. The problem here is that players need to travel down to the site before they can begin. One interesting argument for the legalization of sports betting is that about 30% of the lottery commission goes to education. The entire net proceeds of North Carolina's Education Lottery are used for education expenses. Legalizing sports betting could help pay for education expenses as well as school construction costs.

With the legalization of sports betting getting closer, a few sports betting sites are expected to enter North Carolina. Just like in Virginia, after online betting became legal, Draftkings, the popular Daily Fantasy Sports brand, became one of the first sportsbooks brand to enter the state. The case is similar in Tennessee, although this state does not permit traditional land-based sports betting.

Below is a list of some of the betting sites expected to enter the North Carolina market once online sports betting becomes legal in the state.

1. DraftKings
2. FanDuel
3. William Hill
4. Unibet

There are currently no sports betting apps licensed to operate in North Carolina. If you want to place bets, you need to visit the two tribal casinos available in the state. Notwithstanding, there is a continuous push to get online gaming legalized in North Carolina as it can potentially bring in revenue that the state can use to fund other aspects in the future. Once the license is available by the Gaming Board, we can see a rise in the number of players to over 500,000 or even a million in North Carolina alone.

Technically, it is legal to bet on sports in NC. However, there is nowhere for players to place bets except for two retail casinos in the state. This means that you need to travel down to the sites before participating in placing bets on sports games.

For now, there are no legal sportsbook options in North Carolina, but we expect that to change thanks to the progress made on May 30, 2021. Now, we can look to the future for the legalization of sports betting in the state.

UsSportsBonus Only Recommends Legal Betting Sites

At UsSportsBonus, we only recommend legal betting sites to our readers, and you can be sure that once the North Carolina market is open, we will have a list of legal betting sites available for you.

According to the sports betting bill, anyone above the age of 18 can participate in sports betting. Once you can verify that you are 18 or above, you will have no trouble betting on your favorite sports events.

Sports Betting in North Carolina as a resident

As a resident in North Carolina, you can wager on sports at the available retail sports betting sites. You need to provide an ID to show that you are not underaged. Note that you can start to wager on your computer and mobile device once the sports betting bill is passed.

Sports Betting in North Carolina as a non-resident

In North Carolina, no one prevents you from participating in sports betting even if you are not a resident of the state. As long as you are above the legal age, you can wager on different sporting events, leagues, and games at any casino in the state.

To bet in North Carolina, you need to visit any licensed Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' tribal casino. There you can start wagering on various games and sports. Once you place your wager, you will receive a paper bet slip that you will need to present if you make the right predictions and win.

Since the legalization of sports gambling at tribal and retail casinos, senator Perry has pushed to have the lottery commission look to other gaming options like online sports wagering. As it stands, we could have online sports gambling legalized in North Carolina in the coming months.