The long road to legal online sports betting in North Carolina continued this week. Members of the state’s Sports Betting Committee met Wednesday to discuss a second set of rules governing the NC online sports betting industry, which will launch at some point in 2024.
As part of that meeting, the public learned a bit more about the application process. News broke that 11 operators have already applied for North Carolina online sports betting licenses.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission began accepting applications in late-November. The recommended date for applications to be submitted by is Wednesday, Dec. 27. The state’s website says that date is for operators who wish to participate at the immediate launch of North Carolina online sports betting.
Which NC online sports betting operators will be live?
We don’t know yet. The Sports Betting Committee did not release the names of operators that have already submitted completed applications.
However, based on which companies are doing business in other states, we can offer a partial list of the ones likely to set up shop in the Tar Heel State. Those operators include:
Once North Carolina sportsbooks go live, they’ll likely boast an array of NC sports betting promos for new customers to use. However, we won’t know the full scope of those until the applicants are revealed and approved.
In addition, state regulations mandate partnerships between North Carolina sports betting operators and partnerships with sports entities. It’s worth noting that, currently, there are 11 operator requests and 11 potential partners (five pro sports teams, two NASCAR venues, two PGA stops, and both NASCAR and PGA as a whole).
What are the next steps?
A full meeting of the State Lottery Commission is set for Wednesday, Dec. 13. That second set of proposed rules will be presented by the Sports Betting Committee at that time.
No formal “go live” date for NC online sports betting has been announced. We do know, however, that the industry will not be live until after Super Bowl LVIII.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 347, the North Carolina online sports betting legislation, on June 14, 2023. The bill stipulates that it must launch no later than June 14, 2024. In the meantime, North Carolinians can bet on sports via retail sportsbooks at three tribal casinos in the state.
