North Carolina Sports Betting
Legal online sports betting has arrived in North Carolina.
Eight online sportsbooks launched in North Carolina at noon on March 11th, 2024, with the Lottery Commission’s approval.
Licensed North Carolina sports betting sites accept customers 21 or older and may offer wagers on professional and college sports, certain amateur leagues, and esports competitions.
Three retail sportsbooks at tribal casinos also offer in-person wagering in North Carolina. The first North Carolina sportsbooks opened in 2021 thanks to separate legislation, but professional sports venues are set to open additional locations under the latest law.
Legal North Carolina Betting Sites
21+ and present in NC. Gambling Problem? Call 877-718-5543 or visit morethanagame.nc.gov
Here are the key things to know about the North Carolina online sports betting market:
- Fans must be 21 or older to bet online in North Carolina
- Eight sports betting apps are open for business
- The NC Lottery Commission may approve up to 12 online sportsbooks in total
- Licensed betting sites may accept wagers on professional, collegiate, and amateur sports plus approved esports leagues
North Carolina Sports Betting Apps
North Carolina bettors have eight online sportsbooks to choose from today, and the NC Lottery Commission may approve up to four additional operators.
North Carolina Sportsbook Promo Codes
Online Sportsbook | Promo Code | Bonus Offer |
---|---|---|
BetMGM North Carolina Bonus Code | BUSABONUS | Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets |
DraftKings North Carolina Promo Code | Not Needed | Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets |
FanDuel North Carolina Promo Code | Not Needed | Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets |
Bet365 North Carolina Bonus Code | Not Needed | Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets |
North Carolina Sports Betting Bonuses
Licensed betting sites in North Carolina offer welcome bonuses as incentives for bettors to sign up for accounts, deposit funds, and bet on sports.
The most common types of betting bonuses bettors will encounter in North Carolina include:
- Bet and Get Bonuses: New customers receive bonus bets when they sign up and place their first cash wager. Sportsbooks often use phrasing like “bet $5 and get $100 in bonus bets.”
- Second Chance Bets: New users who sign up, place a wager, and lose receive 100% refunds paid as bonus bets.
- First Deposit Bonuses: Bettors receive bonus funds upon completing their first deposit. The size of the first deposit usually determines the size of the bonus. New customer deposit bonuses are becoming increasingly uncommon in the US online betting market.
Although the extent to which any particular offer benefits bettors can vary significantly, nearly all North Carolina betting bonuses provide value to some degree.
That’s partially a natural result of the competitive nature of the legal US betting industry, but state regulations also play a role. North Carolina regulations require operators to offer fair bonuses and describe them accurately.
In part, Rule 1E-003 requires NC betting sites to:
- Describe all betting bonuses and promos with complete, accurate, concise, transparent, and non-misleading language
- Never advertise sports betting promos as “free” if customers must risk or lose money or if there are any conditions attached to customers’ own money
- Never advertise promos as “risk-free” if customers must incur a loss or risk money to withdraw the winnings from such offers
- Provide clear and conspicuous methods for customers to cancel bonuses
- Never limit the winnings customers can earn with a bonus once they have met its terms
North Carolina Sports Betting Deposits
North Carolina regulators have approved a wide range of deposit methods to cover every realistic use case the average bettor may have.
As a result, most online sportsbooks in North Carolina support everyday payment methods like debit cards and physical cash, mobile platforms like Venmo, and various online banking solutions.
NC Lottery Commission regulations specifically authorize the following betting deposit methods:
- Credit cards and debit cards
- Electronic funds transfers
- ACH transfers
- Online and mobile payment systems (e.g., Apple Pay and PayPal)
- Reloadable, nontransferable prepaid cards (e.g., Play+ Card)
- Cash (e.g., PayNearMe)
- Cash equivalents converted to cash
- Any other method approved by the Commission
State law also authorizes operators to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The definition of “cash equivalent” (an approved deposit method) found in G.S. § 18C-901(2) includes “digital, crypto, and virtual currency.”
However, there are not yet any betting sites in North Carolina that accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the complexities involved in accepting cryptocurrency deposits while managing exchange risk (volatility) and complying with federal Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) laws.
North Carolina Sportsbook Locations
North Carolina is home to three retail sportsbooks, one at each of the state’s two Cherokee casinos in the western portion of the state and another at Catawba Two Kings Casino near Charlotte.
In addition, the latest law has approved up to eight more retail sportsbooks at professional sports venues that host teams from the MLB, MLS, NBA, NF, NHL, NWSL, motorsport facilities that host more than one annual NASCAR race, and golf courses that host a professional tournament that usually attracts more than 50,000 spectators.
Under those criteria, some of the venues that qualify to apply for North Carolina retail sportsbook licenses include:
- Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets
- Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC
- PNC Arena, home of the Carolina Hurricanes
- WakeMed Soccer Park, home of the NC Courage
- Charlotte Motor Speedway
- North Wilkesboro Speedway
- Quail Hollow Club
- Sedgefield Country Club
North Carolina Sports Betting Timeline
North Carolina legalized sports betting in July 2019 after Governor Roy Cooper signed off on Senate Bill 154.
SB 154 was fairly limited in scope as it simply categorized sports and horse racing betting as forms of Class III gaming, which is allowed at tribal casinos. Essentially, the NC sports betting law approved retail sportsbooks at three casinos:
- Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino in Cherokee
- Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy
- Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort in Cleveland County
The bill did not legalize mobile betting, but even this minor advance was a big step forward for North Carolina, which has historically opposed gambling expansions of all types.
Bill co-sponsor Jim Davis urged the House to approve the bill while acknowledging the lingering skepticism regarding any expansion of gambling in North Carolina:
“We’re not asking you this morning to legalize sports betting,” he said. “We’re simply asking you to add this to the list of games that are allowed [at the casinos].”
Shortly after the North Carolina sports betting bill was signed into law, Harrah’s Regional VP of Marketing Brian Saunooke estimated both sportsbooks would be up and running by Fall 2019.
“By late fall, football will be in full swing,” he said at the time. “That’s an exciting time for sports bettors in general. We will be looking at other sports as well. We expect to have a full offering similar to what you would have in other markets, like Las Vegas.”
However, the launch of legal sports betting in North Carolina was slower than expected. Implementation hinged on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians amending their gaming compact with the state to authorize sportsbooks at their casinos. The Bureau of Indian Affairs signed off on the amended compact in early March 2021, and the state’s first sportsbooks launched shortly thereafter.
That same year, lawmakers introduced SB 688 to authorize mobile sports betting apps in North Carolina. The bill passed a full Senate vote in August 2021 and carried over into 2022.
Companion legislation introduced in 2022 made significant amendments to SB 688. However, the bills failed to pass a House vote, ending North Carolina’s online sports betting prospects for the year.
Lawmakers took up the effort again in 2023 via HB 347, a measure that resembled the previous year’s legislation. This time, the bill passed full House and Senate votes and went to Governor Roy Cooper’s desk for one more signature to officially legalize online sports betting in North Carolina.
North Carolina Sports Betting Law
North Carolina legalized online sports betting and retail sportsbooks in June 2023 via HB 347.
The law tasks the North Carolina Lottery Commission with regulating sports betting, adopting additional regulations needed to implement the law, and issuing licenses to qualified operators.
One of the Commission’s other duties is to adopt additional regulations as needed to implement North Carolina sports betting law.
While state law provides the basic outline for legal sports betting in North Carolina, regulations adopted by the Lottery Commission cover the specifics on topics ranging from licensing conditions to data retention requirements and more.
Readers can see the law and its accompanying regulations in full here:
The bulk of North Carolina’s sports betting rules concern topics primarily of interest to operators, but below are some of the paraphrased highlights that impact bettors.
North Carolina Daily Fantasy Sports Apps
Fantasy sports sites operate in North Carolina and accept customers 18 or older despite a lack of clarity on the legality of DFS.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) provides an exception for DFS from federal anti-gambling laws and leaves the issue up to states to decide.
However, North Carolina law does not specifically address fantasy sports apps. This leaves DFS in a grey area, neither prohibited nor explicitly authorized. Even so, all of BettingUSA’s highest-rated DFS sites accept North Carolinians without issue.
Pick’em Fantasy Sports in North Carolina
Fantasy pick’em sports contests are de-facto legal in North Carolina, but it’s uncertain how long that will remain the case.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission nearly banned fantasy pick’em contests in late 2023 but then relented and promised to revisit the issue later.
The near-ban occurred when the Commission published its proposed sports betting rules that October. A provision in the draft regulations addressing fantasy sports defined what constitutes legal DFS contests and explicitly prohibited pick’em-style games.
Pick’em fantasy operators and proponents vehemently objected the proposal. The Coalition for Fantasy Sports claimed North Carolina lawmakers had assured operators like PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy would be able to continue offering fantasy pick’em contests once they passed the bill that legalized sports wagering.
In a statement, the Coalition urged the Lottery Commission to honor the “letter and spirit” of the law.
North Carolina’s fantasy pick’em operators scored a significant win one month later when the Commission reconvened, removed all DFS provisions from its final sports betting regulations, and unanimously approved them.
However, fantasy pick’em sites in North Carolina still face future regulatory risk. Commission officials later explained that they removed the pick’em provisions to focus on launching online sports betting by the targeted launch date of March 11th, 2024 before taking up the DFS issue.
North Carolina Fantasy Sports History
North Carolina’s first attempt to legalize daily fantasy sports occurred in 2017 via HB 279.
The bill would have formally legalized DFS contests, implemented some basic consumer protection regulations, and required DFS operators to register with the Department of the Secretary of State. Registration fees would have been set to equal to 10% of the previous year’s revenues, but no less than $2,500 and no more than $10,000.
Before it could become law, HB 279 was shot down by lawmakers under pressure from anti-gambling groups. The North Carolina Family Policy Council called it a “massive expansion of legalized gambling,” and succeeded in killing the bill before it could advance far in the legislative process.
Lawmakers tried again in 2019 with the introduction of HB 929. This bill would have established the North Carolina Gaming Commission, provided regulations for daily fantasy sports, and consolidated regulations over lotteries, bingo, raffles, and boxing under the new commission.
HB 929 failed in the House under pressure from anti-gambling representatives and former law enforcement officials who opposed the measure for various reasons.
As lawmakers’ attention turned to sports betting, the topic of fantasy sports fell by the wayside until the North Carolina State Lottery Commission announced plans to address pick-em style contests once it got online sports betting up and running.
North Carolina Horse Racing Betting
Horse racing betting is legal and regulated in North Carolina, thanks to laws approved in 2019 and 2023. The 2019 law authorized tribal casinos to accept wagers in-person, while the 2023 law legalized online horse racing betting. Two tribal casinos offer simulcasting and pari-mutuel wagering, and legal online horse racing betting should start by June 2024.
Fans can read more about horse racing betting in North Carolina and get the latest updates below:
North Carolina Online Gambling
Only a few states so far have legalized online poker and online casino games, and North Carolina is definitely not one of those. The deck is stacked against North Carolina legalizing either industry within a reasonable time frame.
Even live poker is rare in North Carolina. It wasn’t until 2012 that the state authorized casinos to host live poker games and tournaments. Currently, Harrah’s Cherokee casinos are the only places in the entire state where players may play a game of real money poker and remain on the right side of the law.
The same applies to online gambling in North Carolina. State law prohibits all gambling and lawmakers have made no efforts to pass legislation to authorize online casinos or poker sites.
North Carolina Online Lottery
North Carolina sold its first lottery ticket in 2006 and now operates a standard range of major draw games such as Powerball and Mega Millions, instant win scratch cards and keno. The NC Online Lottery sells tickets to multistate and local drawings but does not offer instant win games at this time.
State residents 18 and older can buy the following games online at NCLottery.com or through the official mobile app:
- Powerball
- Mega Millions
- Lucky for Life
- Cash 5
The North Carolina Lottery flirted with the idea of offering instant win games online back in 2017 but relented amid strong opposition from the NC Retail Merchants Association and anti-gaming groups such as the NC Family Policy Council.
The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association opposed the idea out of fear online sales would hurt retail sales while the Family Policy Council warned of the dangers of allowing people to play online from their mobile devices.
North Carolina Gambling Laws
North Carolina gambling laws take the approach of barring everything except for what is specifically authorized. § 14-292 of the State Statutes lays it out in plain text:
Except as provided in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes or in Part 2 of this Article, any person organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to a person who plays at or bets on any lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state.
Only two tribal casinos are authorized to operate games of chance in the state. These are the Harrah’s Cherokee in Cherokee, NC and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in Murphy. The one located in Cherokee is the biggest of the two with a 150,000 square foot gaming area complete with video poker, slot machines, table games, and poker. The resort also has a 1,108 room casino, spa, 11 restaurants, a golf club, and a night lounge.
Apart from that, North Carolina doesn’t offer much in the way of betting. State Statue § 14-309.20 outlaws greyhound racing and the only horse racing tracks do not allow parimutuel wagering. The state also has no exception for home poker games.
Online gambling isn’t specifically mentioned in any of North Carolina’s gaming laws, but the broad language of the law leaves little doubt as to the legality of placing wagers with any entity not authorized to offer gambling.