North Carolina Sports Betting
Online sports betting is legal in North Carolina.
Eight online sportsbooks launched in North Carolina 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 and professional sports venues are set to open additional locations under the latest law.
Other North Carolina online betting options include daily fantasy sports apps and online prediction markets.
Legal North Carolina Betting Sites
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Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY)
Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR)
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21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
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21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
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 multiple online sportsbooks to choose from today, and the NC Lottery Commission may approve additional operators:
- Bet365 Sportsbook
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- DraftKings Sportsbook
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.
North Carolina Sports Betting Promotion Regulations
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 Locations
North Carolina has 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:
- Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River
- Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino
- Catawba Two Kings Casino Sportsbook
In addition, the law allows 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 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 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 online sports betting, but was a big step forward for North Carolina which has historically opposed all types of gambling expansions.
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 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 his 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 to implement the law, and issuing licenses to qualified operators.
While state law provides the basic outline for legal sports betting in North Carolina, regulations adopted by the Lottery Commission cover specific issues ranging from licensing conditions to data retention requirements.
Readers can see the law and its accompanying regulations in full:
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
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Must be 18+ (19+ in AL, NE; 19+ in CO for some games; 21+ in AZ, MA, and VA) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-MY-RESET or 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.ncpgambling.org. NY: Call the 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY or Text HOPENY (467369).
North Carolina lawmakers have considered legislation to officially legalize fantasy sports, tax operators, and implement consumer protection regulations but turned their focus to sports betting before they could get a DFS bill across the finish line.
As a result, fantasy sports contests exist in a legal gray zone under North Carolina law. State gambling laws neither authorize nor prohibit fantasy sports operators from serving residents and offering real-money contests, so all major fantasy sports companies accept North Carolina residents.
Read more about fantasy sports in North Carolina here:
North Carolina Prediction Markets
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18+ to play. T&Cs, restrictions, and exclusions apply.
Prediction markets are available to users in North Carolina, opening up trading possibilities that don’t exist at traditional sportsbooks. In addition to sports event contracts, users can predict financial markets, election results, and even the weather.
North Carolina Horse Racing Betting
Horse racing betting is legal and regulated in North Carolina, thanks to laws approved in 2019 and 2023. However, fans do not yet have the opportunity to bet on horse races in North Carolina.
The 2019 law authorized tribal casinos to accept wagers in-person, but none of them offer simulcast wagering at this time.
Similarly, none of the nation’s prominent online racebooks are active in North Carolina, likely due to high licensing fees.
Fans can read more about horse racing betting in North Carolina and get the latest updates below:
North Carolina Online Gambling
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Online casinos and poker sites are not legal in North Carolina, but Sweepstakes casinos offer a close alternative.
North Carolina is unlikely to expand legal online gambling options any time soon.
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 legal poker rooms in the entire state.
The same applies to online gambling in North Carolina 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 major draw games such as Powerball and Mega Millions, instant win scratch cards, and keno.
The North Carolina Online Lottery sells tickets to multistate drawings, local drawings, and scratch-card-style games called Digital Instants.
State residents 18 and older can buy the following games online at NCLottery.com or through the official mobile app:
- Digital Instant games
- Powerball
- Mega Millions
- Millionaire For Life
- Carolina Pick 3
- Carolina Pick 4
- Carolina Cash 5
Read more:
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 club.
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.
Responsible Gambling in North Carolina
If betting stops feeling like fun, North Carolina has free, confidential help available statewide. The state’s problem gambling program is designed to support both people who are gambling and the loved ones affected by it.
- NC Problem Gambling Program (NCPGP): Call 1-877-718-5543 or visit online for support, information, and treatment connections.
- NCPG North Carolina: Call 1-800-522-4700, text 800GAM, or chat online (24/7).
- Gamblers Anonymous North Carolina: Peer support meetings (in-person and online) are available across North Carolina.
North Carolina Sports Betting Self-Exclusion
North Carolina operates a Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program that spans all licensed sportsbooks and horse racing wagering apps. The program is confidential, and bettors may enroll online from anywhere.
Licensed North Carolina sports betting apps also offer individual, in-app self-exclusion tools.
North Carolina Sports Betting FAQ
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher and analyst in the legal gambling industry and is co-founder of BettingUSA.com. As a former professional online poker player, Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.