North Carolina Online Sportsbooks Will Launch First, But Still No Official Start Date

• North Carolina online sportsbooks will launch first in the state, followed by brick-and-mortar sportsbooks 
• No launch date has yet to be announced
• North Carolina Lottery representatives encouraged applicants to begin working on their certificate of compliance requirements now

A launch date for North Carolina online sports betting has yet to be announced, but a representative for the North Carolina Lottery encouraged sports betting operator applicants to begin working towards their regulatory requirements now to ensure they have everything needed to launch on day one.

Seven sports betting operators have submitted license applications to the commission and can begin working towards their certificate of compliance requirements to ensure they be fully licensed and ready to begin business in the Tarheel State when sports betting is launched.

It’s likely the commission will require the operators to submit their proposed controls by the end of the month.

Online Sportsbooks Before Brick-and-Mortar

Each applicant will have to complete a number of activities to demonstrate compliance to the commission and reach the necessary operational requirements before they can be approved for business in the state, said Sterl Carpenter, Deputy Executive Director Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting for the Lottery Commission.

No sports betting licenses have been issued yet, Carpenter stressed, but applicants have the choice to begin working towards their certificate of compliances right now or wait to see if they are awarded a license by the commission.

All of this will be taken into consideration when the Lottery Commission determines an online sports betting launch date, Carpenter said. The quicker the operators receive their certificates of compliance, the quicker online sports betting can begin in North Carolina.

Carpenter notes that applicants can begin working towards meeting their certificate of compliance requirements even before they're licensed or wait until they receive a license.

Applicants will likely submit their proposed controls at the end of the month. pic.twitter.com/fZfO3H7Art

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Similar to other states, North Carolina will engage in a tiered launch of its sports betting program. Online sportsbooks will launch first, followed by brick-and-mortar sportsbooks  throughout the state at a later date.

The following operators applied for sports betting licenses in the state:

• bet365
• BetMGM
• DraftKings
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming
• FanDuel
• PENN Sports Interactive (ESPN BET)
• Underdog Sports Wagering, LLC

Gov. Cooper Wants Sports Betting by March Madness

Gov. Roy Cooper (D), recently appearing on the Ovies + Giglio Show, discussed North Carolina’s sports betting future and publicly stated that his goal is to have sports betting launched in the state prior to the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament.

“The goal is to get it out there before March Madness. No guarantee that that’s the case, but that is the goal,” Cooper told the sports talk hosts.

The rules must first be approved, the state needs to ensure it receives correct amount of revenue, and everyone must be licensed and comply with the law before sports betting can launch. The first-four round of the tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

North Carolina regulators announced earlier this month that a launch by February’s Super Bowl would not be possible.

“They’re working on it as fast as they can. I had them all in the room over there the other day pushing them saying we’ve got to get this done,” Cooper said.