North Carolina Sees September Sports Betting Handle Increase, But Decreased Revenues

• The North Carolina Lottery Commission reported $654.1 million in September online sports betting handle
• It’s a nearly $115.7 million increase from September 2024’s handle total
• However, gross wagering revenue decreased year over year in September 2025

North Carolina online sports betting stormed into the football season, as the North Carolina Lottery Commission reported the second most ever bet this past September in a single month in the Tar Heel State.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission reported $654,096,849 this past September. The total handle for the month was only eclipsed by the March 2025 online sports betting handle total of $667,058,573.

Year over year, September’s online sports betting total saw a 21.5% increase over the September 2024 handle total of $538,367,688.

Revenues Decrease Year-Over-Year in September

In addition to the $654.1 million in online sports betting handle, the lottery commission reported $66,763,867 in gross gaming revenues. While this was an increase of more than $12.6 million over the August revenue total, it was actually a decrease year-over-year from the September 2024 revenue total.

The state reported $70,062,945 in gross gaming revenues in September 2024. Gross gaming revenue decreased by 4.8% in September 2025 compared with the September 2024 totals.

At North Carolina’s 18% tax rate on gross gaming revenues, North Carolina brought in $12,017,496 in tax revenues for September 2025.

Rebounds from Dreadful August Numbers

North Carolina sports bettors certainly flocked to their respective platforms in September more so than both July and August. While August featured gross gaming revenues of $9.7 million for the month, July was the least profitable month of sports betting in the Tar Heel State’s history.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission reported just $22.6 million in gross gaming revenues for July, leading to just a shade over $4 million in sports betting tax revenue for the month. July’s gross gaming revenue dropped by nearly $36 million from June’s total.

The July 2025 gross gaming revenue totals were nearly a $20 million drop from the July 2024 totals.

It was the least profitable month of sports betting in the state’s history. Prior to July 2024, August 2024 held the disconcerting record as it reported $33,747,320 in gross gaming revenue, which led to $6,074,518 in tax revenues.

During the 2025 fiscal year, North Carolina reported $6.4 billion in total online sports betting handle, $647,693,353 in gross gaming revenue, and $116.6 million in sports betting tax revenues.