Eight operators have received online sports betting licenses in North Carolina and can begin registering users ahead of the March 11 launch. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Online sports betting hasn’t launched in North Carolina yet – it won’t for a week and a half – but the engine is in full swing as operators have been granted licenses and player registration has begun.
On Thursday, February 29, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission (NCSLC) announced the first eight operators to be granted licenses. These are (in alphabetical order): bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Underdog Sports. Caesars, which has a vendor license, will operate the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians online sportsbook.
State law allows for up to a dozen online sports betting licenses, and while commissioners expect there will be more applications, it is unlikely that all the spots will be filled since most of the major operators are represented. The Catawba Indian Nation has also applied for one of the $1 million licenses but has not yet received the green light.
However, actual betting does not begin until Monday, March 11th at 12:00 p.m
Customers who are at least 21 years old can begin registering accounts and depositing funds starting today, Friday, March 1, at 12 p.m. However, actual betting does not begin until Monday, March 11 at noon, in time for all or portions of the NCAA basketball conference tournaments and about a week before the start of the men’s and women’s national tournaments.
There are three retail casino sportsbooks in North Carolina: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in the western part of the state, north of Georgia, and Catawba Two King’s Casino west of Charlotte.
