Legal sports betting in North Carolina begins Monday at noon

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Starting Monday at noon, sports and gambling enthusiasts in North Carolina will be able to place mobile bets through eight approved vendors.

Governor Roy Cooper signed the Sports Wagering/Horse Racing Wagering Bill into law last June, giving the state’s Lottery Commission one year to establish guidelines for sports betting.

Bettors will be able to gamble on professional, college, electronic, and Olympic sports. The commission is still establishing parameters for betting on horse racing.

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The vendors will be taxed at 18 percent, and the revenue raised from those taxes will go toward youth sports, state universities, and the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

Researchers anticipate tax dollars generated from sports betting could bring more than $100 million to the state each year. One expert told Queen City News he anticipates bettors will wager $6.5 billion in the first 12 months.

Throughout March, North Carolinians had the opportunity to log onto the eight vendors to see which ones were offering the best sign-up deals. However, no one could place bets until March 11, just in time for college basketball tournaments.

State law requires all platforms to partner with either a sports team or a venue.

The licensed vendors are:

• FanDuel (partnered with the Carolina Panthers and the PGA Tour)

• Fanatics Sportsbook (partnered with the Carolina Hurricanes)

• bet365 (partnered with the Charlotte Hornets)

• DraftKings (partnered with NASCAR)

• BetMGM (partnered with Charlotte Motor Speedway)

• Underdog Sports (partnered with McConnell Golf)

• Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (partnered with Caesars Entertainment)

• ESPN BET (partnered with Quail Hollow Club)

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