Can SC residents participate in new NC online sports betting? Yes, but there’s a catch
Can someone who lives on the fast-growing South Carolina side of the Charlotte metro area participate in North Carolina’s newly legal sports betting?
The answer is yes — but not at home or anywhere in South Carolina. Someone has to physically be in North Carolina to bet, officials said. Devices use location data to make sure they are in North Carolina at the time of the bet.
No matter where you come from, if you are in North Carolina, you can register and play, according to North Carolina lottery officials.
“The North Carolina sports wagering law does not have a residency requirement,” said Van Denton, communications director for the NC. State Lottery Commission, the government agency that administers the newly legal sports gaming. “A South Carolinian would need to be present in North Carolina, at least 21 years old and not otherwise prohibited from wagering.”
It’s kind of like going to Vegas, where gambling on sports is legal, except it’s going across the state line to North Carolina. That’s a trip tens of thousands of people in York and Lancaster counties already make for work or recreation every day.
There are so far eight operators licensed by the state of North Carolina to handle online sports betting. Those operators’ commercials and online advertising have flooded the Charlotte market in recent weeks: The companies are all seeking out clients, and some are using big stars such as Charles Barkley and Jamie Foxx and Kevin Hart to lure in players.
On Monday’s first day, bets were made by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper and former Panthers great Greg Olsen and more as part of the hype.
How sports betting works in NC
Betting is done through licensed apps on a cellphone or other electronic device, officials said. The app knows where the person placing the bet sits through GPS and IP addresses, said Chris Jones, head of communications for FanDuel, one of the eight companies that have a license to handle betting action on sports.
Jones said people have to be about 1 mile or less inside of North Carolina for the smartphone application to verify the person can place a bet.
The betting process also requires initial verification through the app by the licensed operator about age and other factors, including identification and setting up an account. That, too, must be done while in North Carolina, officials said.
It’s up to individuals to pick which licensed operator to use for betting. Those eight operators can be seen at the N.C. Lottery Commission Website.
A lottery legalization repeat?
The one-Carolina-legal, other-Carolina-not situation is reminiscent of 2002, when South Carolina started a state lottery before North Carolina. Charlotte players descended on Fort Mill at the state line near Carowinds. Lines to buy lottery tickets stretched into parking lots at several lottery retailers in York County near the state line until North Carolina opened its own lottery a few years later.
As for South Carolina’s stance on online sports betting, the law in 2024 is still clear, state prosecutors told The Herald this week.
“Online gambling is illegal in South Carolina, regardless of the law in North Carolina or any other state,” said Robert Kittle, spokesman for the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
So here’s the deal: You can make the bet on the big game from a desk chair in Charlotte, or when stuck in North Carolina I-77 traffic. But you can’t make it from a recliner in your man cave in Rock Hill or Lake Wylie.
