Eight operators have obtained online sports betting licenses in North Carolina and can begin enrolling users ahead of the March 11 launch. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Online sports betting has yet to launch in North Carolina — that’s in a week and a half — but the engine is heating up as operators are granted licenses and begin signing up players.
On Thursday, February 29, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission (NCSLC) announced the first eight operators who will receive licenses. They are (in alphabetical order): bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Underdog Sports. Caesars, which has a supplier license, will manage the online sportsbook for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
State law allows up to ten online sports betting licenses, and although commissioners believe they will see more applications, it may be unlikely that every slot will be filled, since most of the major players are counted. The Catawba Indian Nation has also applied for one of the million-dollar licenses, but has not yet received the green light.
However, the actual betting does not begin until noon on Monday, March 11
Customers who are at least 21 years old can begin registering accounts and depositing funds starting at noon today, Friday, March 1. However, actual betting doesn’t begin until noon on Monday, March 11, just in time for all or parts of the NCAA basketball conference tournaments and about a week before the start of the men’s and women’s national championships.
North Carolina has three retail sports betting casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee River Valley in the western part of the state, just north of Georgia, and Catawba Two King’s Casino west of Charlotte.
