The North Carolina State Lottery Commission in the United States announced the authorization of eight online sports betting operators to register players.
Approved applications include bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, FanDuel and Underdog Sports. Each operator, except Caesars Sportsbook, partners with a professional sports team or venue in the state.
Caesars Sportsbook qualified for an online sports betting license through its partnership with the two tribal casinos of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Sports betting starts March 11th
Registrations for online sports betting began at noon last Friday (01), allowing players to set up their accounts and make deposits.
Applications require name, date of birth, mailing address, and Social Security number or other U.S. government identification.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission will allow the eight sportsbooks to begin operations at noon on March 11.
Therefore, the debut comes one day before the start of the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament, involving the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels.
Caesars Sportsbook has the advantage of being linked to an indigenous casino. Then, it will be allowed to accept bets physically at the two Cherokee casinos or on the tribe’s sovereign lands.
Thus, each of the eight approved sportsbooks paid the state a licensing fee of US$1 million, valid for five years. The renewal was set at an additional $1 million for a second five-year period in 2029.
Therefore, from March 11th, online bookmakers will be able to accept bets not only on professional sports, but also on university sports.
While the state will keep 18% of each operator’s gross sports betting revenue.
State expects to raise more than US$70 million per year
The taxes will primarily benefit athletics at North Carolina colleges and universities. $2 million will be set aside for problem gambling programs with the rest going to 13 college athletics programs.
North Carolina legislative fiscal analysts expect the state to receive $70 million annually after the sports betting industry matures.
Another very important factor is that North Carolina sportsbooks do not prohibit bets involving college athletes, contrary to what the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) requests.
Thus, only six states and Washington, DC, allow betting on college players: Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and Wyoming and North Carolina.