The University of North Carolina’s football team opens its season with a marquee matchup against South Carolina on Saturday, but North Carolinians won’t yet have access to legal mobile sportsbooks to wager on the game. Mobile sports betting platforms might not go live in the Tar Heel State at any point during the 2023 college football season, but there’s a possibility they could launch before the Super Bowl in February.
Gov. Roy Cooper’s signature legalized mobile sports betting in June, and now the North Carolina Lottery Commission is in the process of adding staff and drafting regulations. The commission is tasked with getting mobile sports betting up and running between Jan. 8, 2024 and June 14, 2024.
If the commission hits the early range of that target, North Carolinians could legally wager on NFL playoff games on their phones and laptops. Whenever North Carolina’s mobile betting market goes live, up to 12 mobile sports betting operators could enter the state.
Rulemaking progress unknown
The lottery commission’s progress on drafting rules is largely unknown, but commission members have the added benefit of dozens of other states operating legal sports betting markets. The commission can lean on those regulations when crafting rules that make sense for North Carolina’s mobile industry.
Interested parties might learn more about the commission’s progress at its September meeting.
“At this time, the next scheduled meeting of the North Carolina State Lottery Commission is for Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 10 a.m.,” Van Denton, the lottery’s communications director, told Sports Handle. “I don’t know yet what sports betting items, if any, will be on the agenda. The agenda should be available on Friday, Sept. 22.”
It’s likely there will be an update to the regulatory timeline this fall, even if it’s not in September.
Commission staff grows
While the rulemaking process is underway, the commission has made recent staffing announcements. Sterl Carpenter’s hire was announced in late July, and Carpenter began his role as the lottery’s deputy executive director of gaming compliance and sports betting in early August.
Carpenter joined the commission after spending the last eight years working for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Legal mobile sportsbooks went live in Massachusetts in March.
“Carpenter has experience in all aspects of regulations and licensing as well as compliance,” Mark Michalko, executive director of the North Carolina Lottery, said in a statement. “We’re pleased to have someone with Carpenter’s experience and expertise leading this new gaming program in our state.”
The lottery has also added a pair of new associate attorneys in recent weeks, Denton told Sports Handle.
“Both will support the commission’s regulation of sports betting, horse racing, and parimutuel wagering,” Denton said. “They joined the staff of two other attorneys, a chief legal officer, and a deputy general counsel. Neither of the two new attorneys will be totally dedicated to sports betting, but one will spend the majority of time on it. One attorney has already come on board and the other will join Sept. 5.”
With a robust staff in place, the commission will be better equipped to progress toward a mobile launch in early 2024.
