North Carolina Sports Betting – Legislation, Timeline, and Latest Updates

Each sportsbook will use geolocation software to ensure their bettors are within a permitted area to place bets and use their app accordingly.

(1) FanDuel Sportsbook NC

Off of name recognition alone, many North Carolinians will be familiar with the sports betting conglomerate. Not only is FanDuel Sportsbook already active in North Carolina with their DFS app, but they are one of the biggest and more successful sportsbooks in all of the United States.

(2) DraftKings Sportsbook NC

DraftKings Sportsbook is one of the more prominent brands in the sports betting industry. Like FanDuel, DraftKings is already a DFS operator in the Tarheel State. DraftKings is typically very aggressive, with states preparing to launch sports betting in the past. There’s no doubt that they will offer betting in North Carolina once permitted.

(3) Caesars Sportsbook NC

We expect Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina to be all over this launch. They are already active in the state’s two retail sportsbooks, so the transition should be an easy one. They’re a force to be reckoned with nationwide, and already have a leg up on the competition in-state. What more could you ask for?

(4) BetMGM Sportsbook NC

BetMGM Sportsbook North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing sportsbooks in the United States. Having been available in Virginia and Tennessee, we expect BetMGM is a solid contender to join North Carolina upon launch.

(5) Bet365 Sportsbook NC

bet365 Sportsbook North Carolina is the most experienced online betting site in the market, having honed its craft for years in Europe before expanding to the United States. Bet365 will bring a prominent welcome offer, a dazzling betting app, and competitive prices to North Carolina.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers 2022 watching experience was a cathartic one. They made solid upgrades along the offensive line, including 6th overall selection Ikem Ekwonu and returned most of the production from the 2nd best defense in the NFL in terms of yards per game.

However, the quarterback position continued to be a mess and led to the firing of head coach Matt Rhule.

Carolina has since hired former Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich to assume head man responsibilities in Charlotte. And his first major move as a head coach was a splash.

The weekend before free agency was set to kick off, Carolina elected to trade up from pick number nine to the first overall pick. Along with pick 9, Carolina shipped away pick 61, 2024 first round pick, 2025 second round pick, and wide receiver DJ Moore.

And with that first overall pick, the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young to be their QB of the future. Things are looking up for the Panthers, whom many expect to have a good season in 2023.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes just fell short of trying to win their first Stanley Cup since their lone title run in 2005-06 behind the heroics of Cam Ward.

The Hurricanes have boasted one of the best teams in hockey during head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s tenure. But they haven’t quite broken through just yet – under the leadership of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Jaccob Slavin, they’ll look to change that.

In the 2023 season, Carolina did very well, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals before coming up short against the surprising Florida Panthers. In the 2023-2024 season they will continue to be neck-and-neck with the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division – Carolina will need to go through the likes of Boston, the Rangers, Lightning, and Panthers, among other potential contenders, to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets were a disaster this past season, but they do have the #2 overall draft pick in the upcoming draft. It seems all the attention is focused on what should be a loaded 2023 NBA Draft class. The headline in this class is French prospect Victor Wembanyama, who will likely head to San Antonio as the #1 overall pick. The Hornets could pick Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller with the #2 selection. Whoever they pick has to immediately make an impact. This team needs help!

In other news, Michael Jordan recently sold his majority stake of the Hornets, so we’ll see if the franchise has more success under a new regime.

Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC is the newest pro sports team in the state. The team has taken the city of Charlotte by storm, drawing NFL-sized crowds to its home matches at Bank of America Stadium. The team has done decently well so far in its 2023 campaign, holding its own against the top MLS sides as it competes for its first playoff appearance. Win or lose, Charlotte FC has become a very popular team in the state’s largest city.

UNC Tar Heels

The University of North Carolina is coming off a special year.

2022 was the first year without Roy Williams since 2003 for the Tar Heels, and they were just minutes away from hoisting the NCAAB national championship.

The regular season presented some roadblocks, but they made a nice surge into the tournament, including a win over Duke in Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels made the tournament as an eighth seed, stormed through their region, and won a rematch against Duke in the Final Four.

UNC did not rebound well off the title loss. Despite bringing back the same nucleus of Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, and RJ Davis, UNC missed the NCAA Tournament. They are the first NCAA runner-up to miss the Tournament the very next year since 1985.

Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils basketball team underwent one of the more magnified seasons in NCAA history.

Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski announced before the season that 2021 would be his final one. As the postseason inched closer, each game was over the national landscape.

And after faltering in Coach K’s final game in Cameroon Indoor and the ACC Championship, there were plenty of doubters.

However, the basketball team righted their wrongs and marched onto the Final Four. Duke followed this up winning the ACC Conference Tournament title under head coach Jon Scheyer in his first season. Scheyer and co. lost in the Round of 32 to Tennessee.

NC State Wolfpack

NC State is coming off a solid year on the gridiron. The college football team finished with a 8-5 record, and they received a bid to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Under head coach Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack have made a bowl game in eight of his ten seasons.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

In 2022, Wake Forest’s football team had a storied year. They marched on to their first ACC title game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Although they fell short, they went on to win 11 games, tying a school record.

In 2023, the Deacs finished 8-5, including a win in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl over Missouri. Under head coach Dave Clawson, the Demon Deacons have made seven straight bowl games. 

(1) First bet refund in North Carolina

Many sportsbooks will offer first bet refund in the form of bonus bets or bet credits to entice users to join as they are the most common sign up promotion. 

First bet refunds are simple – they can act as insurance if you lose your first bet with your new sportsbook. For example, let’s say a sportsbook offers a first bet refund for up to $50. You decide to place $50 on the Panthers Moneyline. You win the bet? Great, end of story. Enjoy your winnings. You lose? You will receive a $50 Bonus Bet. We will explain bonus bets in the following header. 

Once online sports betting is approved, and goes live in North Carolina, there will be plenty of first bet refund promotions to take advantage of.

(2) North Carolina bonus bet

Bonus bets are given to new and existing customers to reward their loyalty and continue playing on their sportsbooks.

You can think of bonus bets essentially as credits. If you have a credit in North Carolina, you can use this to wager. If you lose, you don’t lose any real money. However, you will win whatever that payout would reward if you win. Let’s go over an example.

You have a $50 bonus bet and decide to place it on the Hornets spread at -110 odds. A $50 wager at -110 odds would potentially pay you out $95.95 with a profit of $45.45 plus your original $50 stake back. Typically speaking with bonus bets, you would not receive your initial stake back as a payout in a bonus bet. So, in this example, if you lose, you do not lose any real money, but your bonus bet is gone. If you win, you would win $45.45 that is now yours to keep – withdraw – bet with, etc. 

On some rare occasions bonus bets will return the original stake – so keep an eye out for those.

(3) Deposit match

A deposit match bonus is pretty much what it sounds like.

Sportsbooks will offer a deposit match bonus up to a certain amount of money. So, for example, a sportsbook may offer up to a $200 deposit match. If you deposit $200 into your account, the sportsbook would match that deposit with $200 in credits.

Usually, you will need to follow through on a playthrough requirement where you wager your bonus bets, but ultimately at the end of the day, it’s money to bet with.

1. Spread
2. Moneyline
3. Over/under
4. Prop bets
5. Futures
6. Teaser
7. Parlay
8. Live/in-game

• AHC eCheck
• Bank wire transfer
• Cash at the casino cage
• Online banking
• PayNearMe
• PayPal
• Play+ prepaid card
• Skrill
• Visa/Mastercard

(1) Self-exclusion list

Bettors in North Carolina can place themselves on a self-exclusion list if betting is becoming too tempting. If you are trying not to gamble, you can place yourself on a self-exclusion list which would ban you from using their sportsbook app for an allotted period of time.

(2) Deposit and session limits

Deposit and session limits are a great tool sportsbooks offer for all users. Bettors have the ability to limit the amount of money and time they expend on a sportsbook app. 

(3) Helplines

If you have a gambling addiction or feel you are trending in that direction, there are helplines you can call or text if you think you have an ongoing problem. Trained professionals are available to talk to you and help you receive your support.

For more information about problem gambling in North Carolina and other states, visit the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG)’s treatment/resource finder by state.

• Call the NCPG: 1-800-522-4700 (24-hour confidential national helpline)
• Text the NCPG: 1-800-522-4700 (24-hour confidential national text service)
• Chat with the NCPG: ncpgambling.org/chat (24-hour confidential national chat service)