Could NC mobile sports betting launch by March Madness?
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – While state law allowed for mobile sports betting to begin as soon as Monday in North Carolina, lawmakers and industry experts are eyeing a start date closer to March Madness.
When Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed the sports betting bill into law in late spring, it called for the North Carolina Lottery Commission to establish the rules and regulations to launch betting no sooner than Jan. 8 and no later than June 15.
That early start date coincides with Monday’s college football national championship. However, the commission is still going through the process of reviewing applications from sports betting operators and ensuring they are in compliance with regulations. That means online bets still cannot occur in North Carolina.
“In North Carolina, I think the difficulties and the issue they’re running into is there is no structure at all. And, they’re having to create everything from scratch. And, when you go through and you borrow laws and rules and regulations from various states that are already doing sports betting then you’re going through and handpicking what works for you and what doesn’t work for you,” said Brad Senkiw, a sports betting industry writer for Covers.com.
Sterl Carpenter, who is overseeing the implantation of sports betting in the state, told commission members last week that seven sports betting operators had applied for licenses.
He added that the state will begin with mobile sports betting and go live with in-person sportsbooks at a later time.
While he did not say when he anticipates betting to begin, he said he could be prepared to make recommendations to the commission this week.
The following operators have applied to operate in North Carolina: Bet MGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, bet365, Penn Sports (ESPNbet) and Underdog Sports Wagering.
“So, this means that an operator’s ability to get to market is in its own hands once it has a license,” said Carpenter at a recent commission meeting. “Given the excitement amongst applicants and many members of the public for sports betting to go live, we think application review and these compliance activities can be underway at the same time.”
Lottery officials already have said that betting will not be live in time for the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.
State lawmakers also added a new requirement into the budget that was enacted last October, requiring betting operators to partner with a professional team, facility or league specified in the law.
Just last week, NASCAR announced a partnership with DraftKings while Charlotte Motor Speedway will partner with BetMGM.
The law allows for in-person sportsbooks as well as professional venues. Lottery officials say online betting will launch first, with in-person betting beginning some time later.
Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), who was one of the lead sponsors of the sports betting bill, said the change lawmakers made through the budget impacted the timeline for launching online betting.
“I am very hopeful though that once we get to March Madness, it’s another opportunity for folks to legally place their bets in North Carolina,” Rep. Saine said. “I do think that’s possible because they have been working toward that goal as quickly as they can, wanting to get it right of course.”
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