North Carolina sports betting will launch Monday March 11, just in time for this year's NCAA Tournament. Per Bennett Conlin of SportsHandle, the North Carolina Lottery Commission announced that prospective bettors can begin making deposits into the accounts of their preferred mobile betting apps on March 1.
Up to 11 operators will be allowed entry into the sports betting market in North Carolina, according to the lottery commission's rules. ESPN BET, FanDuel, Fanatics, Caesars, BetMGM, DraftKings, bet365, and Underdog each applied to obtain a sports betting license in North Carolina and each of those operators have negotiated deals with local teams and entities to gain a foothold in the state.
BetMGM announced a partnership with the Charlotte Motor Speedway in early January. Fanatics announced a partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes in December and bet365 partnered with the Charlotte Hornets in November. FanDuel has partnered with the PGA Tour and ESPN BET announced that it is partnering with the PGA's Quail Hollow Club and the Wells Fargo Championship.
The timing of the launch means there won't be an opportunity to bet on this year's Super Bowl, but it does coincide with what will arguably be the most popular time on the sports calendar for Carolinians. The ACC tournament tips off on March 12 in Washington D.C. and the NCAA Tournament begins on March 19.
As of this writing, three North Carolina based teams are at the top of the odds board at FanDuel to win the ACC — UNC (-390), Duke (+370) and Wake Forest (+5000). UNC also has the fifth-best odds to win the national championship this season.
Learn more about some the top sportsbooks that are coming to North Carolina, like BetMGM North Carolina and Fanatics North Carolina, by checking out our Best North Carolina Sports Betting Apps review.
