The North Carolina State Lottery Commission voted unanimously to allow mobile sports betting on March 11th at noon.
Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347 into law last June to authorize sports betting in the Tar Heel state. During the bill signing at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte where the Charlotte Hornets play, Cooper said, “This is a historic moment for the state of North Carolina, and this will benefit our economy for generations to come.”
The commission had a window from January 8th to June 15th to initiate mobile sports betting as per the state law. The state law permits a maximum of 12 online sports betting companies to function within the state. Sterl Carpenter, the Deputy Executive Director of Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting, said nine companies have already submitted information to the state.
“The commission has received voluminous application materials from nine entities that want to become operators in the state,” said Carpenter, “Review of those license applications, and the applications for service providers and suppliers are well underway at this time.”
On March 1st, 10 days before betting can begin, approved companies can start allowing users to create accounts and deposit money. The approved timeline will allow betting just in time for the NCAA March Madness tournament on March 19th.
According to a survey by The American Gaming Association March Madness is the most popular time for sports wagering with a quarter of all American adults (68 million) planning to bet on the tournament last year.
Details on in-person betting have not been finalized by the commission at this time.
Information on approved companies will soon be available on ncgaming.gov.