North Carolina Sports Betting
Status
- It’s Legal, but you can only place bets at two far away locations.
- We anticipate an amount of $18.4m to be wagered in the year 2020 on offshore online sportsbook sites (as per H2 Gambling Capital, H2GC.com)
Update: March 21
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians launched retail sportsbooks at its two (2) landbased
casinos on 17 March 2021. The sportsbooks were the first to launch in the state and were
operated in partnership with William Hill at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino.
Top 3 North Carolina Sportsbooks Online
North Carolina Sport Betting Legality
Sports betting is legal in NC, and boy did they make it look easy to legalize. Unlike other states that have had to manage many stakeholders with differing opinions, North Carolina has slipped in legalizing sports betting via the Class III inclusion route.
So simple, yet so effective.
It by passes licencing, changes to tax laws and a whole raft of other regulatory and compliance aspects that may have warranted lengthy debate.
Unfortunately online and mobile sports betting is not offered, and probably won’t be considered in the coming few years. Sadly, this makes placing a sports bet extremely difficult onshore, because there are only two places that are allowed for accepting sport bets. And these two locations are not easily accessible.
NC Tribal Compact Class III Gaming
In July 2019, Gov. Roy Cooper approved S 154 which effectively included sports betting as a permitted Class III gambling type.
What does Class III mean?
To begin explaining what is Class III, it is important to know the beginnings of when native American casinos were established. The establishment across the US normally required a Tribal Compact to be formed between the State and the tribe. A compact is a contractual agreement which outlines gambling terms and conditions of the native American casino.
The terms and conditions are normally divided in three categories: Class I, Class II and Class III.
Class III is defined as Las Vegas style gaming. You may have heard of Class III slot machines which are real money Vegas slot machines, as opposed to Class II slot machines, which are based on Bingo logic. For some states Class II gaming is banned, for others such as North Carolina Class III gaming is permitted.
Thus, once the PASPA law was overturned in May 2018, the Compact was amended to include sports betting as a permitted Class III form of gambling.
So where can I place a sports bet?
Guess what, there is only ONE native American tribe that operates two casinos in North Carolina, and you know what that means. This one tribe, The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, literally holds all the cards for gambling in the state. They have partnered with Caesars to run their sportsbooks at their two casinos.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
777 Casino Dr, Cherokee, North Carolina
Located high up in the mountains, this casino is approximately a 3 hour drive from Charlotte. Not exactly the easiest of places to get to. So if you are wanting to place a bet, get ready for a long drive. Or sign up for an offshore online sportsbook site.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel
777 Casino Pkwy, Murphy, North Carolina
Located even higher up in the mountains than the Cherokee based casino, this casino is approximately a 4 hour drive from Charlotte. Why you would drive all the way here (unless you are passing through) is beyond me, unless you are coming here for more than just a sports bet.
What types of games can I bet on?
You can bet on a whole raft of games, include professional football, basketball, tennis, soccer, golf and many others. Also available are college games and horse racing.
North Carolina Online Sports Betting
Unbeknownst to many, online sports betting has been occurring for many years.
North Carolina sports betting turnover for 2019 was $19.4 million, wagered via online sport betting sites.
These online sport betting sites are offshore and are open to accepting US players.
Is this illegal?
It is a gray area. The current state laws do not clearly articulate whether gambling offshore online is illegal or not. Therefore, you will find many online sports books (and online casinos) accepting US players from states that have ambiguous gambling laws – North Carolina is one of those states.
Is it dangerous?
There are two aspects to this question.
Firstly, will you get caught or fined?
I highly doubt it. Till this day, there has been no precedence of anyone being charged with breaking the law for playing at offshore online sports betting books or offshore online casinos.
Secondly, are offshore sports betting books trustworthy and reliable?
Very much so. They have been operating in the market for many years and sports betting is a clear cut outcome (when compared to online casino games). It’s therefore extremely difficult to argue that an outcome of a sports bet is wrong.
How can I find an online Sports Book?
The most popular offshore sports book is Bovada. It is the largest and has a long standing history of operating a sports book for US citizens.
Do NOT place a bet at an unlicensed sports book operating offshore. Unlicensed sportsbooks may not be reliable. Although they may offer great Welcome Bonuses, their promise to pay any winnings may be empty. Keep with the which are trusted and the big brand names.
How can I place a Sports Bet onshore?
It is illegal to run a sports book or place a sports bet within the borders of North Carolina. Other than placing a sports bet at an offshore online sports book the only other option is to travel interstate where sports betting has been legalized.
Daily Fantasy Sport in North Carolina
Daily Fantasy Sport in North Carolina is illegal.
A bill was raised, but failed to be passed on the premise that the language used to define Daily Fantasy Sport did not clearly articulate the gambling nature of DFS betting.
Is DraftKings legal in North Carolina?
Daily Fantasy Sports is deemed illegal. As such, DraftKings is not legal in North Carolina and cannot accept players.
Popular North Carolina Sport Bets
NFL – North Carolina has one NFL team, the Carolina Panthers.
NBA – North Carolina has one NBA basketball team, the Charlotte Hornets.
MLB – North Carolina has no Major League Baseball teams.
NHL – North Carolina has one NHL ice hockey teams, the Carolina Hurricanes.
