Best North Carolina Sports Betting Sites & Sportsbooks in 2023
North Carolina residents are some of the most passionate sports fans in the US. It is one of the most populated states that has not yet legalized sports betting. Considering how successful online sports betting has been in other US states, the market has the potential to explode in North Carolina. We don't think it will be long before North Carolinians can place sports bets safely and legally from anywhere in the state.
Read this guide, written by our Bookmakers team of gambling experts. It is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about online sports betting in North Carolina. That includes information about when the state will legalize online sports betting.
When online sports betting launches, we've got you covered. Our betting experts, with their decades of combined experience and knowledge about the country's best betting operators, are following NC closely and will provide all you need to know in the state once it opens.
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Must be 18+ to participate. T&Cs apply. You must be at least nineteen (19) years of age at the time of account creation if you are a legal resident of Nebraska or Alabama or twenty-one (21) years of age if you are a legal resident of Iowa or Massachusetts.
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Is Online Betting Legal in North Carolina?
In 2018, the Professional and Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was struck down by the United States Supreme Court, effectively ending Nevada's monopoly over legal US sports betting in America. This gave each US state the power to legalize retail and online sports betting, and many states have already taken that option.
North Carolina signed sports betting into law in July 2019 with the SB154 bill. From this, two retail North Carolina sportsbooks were set up at Harrah's Cherokee locations. Anyone that wants to place wagers on sports has to travel here to place bets in person.
Currently, online and mobile sports betting are both still illegal in NC.
North Carolina Sports Betting Now
As it stands, it looks like North Carolina is looking to move forward with the legalization of online sports betting as soon as possible. SB688 moved past the House Commerce Committee in November 2021. It is anticipated that this will be put before the House Judiciary Committee in Spring 2022. If all goes well, that paves the way for online sports betting to be legalized in late 2022 or early 2023, but we will continually update this page with any betting news on this front.
It has already been determined that the North Carolina Lottery Commission will oversee the licensing of sportsbooks when the bill passes. Almost a dozen sportsbooks are eager to offer the Tar Heel State online betting. That means online sports betting is poised to make a considerable impact sooner rather than later.
This guide will constantly update you with what's happening in North Carolina. That means as soon as online sports betting is legalized, you'll find all the information you need here. Bookmark this page and check back so you can get the edge when it comes to wagering in the Old North State.
Best North Carolina Sports Betting Promotions
When online sports betting is regulated in North Carolina, this is the best place to find promotions for the best sportsbooks. When online sports betting does go live, we'll offer you the best chance to boost your bankroll with generous welcome bonuses.
You will be able to find all sorts of different welcome betting offers, but here are the most common types you will see at most US sportsbooks and will probably be available once sports betting is legal in North Carolina.
- Match Deposit Bonus: This is the most popular sportsbook bonus available across the US, where you will receive bonus funds based on your first deposit. This will be determined as a percentage - for example, a match bonus of 50% up to $1,000. If you deposit $1,000, you'll receive an extra $500 in bonus. That gives you $1500 you can wager on sports.
- No-Deposit Bonus: These rewards tend to be smaller and rarer because you don't have to put in any of your own money. Sportsbooks reward you with some bonus funds just for registering at the site.
- Risk-Free Bet Bonus: This bonus allows you to take a stab at your first bet, knowing the sportsbook will reimburse your wager. If your first wager is a winner, you keep your money. The betting site will refund your bet funds if it doesn't come through.
- First Bet Matched Bonus: This is similar to a match deposit bonus, except your bonus funds reflect your first bet rather than your first deposit. That means if you wager $10, you'll get $10 in bonus funds.
All the fun isn't kept for just the new players, though. Sportsbooks also do a great job of rewarding regular customers with offers like free bet offers and bet boosts. You can get bonuses for referring your friends and family to play as well!
North Carolina Betting Promo Codes
Sportsbooks sometimes offer promo codes as a way to give out promotions to customers. What are promo codes? Unique sequences of characters and numbers that will give players bonuses for popular sports when joining NHL betting sites or any other sportsbook.
You can usually enter these promo codes during the registration process at a sportsbook. There is also the option to use one later in the cashier section of the betting site. Once you enter the betting promo code, you should be given your rewards immediately.
You get very similar rewards to what you would from a welcome bonus. That means you can find codes for deposit match bonuses, risk-free bets, and more. This is just another great way that sportsbooks try to give your bankroll a boost. You can find all of the best promo codes available to residents in NC right here on this page! Keep checking back as sportsbooks update betting offers reasonably frequently.
North Carolina Free Bets
Free bets are different from other promotions because the offer determines the amount you receive in bonus funds. A deposit doesn't usually affect your reward. You can get free bets as a welcome bonus or from a promotion for regular wagering.
Free bets are just like standard bets, except the funds come from the sportsbook. You can wager on your favorite sports and keep the winnings if the bet comes in. Anyone looking for a boost to their bankroll should use the free bet offers they find on our page.
Top North Carolina Betting Sites
Currently, online sports betting is still not available to anyone in North Carolina, like it is is New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. However, considering how the state is looking at legalizing online sports betting in the future, some of the top sportsbook operators in the US are already interested in offering online sports wagering to those in NC, where you'll soon be likely able to wager on any sport you have a passion for from soccer to golf betting. Here are some of the prominent sportsbooks that you can expect to see when sportsbooks are allowed to start operating.
DraftKings
DraftKings may already be well known to sports fans in the Tar Heel State because of its Daily Fantasy Sports offering. In 15 states, DraftKings also offers its sportsbook for online sports betting. DraftKings, a publicly-traded company, launched its first sportsbook product in August 2018 in New Jersey. That means NC customers can expect an experienced set of hands if the sportsbook decides to launch.
FanDuel
DraftKings' biggest DFS rival is FanDuel, which also offers DFS games to residents of North Carolina right now. FanDuel is owned by Flutter Entertainment, a global giant of the online gambling world that owns some of the biggest sportsbooks worldwide. FanDuel has used that experience to launch in 13 states.
BetMGM
BetMGM is the sportsbook product of MGM Resorts, one of the largest hotel and casino brands in the US. If the sportsbook launches in North Carolina, that means customers could earn themselves real-life rewards with MGM just for betting! The M life Rewards program gives players rewards just for placing bets, and this unique loyalty program could entice many customers in NC.
How to Currently Bet in North Carolina
Online sports betting is on the agenda for the state, but it may take some time for everything to fall into place. For now, a North Carolinian sports bettor will have to find alternatives if they want to place a legal sports bet. Residents can choose from a few options, and our experts explain them below.
Traveling Out of State
North Carolina has a few neighboring states that have already legalized online sports betting. If you really want to place wagers on the best sports in the US, you can travel to these states and use sports betting apps there entirely legally. The states with legal online sports betting include Tennessee and Virginia.
If you travel to these states, you will be able to use sportsbook apps as soon as you are within the border. To use a sportsbook app, you have to activate geolocation services on your mobile device. This means your device will track your exact location. You won't be able to use a sportsbook app once you return to NC. If you're willing to go the distance, this is a legal and safe way to place sports wagers until online sports betting is legalized in North Carolina.
Land-Based Locations
If you're willing to travel to place wagers on sports, why not travel to a land-based sportsbook in North Carolina? You won't be able to use your phone to place bets like if you travel out of state, but you will have access to all the same markets and betting opportunities.
You can visit a retail sportsbook at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee or Harrah's Cherokee Valley River in Murphy. Both of these locations provide sports betting powered by Caesars Sportsbook. You can try NFL betting on your favorite North Carolina sports teams, such as the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and enjoy a fantastic day out at these facilities, so if you want to place a bet on the Carolina Panthers to win the Super Bowl, for now, this is likely your best option.
DFS Sports
Although online sports betting is not yet legalized in North Carolina, Daily Fantasy Sports are perfectly legal and safe. That means you can use a FanDuel or DraftKings app and participate in fantasy games based on your favorite sports!
If you don't know what DFS is, it's a more rapid version of the fantasy sports with which you may be familiar. With fantasy sports, you build a team of athletes from your chosen sport using a budget and player prices decided by the site. You get points based on how these players perform in real life. Daily Fantasy Sports games let you create a team each day or week, depending on the competition you enter. The winners receive generous prizes from the DFS providers.
Most DFS games are free to enter and provide you a chance to win money from your favorite sports. Although this is not quite the same as online sports betting, it is an excellent alternative for NC residents until online sports wagering is legalized.
North Carolina Online Betting Payment Methods
Once online sports betting becomes regulated and legal in North Carolina, there will likely be a huge range of payment methods to choose from for depositing and withdrawing at betting sites. Visa and Mastercard are usually the two most popular methods at online betting sites, but as the years have gone by, other popular payment methods have emerged. These include e-wallets such as PayPal and Neteller, different wire transfer services and cryptocurrency. Plenty of sports betting sites around the world now accept a variety of cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals, and we expect that to be no different in the state of North Carolina.
What Sports Can I Bet on in North Carolina?
Although we don't know what sports will be available on top North Carolina sports betting sites, we can make some educated guesses. It's safe to assume most of America's favorite sports will be available, so you don't need to worry about missing out on the latest major league bets.
Here are the sports that will almost certainly be available when sportsbooks can operate legally.
- NFL
- NBA
- NHL
- MLB
- Motorsports
- Golf
- Tennis
- Boxing
- MMA
Casinos in North Carolina
Online gambling at casinos is currently not available to people in North Carolina. However, you can visit several land-based casinos if you want to try playing exciting table games or slots. When online casinos do go live, you can access all this fun from the comfort of your own home!
We're talking about table games like blackjack, baccarat and roulette, of which you can play lots of different variations. You can also play these games with live dealers over HD streams. You'll feel like you're really in a casino, chatting to other players and the dealer.
Any online casino will host loads of slot games, and when online casinos come to North Carolina, that's exactly what you can expect. Hundreds of different games, each with a unique theme and rules, will keep you entertained for hours. Hopefully, you're as excited for North Carolina online casinos as we are!
Responsible Gambling
Online sports betting can be a great way to add some more enjoyment to the sports you love. However, when online gambling starts to interfere with your personal finances and relationships, it becomes something else. Online sports betting can be addictive, and sportsbooks don't shy away from this.
Sportsbooks are ready to offer help and support to customers who need it. This includes tools like deposit limits, time outs, self-exclusions and more. There are also resources on problem gambling and how to spot warning signs.
Here are a few pieces of advice you can use to help keep your own experience at an online sports betting site safe and responsible.
- You should always gamble with your own money. Online sports betting is not a way to make money. Don't loan money to use for wagering on sports.
- Set yourself a betting budget. Don't go over this budget while you are wagering. That way, you won't be drawn into chasing losses.
- Don't use credit cards. Stick to the funds that you have. There are plenty of payment methods you can use to do this.
If you still feel you need help, call the North Carolina Problem Gambling Program at 1-877-718-5543 or visit the website. You can also get help from national resources such as Gamblers Anonymous.
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