North Carolina

It took a lot longer than many expected, but online sports betting is finally legal in North Carolina. On March 11, 2024, mobile wagering was officially launched in the Tar Heel State, allowing residents to place a wager either in person or on one of the eight betting apps available.

North Carolina residents can wager on professional and collegiate sports without any restriction. This includes the option to bet on in-state colleges, so the ability to bet on the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels is available.

Once mobile betting became available in the state, bettors could also wager on eSports. However, wagers on politics and entertainment-based events like the Emmy Awards are still prohibited. Amid all the back-and-forth and waiting for mobile betting to go live, residents in NC still had access to daily fantasy sports apps and social sportsbooks, all of which allow some great entertainment for all sports fans in the state.

Horse race betting, especially in online and mobile landscapes, is, however, still a work in process in North Carolina. Online horse racing wagering is fully legal under the current gambling legislation. Still, as none of the advance deposit wagering operators (racebooks) have applied for a local license, it's safe to say that the NC horse racing betting market isn't yet operational.

Why North Carolina is the perfect home for expanded NASCAR betting

North Carolina is widely regarded as the home of NASCAR, with Charlotte serving as the headquarters for many premier racing teams and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Given the state’s deep-rooted motorsports culture, there is significant potential for expanded sports betting on NASCAR events, which is a fairly untapped market. While traditional sports betting in North Carolina is still being built up, NASCAR’s strong in-state fanbase makes it a prime candidate for unique wagering opportunities.

Currently, sportsbooks in the state offer traditional NASCAR bets, including race winners, top-three finishes, and head-to-head matchups, but the future could provide more innovative betting options. Live, in-race betting—where fans can wager on fastest lap times, pit stop time, or lead changes—could revolutionize the NASCAR betting experience and provide more betting handle from the sport.

Additionally, more partnerships between NASCAR and sportsbooks could bolster fan engagement through exclusive promotions and in-stadium betting experiences at Charlotte Motor Speedway and other key venues. If North Carolina expands mobile sports betting, NASCAR could be a game-changer for the state’s betting market, potentially making it a hotspot for motorsports wagering across the country.

Betting on “Sooie!”: exploring the gambling potential of pig-calling competitions

North Carolina’s historical agricultural traditions have long celebrated the quirky art of competitive pig calling, where contestants belt out their best “Sooie!" to summon pigs with both style and volume. But could this peculiar spectacle evolve into a legitimate betting market?

With the growing popularity of novelty gambling markets around the globe, the concept of betting on pig-calling competitions isn’t something that can pop up “when pigs fly.” Spectators could place wagers on categories like the loudest call, the most creative performance, or the quickest pig response. Some festivals already attract significant audiences, and adding a regulated betting element could boost engagement while shining light on the tradition.

However, legal obstacles persist. Would pig-calling gambling be classified as skill-based competitions or animal-related betting, which is subject to stricter regulations? While the chances of seeing a pig-calling sportsbook remain slim for now, in a world where people wager on hot dog eating contests, anything is possible.

Online sports betting in The Tar Heel State

Sports betting has been legal in North Carolina since 2019, but to a minimal extent. When Governor Roy Cooper signed SB 154, it officially made sports betting legal on tribal lands. Eventually, in 2021, the state was able to take its first legal sports wagers at Harrah’s Casinos. The following year, in 2022, SB 688 was introduced as a bill that would legalize online sports betting if passed. While the bill passed the Senate without a problem, the House had some issues with its regulations, which eventually led to its failure.

It wasn’t until 2023 that the House and Senate agreed on a bill, which led to HB 347 being passed, introducing online sports wagering to North Carolina. The rules of this bill have changed since it was passed, but the state could still get online sports betting up and running before the set deadline. After an extended preparation period, mobile betting officially went live on March 11, 2024.

Initially, there were supposed to be 12 online sportsbooks, but the State Gaming Commission changed the rules late in 2023. They now require operators to come to a written agreement with a pro sports organization in NC. In total, 11 of these pro sports organizations can be partnered with.

Many sportsbooks have already formed partnerships, such as BetMGM partnering with the Charlotte Motor Speedway and DraftKings partnering with NASCAR. Seven operators applied for a license, so other operators with partners include FanDuel, ESPN Bet, and the Fanatics Sportsbook.

The state was required by law to have online sports betting up and running before June 8, 2024, so they were able to beat that deadline by a few months and give NC residents access to eight mobile betting apps right from the beginning.

All legal NC sports betting apps in 2025:

Sports betting & gambling legislation in NC

As the sports betting scene expands in North Carolina, bettors must remember the rules and regulations outlined in the state’s sports betting bill. The most significant of these rules is the legal betting age, which is set at 21. One of the most appealing aspects of online betting in NC is that remote registration is fully available, allowing bettors aged 21 and over to create mobile betting accounts from anywhere in the state.

The North Carolina Education Lottery will oversee all online betting rules and regulations, while the Cherokee Tribal Gaming Commission currently regulates all retail sports betting. Whether a bettor places a wager online or at a retail location, they will still be subject to the same tax rate on their winnings, which is 5.25%.

Online betting was a hot topic until recently, which caused discussions about iGaming to be put on the back burner. However, now that mobile betting is live, those discussions could soon resume. Since the lottery is active in the state, the two largest markets still illegal in NC are online casinos and online poker.

Boiled peanut prop bets: The quirky wager that could spice up NC events

Boiled peanut stands are a Southern staple, but in North Carolina, they might also be the next quirky gateway to food competition betting. Boiled peanut eating contests, which are often featured at county fairs and food festivals, already do big numbers in attendance, and with structured formats and clear outcomes (most peanuts eaten, fastest time to finish a bowl, etc.), they're a natural fit for novelty prop wagers.

If the state expanded its sports betting legislation to allow for cultural and food-based prop betting, events like these could generate thousands in seasonal micro-wagers. Add in live streaming and geofenced betting at events, and North Carolina could turn a beloved snack into a salty, crowd-pleasing revenue stream. Betting on boiled peanuts may sound odd, but betting on hot dog eating contests is already a thing, so the idea is not so far-fetched.

Most recent updates from the NC sports betting scene

• April 14, 2025: The Carolina Hurricanes will play the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Canes are (-245) to win the series.

• April 9, 2025: North Carolina lawmakers introduce HB 828, a bill that would ban prop bets on college and amateur sports. Aimed at protecting student-athletes and game integrity, the bill targets wagers on individual stats like strikeouts or touchdowns rather than game outcomes.

• April 7, 2025: In a shocking loss to Houston, the Duke Blue Devils were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.

• April 4, 2025: Set to play in the Final Four, the Duke Blue Devils are (-5.5) point favorites over Houston and (-110) to win the National Championship.

• February 25, 2025: Coming off a road win over Florida State, the North Carolina Tar Heels are (-170) to reach the NCAA Tournament.

• February 12, 2025: With the 2024-25 NFL season over, the Carolina Panthers have opened at (+7000) to win the NFC, and Bryce Young has opened at (+7000) to win MVP.

• February 3, 2025: Following their blowout loss to Duke, the North Carolina Tar Heels are (+175) to make the NCAA Tournament.

• January 28, 2025: After keeping their winning streak alive over NC State, the Duke Blue Devils have the best odds to earn a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament at (-1800).

In-person sports betting sites and locations

With sportsbooks still waiting to be implemented at the state's pro sports venues, bettors currently have the option to place legal sports wagers at three retail locations. All three locations are tribal casinos, but two of them, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, are operated by Caesars Sportsbook.

When pro venues can open up sportsbooks, there will be 11 more retail locations available, including the Charlotte Hornets arena, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Carolina Panthers stadium.

Grandfather mountain and mobile sports betting: What you need to know

At 5,946 feet above sea level, Grandfather Mountain offers stunning views, but the important question for gamblers is whether or not you can place a bet from the top of the mountain. With the state’s mobile sports betting laws set, geolocation technology should permit wagers from the summit; of course, that depends on whether a bettor's cell phone service can also survive the climb. 

Barring the bettor's cell phone service does survive, the next question becomes: does altitude impact betting behavior? Research suggests that higher elevations can result in increased risk-taking, as low oxygen levels could affect decision-making. If sportsbooks decided to profit from this concept, they could introduce “High-Stakes Altitude Bets,” offering promotions on all bets placed from North Carolina’s highest points. Whether thrill-seekers and bettors would actually attempt to place bets from the top of a mountain remains to be seen.

Sports betting in neighboring states

There is a 50-50 split when it comes to legal sports betting in North Carolina’s surrounding states. Both Virginia and Tennessee passed an online sports betting bill well before NC managed to get one over the finish line. At the end of the day, though, despite it taking a while, North Carolina still beat Georgia and South Carolina to the party.

You can click on GA and SC in the box below to find out more about why they remain behind when it comes to sports betting.

Sports betting revenue impact on North Carolina's economy

To obtain a license in North Carolina, operators must pay a $1 million licensing fee for five years. The tax rate in NC is currently set at 18%, which applies to both online and retail businesses.

While legal sports betting has been around for a few years in North Carolina, we had to wait until 2024 to receive the first monthly revenue report for sports betting in the state's history. With mobile betting now active, we will have an understanding of how well the state does when it comes to handle, revenue, and tax income.

Just by looking at the first year's betting revenue data, it is safe to say that NC has the potential to be one of the highest-earning states on a consistent basis. Even with online betting being legal for just three weeks in March 2024, the state still saw over $659 million in handle, which was the second-highest total out of any state with legal sports betting that month.

The total betting handle in 2024 was over $5.4 billion, which resulted in over $580 million in revenue from sportsbook operators and approximately $100 million in tax income for the state. However, given that legal mobile sports wagering launched in NC in March 2024, the 2025 revenue figures should easily exceed these numbers.

North Carolina sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: March 2025 ($685,003,031)

• Revenue: April 2024 ($105,251,673)

• Tax income: April 2024 ($15,787,751)

Latest NC sports betting revenue report breakdown (March 2025)

• Total betting handle: $685,003,031

  • The amount of paid wagers: $667,058,573

  • The amount of promo wagers: $17,944,453

• Winnings paid to Players: $643,652,689

  • Hold: 5.58%

  • Cancelled/Void wagers: $3,211,627

• Gross revenue: $38,140,361

• Tax revenue for the state: $6,865,265

Reported by the North Carolina Lottery Commission.

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

NC sports betting revenue in 2025

A full breakdown of North Carolina's monthly betting handle, revenue, and tax income regarding the 2025 calendar year is presented in the table below. The bracketed percentage visible next to each monthly handle and revenue indicates the change compared to the previous month.

2024 revenue data

Yearly revenue totals

Appalachian entertainment meets wagering: The rise of bluegrass banjo bets

At the heart of North Carolina’s Appalachian heritage lies bluegrass music, and within it, the lightning-fast fingerwork of banjo players has captivated crowds at festivals from Wilkesboro to Asheville for decades. But what if those toe-tapping solos weren’t just for applause, what if they were for prop bets?

Bluegrass Banjo-Offs could evolve into crowd-fueled novelty betting events where fans place wagers on categories like “Cleanest Riff” or “Most Crowd-Cheered Solo.” These speed-pick competitions already have clear judging criteria at many local and regional festivals, making them uniquely suited for wager-based entertainment. Outside of that, musical competitions in general have existed for a while, so it would not take long for mobile apps to figure out how to create markets. 

If North Carolina were to expand gambling legislation to allow novelty betting options, this kind of betting could drive tourism dollars and festival attendance. Assuming just 0.05% of the state’s sports betting handle, currently nearing $4 billion annually, was directed toward events like banjo-offs, that could mean $2 million in wagers and an additional $200,000 in annual tax revenue.

Blending Southern tradition with smart wagering could position North Carolina as a pioneer in hyper-local betting, all while keeping its musical roots on full display.